I recently read an article that reported on George Barna’s speech to an Ohio pro-life organization. The report caused me great alarm as it revealed the state of Americans in relation to their worldview. Barna told the pro-life advocates that their movement faces some major challenges in the days ahead. These challenges are a result of society’s departure from biblical principles guiding their decisions. The report revealed that families struggle to train children with a biblical worldview. Here are three reasons to expand your worldview training to include the home.
Families are Busy
Parents need help prioritizing the spiritual development of children. When we are not busy at work, we find ourselves rushing here and there for church and school activities and athletics. One of the things Barna noted is something that all of us are probably aware of ourselves. It seems like everybody is TOO busy! I am convinced the enemy is content with Christians staying distracted by life’s busyness, rendering them useless in the fight against the secularization of society.
Families are Inundated with Information
In addition to the busyness that consumes us, we are also inundated with large amounts of information. Parents need help discerning what voices to listen to and what to reject. Much of the information that bombards us daily really has no impact on our lives. We hear or read about accidents that occur halfway around the world as if it just took place outside of our homes. Then there is social media! The constant ding or buzz from our “smart” devices tells us there is another text message, Facebook or Instagram post, or some other notification that is calling for our attention, and we feel the need to check it out right away. Most of what we take time to look at is of little importance to real life.
The busyness of everyday life and the constant bombardment of knowledge is proof that we are very self-involved. In the end, we don’t know how to discern truth and how it should guide our lives. I remember reading a quote in Jeff Meyer’s book, Handoff, several years ago: “Young people spend between 27 and 33 hours per week using communication technology. They are overwhelmed with information. Information overload is destroying their capacity for discernment. They are finding it increasingly more difficult to determine what is really important.”
This isn’t something new to our society. It has been a plague on our families and society for the past several decades, but it has increased in its intensity in recent years. In fact, Meyer’s book was written in 2008. We are now reaping the consequences of not addressing these issues for many years.
This brings me to the crisis facing today’s parents and the education of their children. The article I was reading stated that “Americans [parents] are so busy that they really don’t invest very much in trying to understand everything that’s going on around them. In fact, they don’t invest much at all in trying to discern truth.” Pay careful attention to what Barna said: “The focus in America right now is on experiencing happiness rather than identifying and living in accordance with truth. So there’s a completely different plan that we’re pursuing than what God intended for us.”
Families are Biblically Illiterate
Many young families do not know what the Bible teaches on basic subjects and struggle to teach their children a biblical view of life. Since people are more interested in experience and personal connections, they do not desire to pursue justice and righteousness. The research shows that Americans are biblically illiterate and are not that interested in gaining a biblical perspective on life. This is especially true for younger generations. Barna talked specifically about the characteristics of the Millennial generation. This is the generation of young adults that were born between 1981 and 1996. It is important to note that Millennials range in age from 22 to 37 years old today.
Barna’s studies show that a biblical worldview is disappearing from the American landscape. He reported that only 10% of Americans actually possess a biblical worldview. This is despite the fact that seven out of ten Americans still identify themselves as Christian. The percentage of adults who possess a biblical worldview is on the decline when looked at from one generation to another. It is estimated that only one out of every 25 Millennials have a biblical worldview. These statistics are important because one does what one believes!
Commit to Equipping Families to Teach Worldview at Home
Millennials are today’s primary parenting generation, and this does not bode well for future generations. If we hope to see children and youth develop a biblical worldview and change the direction we are going, we have to ask ourselves, where will they get a biblical worldview? If only 4% of the primary parenting generation has a biblical worldview, their children have little chance of developing one on their own. Barna put it this way: “You can’t give what you don’t have, and most of them [Millennials] don’t have that kind of worldview to give.”
Dr. Tony Evans emphasized this truth in his series on Raising Kingdom Kids: “Parents are to transfer a theocentric, God-centered worldview; that’s why He said raise them in the Lord. Let the glasses that they wear, we call that a worldview, a lens through which you view life, be constructed by the parents as they have gotten it from the Lord. But if parents haven’t gotten anything, they can’t give anything. We are to transfer to them what we have gotten from the Lord.”
If parents don’t have a biblical worldview, then they cannot give it to their children. Millennials are not just the primary parenting generation today but soon will be the primary teaching generation in Christian schools. There is no question we are facing a parent crisis. We must include the home in our worldview strategy if we hope to turn the ship around.
A Worldview Training Resource for Your School or Church
I have spent the last two years developing a wide variety of resources to train today’s parents, church leaders, and educators on developing a biblical worldview and a biblical philosophy of education. A subscription-based resource is available at KingdomEducationMinistries.com. It is my prayer that many schools and churches will become a KEM Prime Member and equip their staffs and board members with a biblical worldview. Parents can also subscribe as an individual and access the same valuable resources that are available to churches and schools. For more information, email glen@kingdomeducation.org.
Dr. Glen Schultz has given his life to educating future generations according to God’s plan. After five years in public education, he entered the field of Christian education, where he has been a teacher, coach, principal, and superintendent. He has directed the Christian school work at LifeWay Christian Resources, served as the Association of Christian Schools International Southeast Regional Director, Superintendent of Liberty Christian Academy in Lynchburg, Virginia, and Headmaster of Sherwood Christian Academy. Currently, Dr. Schultz serves as founder and director of Kingdom Education Ministries. He is the author of Kingdom Education: God’s Plan for Educating Future Generations and several parenting booklets. Glen and his wife, Sharon, have three children and six grandchildren and live in Summerville, SC. He is a member of the Renewanation Board of Directors.
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