Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Evangelical
Do American Christians Have a Christian Worldview?

Do American Christians Have a Christian Worldview?

Last updated on: October 30, 2026 at 9:43 am by Roger E. Olson

0 Comments

Do American Christians Have a Christian Worldview? 2026-10-30T09:43:41-05:00 Roger E. Olson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

According to researcher and cultural analyst George Barna most don’t. That is, only about four percent do have a biblical-Christian worldview. Barna is widely acknowledged as one of the best researchers of American Christianity.

So what do most American Christians have? He says a syncretist worldview, one made up of pieces of worldviews, most not Christian or biblical. Where do they get the pieces? From popular culture, mostly.

I don’t know if I agree with the “four percent” figure, but having lived and moved and taught and preached among American Christians all my life I can say with confidence most I have met do not have a Christian worldview. If queried about certain beliefs they will often confess them. But if I ask about their view of reality they don’t know or they say things that are not biblical or really Christian. I could give numerous examples.

One is reincarnation. It’s amazing how many American Christians believe in reincarnation. Another is what sociologists or religion have labeled “moralistic, therapeutic deism,” belief that God exists and has high expectations of us but always forgives.” And in MTD belief God does not involve himself in everyday life.

Does the universe exist “on its own,” so to speak, without constant ontological support from God? Many American Christians will say yes.

I suspect this crisis in American Christianity is what led to the Young, Restless, Reformed Movement led by Calvinists such as John Piper. Many young American Christians realized they had not been taught anything deep, profound, penetrating, and found what they wanted in Calvinism, not knowing there is any alternative.

But they, the YRRM people, are a tiny minority among American Christians.

I hear it all the time. Just this past month I attended a church meeting where the moderator, a very bright, spiritually-minded, active Christian gave a book report. The book, he said, shows how the church needs to emphasize theology less and experience of God more. Perhaps that is true of some churches but not the ones I have been in (Pentecostal, Baptist, Anabaptist). I hear theology put down all the time. And the idea of a Christian worldview is simply foreign to most American Christians.

When I taught at a Christian liberal arts college I was tasked with creating the curriculum for a course entitled “Developing a Christian Worldview.” I not only created it; I taught it many times—to “adult learners” in a “degree completion program” the college created. I encountered much push-back to the very idea that there IS a Christian worldview. The students, all self-identified Christians (but of various denominations), were defensive of their individually-created life and world philosophies, their fundamental beliefs about reality. One of my colleagues told me straight out to my face “There IS no Christian worldview.”

Finally, a few years ago, I wrote Essentials of Christian Thought (the publisher’s given title, not my preferred one) about the biblical-Christian worldview or metaphysic. I have not received much response to it.

Even if only forty percent of American Christians have a biblical-Christian worldview that’s too few. The churches have not done their job in this area of “discipleship of the mind” (the title of a book by James Sire). We don’t need less theology but more.

*Note: If you choose to comment, make sure your comment is relatively brief (no more than 100 words), on topic, addressed to me, civil and respectful (not hostile or argumentative), and devoid of pictures or links.*

Uncategorized

Previous Post

October 26, 2026

Calvinism’s Achilles Heel

Recent Comments

0 | Leave a Comment

"I also forgot!!! There are other “Christian worldview” books I might want to discuss here."

Roger Olson

Do American Christians Have a Christian ..."

"I would, yes. It’s a bit meaty but we’ve done some even more meaty here ..."

Roger Olson

Do American Christians Have a Christian ..."

"I think we are talking about apples and oranges."

Roger Olson

Do American Christians Have a Christian ..."

"I looked back and saw that you led a discussion on Essentials in 2023. I ..."

John

Do American Christians Have a Christian ..."

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Against Liberal Theology Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who prophesied swords would be beaten into plowshares?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Joel Daniel Hosea Micah