With a Subtitle: The title of this article is generated by ‘Release #4’ from Dr. George Barna and his “American Worldview Inventory 2024” report.
A brief Excerpt: The title of this article is generated by ‘Release #4’ from Dr. George Barna and his “American Worldview Inventory 2024” report.
The Barna Group (home page here) recently published their fourth set of results from the 2024 American Worldview Inventory (overview here) survey. It indicates that the historical definition of evangelism is out of sync with contemporary beliefs and practices (details here). For example, the following are results from attendees of EVANGELITICAL churches…
- Over half (54%) stated that people are basically good.
- Exactly half said they believed one can earn their salvation through good works.
- Twenty-four percent “reject the biblical nature and character of God”.
- Twenty-six percent “worship spirits other than the God of the Bible”.
- Fifteen percent occasionally cast spells on other people.
What is Happening to the Word Evangelical?
The term “evangelical” has lost its meaning, just as the word “Christian” did a generation ago. One can no longer assume that those who use these words to describe their beliefs must include the acceptance of the Bible as the inerrant word of God or that Jesus Christ is the only path to Heaven.
What does the Bible say?
If one looks up the Greek root word, it means a great deal more than “the good news or the gospel”, because of what it is paired with.
Strong’s Concordance states (details here) the root word… “The Gospel (2098 /euaggélion) includes the entire Bible, i.e. it is not limited to how a person becomes a Christian.”
Not only does it refer to the whole of Scriptures, the term is nearly always associated with the concept of “go and tell”, i.e. proclaim, spread or preach.
Examples of its use, according to Strong’s can be found in…
Matthew 4:23 – And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.
Mark 1:14 – Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God,
Acts 20:24 – But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.
Syncretism – the Religion of American Evangelicals
Again from Barna’s research (details here)…
“The overwhelming majority of American adults—92%—embrace a worldview known as Syncretism – a fusion of disparate ideologies, beliefs, behaviors, and principles culled from a variety of competing worldviews into a customized blend.”
Of those who identify as evangelicals, 64% actually have a Syncretism worldview “often-conflicting blend of philosophies of life that a person pieces together for their own satisfaction”.
We are a confused group who believe what we wish to believe, accept what we wish to accept from God’s word, and reject what we find offensive, indefensible, and /or inconvenient.
Webster confirms the word syncretism is, “the combination of different forms of belief or practice”.
After Syncretism, Barna found the next highest percentage of American religious beliefs was a Biblical Christian worldview. However, that only comprised 4% of the total population!
So, even though many Christians call themselves Evangelicals and attend Evangelical churches, only a small fraction are, in fact, evangelicals within the traditional theological definition of the term.
Conclusion
Barna’s final point as quoted from a recent newsletter and based on an incorrect and impotent “theological criteria of evangelical” still states…
“The idea of a denomination or even individual churches being “evangelical” has lost much of its meaning in the past quarter-century. When adults who describe themselves as Christians are asked what type of church or denomination they attend, 11% of adults claim to usually attend an evangelical church. But only one-third (34%) of those adults meet the theological criteria of “evangelical.”
If one uses a more traditional definition of “evangelical” which includes a firm belief that…
- the Bible is without error,
- there is only one way to Heaven, through Christ (John 14:6) and,
- as Christians, we are called to share the Good News to a lost and dying world (Matt. 28:19),
…the percentage of American “evangelicals” who are evangelical sadly becomes even more anemic.
Romans 11:5 – So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace.
Salvation – Eternal Life in Less Than 150 Words
Distributed by – BCWorldview.org