Only 6% of self-professed Christians hold biblical worldview amid increasing syncretism in the US: survey
Only 6% of Christians have a biblical worldview as many Americans embrace syncretism, according to a new survey.
The Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University released a new batch of research from the American Worldview Inventory 2024.
The main takeaway from the report is that “the typical American adult is not a worldview purist but is essentially a worldview plagiarist, combining beliefs and behaviors borrowed from an average of nine recognized worldviews into their personal worldview blend.” The research considers this finding as consistent with the fact that “the dominant worldview in America is syncretism, chosen by 92% of American adults as their dominant philosophy of life.”
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“Syncretism is the term used to describe a customized blend of philosophies of life that a person pieces together for their own satisfaction,” the report explained. “Syncretism is the result of people relying upon their emotions to appropriate elements of various recognized worldviews toward creating an idiosyncratic, personally pleasing understanding of and response to reality.”
Adherence to syncretism has increased since 2021, when the Cultural Research Center found that 88% of American adults subscribed to the worldview.
The report also listed the 10 most common worldview beliefs that conflict with a biblical worldview. The belief that “it is possible for a married couple to be bonded to each other for eternity,” associated with Mormonism, is embraced by 46% of Americans.
Forty-six percent of Americans subscribe to the belief that “people are neither good nor bad when they are born, but become either good or bad through accumulated life choices,” affiliated with the philosophies of moralistic therapeutic deism, secular humanism and animism. More than one-third (35%) of respondents agree with the secular humanist, postmodernist and satanist idea that “when determining what is right and wrong, you are most likely to rely upon ... your reason and emotions.”
By contrast, according to the biblical worldview, “marriage ends upon one’s earthly death” and “every human being is born as a sinner, our sins result in our condemnation by God, but that rejection can be overcome through the grace extended by Jesus Christ upon our repentance and embracing Jesus Christ as our savior.” The biblical worldview also identifies God as “the source of all truth” who “conveys truth to humans through the Bible.”
The strong belief that “humans have no right to dominate animals, plants, or nature; we are supposed to live in harmony and interdependence with them,” associated with the philosophies pantheism and animism, is embraced by 31% of Americans. Another 31% of respondents agree that “all animals, plants, the wind, and water have a unique spirit, just like human beings do.” This belief is not reflective of a biblical worldview but rather the ideologies of pantheism, Mormonism, Wicca and animism.
The biblical worldview teaches “that mankind is God’s highest creation and He gave humans dominion over everything else He created” and that “unlike animals, plants and the rest of creation, only people are made in the likeness of God and have an eternal soul.”
Other beliefs that run contrary to a biblical worldview embraced by substantial portions of those surveyed include the Jewish idea that “a messiah has been promised” and that “He will make His initial visit to earth to save His people” (28%), the postmodernist notion that “a higher power may exist, but nobody really knows for certain”(26%), the moralistic therapeutic deist and Mormon belief that “the best indicator of a successful life is being a good person” (24%) and the secular humanist belief that “the basis of truth is scientific, verifiable proof” (23%).
These beliefs contradict the respective assertions of the biblical worldview that “Jesus Christ is the Messiah and that upon His second coming He will save those who have repented for their sins and have called upon Him to be their Savior,” that “creation itself is evidence of His existence,” the definition of success is “consistent obedience to God and the life principles He provides in the Bible” and that “there is no truth apart from God, and that by His nature and words He has defined truth.”
The postmodernist and secular humanist belief that “the universe came into existence in ways humans are unlikely to ever understand or discover” is the tenth most commonly held belief among respondents that conflicts with a biblical worldview, with 21% of those surveyed adhering to it. The biblical worldview declares that the creation of the universe by God is laid out in the Bible.
The widespread rejection of beliefs associated with a biblical worldview comes as just 4% of Americans and 6% of Christians adhere to a biblical worldview. The Cultural Research Center defines a biblical worldview as “a means of experiencing, interpreting, and responding to reality in light of biblical perspectives.”
The Cultural Research Center measures biblical worldview based on responses to questions about the Bible, truth and morals, faith practices, family and the value of life, God, creation and history, human character and nature, lifestyle, behavior and relationships, purpose and calling as well as sin, salvation and God relationship.
The findings in this report are based on responses recorded from 2,000 adults in January. The survey had a margin of error of +/-2 percentage points.
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: [email protected]
