Think Like Jesus

This would be my second favorite book by George Barna, Think Like Jesus. This book has two "tests" that make it quite interesting. (And don't harp on me about the idea of "testing" a spiritual condition - I didn't write the book.) Barna has one test to determine, for statistical purposes, whether or not one is a "born-again Christian". Why would such a test be neccessary, one might ask - because in the United States, being "christian" is synonomous with being American. The term and its distinction has been watered down, so Barna raised the bar by using a test to determine whether or not one was born-again, for statistical purposes.

"Born again Christians" are defined as people who said they have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in their life today and who also indicated they believe that when they die they will go to Heaven because they had confessed their sins and had accepted Jesus Christ as their savior."

Once he had established one's spiritual designation as "born-again christian" or "not born-again christian", he could implement a second test upon the "born-again christians." This test would determine whether or not they had a "Biblical worldview".

His definition of a Biblical Worldview:

"Those saying their faith is very important in their life today; believing they have a personal responsibility to share their religious beliefs about Christ with non-Christians; believing that Satan exists; believing that eternal salvation is possible only through grace, not works; believing that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth; asserting that the Bible is accurate in all that it teaches; and describing God as the all-knowing, all-powerful, perfect deity who created the universe and still rules it today. This is not dependent upon church attendance or the denominational affiliation of the church attended."

He then goes on to show, statistically, that those who are "born-again" without a "Biblical worldview" live their lives almost identically to those who are non-believers. He uses these statistics to illustrate that the dividing line that determines how one lives their life, is not whether or not they are "born again", but whether or not they have a "Biblical worldview."

Now, I wouldn't take the conclusions of this book and run with them, but nonetheless, they are highly intriguing and also disturbing in the sense that our churches are filled with people whose lives look no different than those outside the church.

Oh well, take it for what you will....