EP 128: George Barna - ACFI Worldview Measurement Project

Welcome to The Shaun Tabatt Show! Today I sit down with George Barna to discuss American Culture & Faith Institute's Worldview Measurement Project.

Here's the ground we cover in this conversation:

• I understand that this is the largest national worldview survey ever conducted, by American Culture & Faith Institute. It looks you worked with around 6,000 participants for this survey. Give us a sense of the variety of the people who participated in the survey. (00:35 - 01:42)
• What are some of the key elements that differentiate this ACFI Worldview Measurement Project from other studies? (01:43 - 02:35)
• When you tallied the results, you scored in 3 separate areas. Talk to us about those. (02:36 - 05:01)
• You say that integrated disciples lead very different lives from people who lack a biblical worldview. What are some of the ways they differentiated themselves? (05:02 - 06:55)
• Another observation that surprised me is that regular religious activity does not insure somebody has a biblical worldview. Can you comment on that? (06:57 - 08:43)
• As you look back on all the data you collected for this survey, is there anything surprised you or stood out as unexpected? (08:44 - 10:19)
• George, if people want to connect with you and find out more about this survey and more about American Culture and Faith Institute, where should they go on the web? (10:20 - 11:15)

About the Survey:  More than 100 million adults in America claim to have a biblical worldview! Are they right? Does it matter?

A series of nationwide surveys conducted by the American Culture & Faith Institute (ACFI) addressed the question of how many Americans have a biblical worldview. Interviewing 6,000 people from three distinct populations – the general public, theologically conservative Protestant pastors, and SAGE Cons – the surveys produced some startling results. But does it matter?

“It’s very important to know how many people have a biblical worldview because peoples’ behavior is driven by their beliefs – we do what we believe. In other words, our worldview determines the choices we make and the resulting actions we take,” explained research veteran George Barna, who directed the studies for ACFI. “Everyone has a worldview. The critical question is which one people have embraced. If we want to transform our culture then we will need to change the choices people make that produce that culture. And in order to change those choices we must identify the beliefs that led to those choices.”

While it may sound complex or even impractical, understanding the concept of a worldview is not complicated. A worldview is the mental framework that helps people to make sense of their world. It serves as a filter to help us understand and respond to reality. Because a worldview determines what is considered to be good or bad, valuable or worthless, righteous or evil, right or wrong, and so forth, a person’s worldview is an indispensible mechanism for each of us to cope with life. Similarly, it is critical to understand if we are seeking to comprehend who we are and where we are going as a nation.

Surprisingly few studies have been conducted to measure the proportion of people who have a biblical worldview – or other widely recognized worldviews, such as secular humanism, postmodernism, existentialism, pantheism, or nihilism. The ACFI study is designed to serve as a benchmark for annual updates on the proportion of Americans who have a biblical worldview.

For more on this groundbreaking survey, visit CultureFaith.com.

About George Barna:  George Barna is the Executive Director of the American Culture and Faith Institute (a division of United in Purpose). He founded the Barna Research Group in 1984 (now The Barna Group) and has been President of Metaformation, a faith development organization, since 2009. He has served several hundred parachurch ministries, thousands of Christian churches, and many other non-profit and for-profit organizations as well as the U.S. military. He has also been a pollster in three presidential campaigns. Barna has written more than 50 books, mostly addressing cultural trends, leadership, spiritual development, and church dynamics. They include New York Times bestsellers and several award-winning books. He has sold more books based on survey research related to matters of faith than any author in American history. After graduating summa cum laude from Boston College, Barna earned two Master’s degrees from Rutgers University and has a doctorate from Dallas Baptist University. He attends Mission Church in Ventura.

Connect with George:

• CultureFaith.com
• Facebook
• Twitter (@George_Barna)

For additional show notes, visit ShaunTabatt.com/128.