I’ve often heard the term “worldview” compared to a pair of glasses—your worldview is the lens that sits right in front of your spiritual eyes and affects the way you see everything. If your glasses are scratched, the whole world will look scratched. If your glasses are smudged, the whole world will look smudged. And if your glasses are pink-tinted, the whole world will look pink. And so, the best way to deal with someone who insists the world is pink is not to endlessly debate back and forth about any particular object whose color you disagree about, but rather to change out their glasses for a pair that lets them see the world as it really is.

But your worldview is similar to your glasses in another way—both require intentional effort to maintain. Give someone a new pair of lenses, and they can quickly become scratched and smudged if they aren’t consciously taken care of and maintained. And in our fallen world, we encounter scratches and smudges in our culture every day.

The same is true of our worldview. Our fundamental beliefs about God, creation, man, sin, redemption, and the trajectory of history all prompt us to bend the information we receive in one way or another. Using the wrong worldview, we’ll see the world in a distorted, discolored, or downright smudgy manner. Using the correct worldview, we’ll see the world clearly as God sees it. But—just like with your physical glasses—merely starting off with a correct worldview does not guarantee a lifetime of wisdom. Your worldview must be guarded against the scratches of half-truths and compromises that will cause it to deteriorate over time. Such seems to be the case in America today.

A recent poll conducted by the Wall Street Journal and the University of Chicago’s National Opinion Research Center (NORC) reveals saddening trends in the American worldview. Although the study was not explicitly a “worldview survey”—it covered a wide variety of topics ranging from the economy to childbearing—a few of the poll’s questions shed light on how Americans’ deep worldview principles have changed over recent years.

Of today’s Americans, only 39% say that religion is very important to them, as opposed to 62% in 1998. Even as recently as 2019, approximately 50% of Americans affirmed this. Further, only 30% of today’s Americans say that having children is very important to them, a sharp decline from 1998’s count of approximately 60%. And since 2019’s percentage was still in the low 40’s, much of this decline appears to have happened just over the last three years. These declining numbers point to a decline in major tenets of the Christian worldview—God is the center of life and the most important focal point of it, and man is called to be fruitful and multiply.

Other factors, which are not as directly tied to one’s spiritual worldview, but important nonetheless, have declined as well: patriotism is “very important” to just under 40% of Americans (as opposed to almost 70% of 1998 America), and community involvement is approaching a meager 20% (contrasting with almost 50% in 1998).

Why are such principles—historically assumed to be “American values”—now on the decline? WSJ offers a possible explanation:

A number of events have shaken and in some ways fractured the nation since the Journal first asked about unifying values, among them the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the financial crisis of 2008 and subsequent economic downturn and the rise of former President Donald Trump.

Well, that seems to be a decent partial explanation, especially for factors such as community involvement in the post-Covid world. However, it’s important not to take such materialistic explanations too far and think that as long as the country is clipping along in relative peace and prosperity, then Americans will begin to seek God again. One of the most repeated messages in the history of the Old Testament is that prosperity is actually a pitfall for godliness—when a nation is prosperous, she tends to forget God, because she assumes He is now unnecessary. And if a nation truly fears God, hardship will prompt her to call on Him in her distress. America’s declining Christian worldview is not merely a product of troublesome times. It is a symptom of spiritual decay.

So what is the spiritual solution? How do you restore something as fundamental as a nation’s worldview? Only the work of the almighty God can do that, but thankfully, God tends to leave the same sorts of fingerprints where He works. Dr. George Barna and Arizona Christian University’s Cultural Research Center have identified seven basic beliefs strongly correlated with a biblical worldview; 80% of adults who adhere to them are classified as having a biblical worldview. As ACU puts it, they are:

1) An orthodox, biblical understanding of God.
2) All human beings are sinful by nature; every choice we make has moral considerations and consequences.
3) Knowing Jesus Christ is the only means to salvation, through our confession of sin and reliance on His forgiveness.
4) The entire Bible is true, reliable, and relevant, making it the best moral guide for every person, in all situations.
5) Absolute moral truth exists—and those truths are defined by God, described in the Bible, and are unchanging across time and cultures.
6) The ultimate purpose of human life is to know, love, and serve God with all your heart, mind, strength, and soul.
7) Success on earth is best understood as consistent obedience to God—in thoughts, words, and actions.

On the one hand, none of these should be surprising. Didn’t I just list 7 biblical teachings? So am I not just basically saying “if you want a biblical worldview, you need to believe the Bible?” In a way, yes—the answer doesn’t get much more simple than that. God offers no substitute for repentance, and He offers no alternative framework for reality than His own inspired Word. If America is going to recover a Christian worldview, it will simply have to start believing the Word of God again, and it doesn’t get much simpler than that.

On the other hand, however, these seven tenets do provide us with a clarified look at the problem we face. The generalized and slightly nebulous question, “how well does my family/community/government believe the Bible?” can mean many different things to many different people. But these seven principles help us examine the specific ways in which our community is falling short, and thus specific directions for preaching the truth to those who need to hear it. Once we identify the individual scratches in a pair of glasses, it’s a lot easier to deal with them.

With these specific cornerstones of a biblical worldview identified, ACU found that only 3% of adults currently adhere to all seven. This means that 97% of adults have a sub-Biblical worldview. We have a lot of work to do.

Written by Dr. Mark W. Hendrickson

Two years ago, I wrote about the pending global population implosion. Demographers predict that 90 countries will lose population between now and the year 2100. Shrinking populations have portentous implications, including major shifts in geopolitical power and the possible financial collapse of welfare states.

The United States’ population is part of this global trend. In a truly stunning article in The New York Post, journalist Suzy Weiss reported, “Last year, the number of deaths exceeded that of births in 25 states—up from five the year before. The marriage rate is also at an all-time low, at 6.5 marriages per 1,000 people. Millennials are the first generation where a majority are unmarried (about 56%).”

The story gets grimmer: An increasing number of 20-something American women are reportedly undergoing voluntary sterilization. There is a growing anti-natalist movement in America. Once again, the vital question is: Why?

I will offer three explanations that overlap somewhat with what I wrote two years ago: ideological indoctrination, stunted psychological growth, and alienation from God. (Please note: I am not stating that every person, female or male, who chooses to remain childless is doing so for these reasons. What I am saying is that there are sweeping sociological currents in play.)

Ideology

The opening paragraph of Ms. Weiss’ article told of a young woman from a conservative background who went to college and had a “political awakening … toward progressivism.” A key component of progressivism is environmentalism. According to one professor interviewed for the article, many 20-somethings have come to conclude that “humans are the problem” and “a mistake.” This anti-human animus is one of the major tenets of environmentalism I was subjected to myself as an undergraduate a half-century ago. Then, the “green bible” was Paul Ehrlich’s Population Bomb and its related activist group ZPG (Zero Population Growth). The message then was that there would be mass die-offs of humans as the world’s population swelled. As it turned out, a more populated world became a less poor and less polluted world.

Today’s youth are petrified (needlessly so, see here and here) about global warming. One poll cited by Weiss: “39% of Gen Zers are hesitant to procreate for fear of the climate apocalypse.” The blame for this epidemic of baseless fear lies with the media, an out-of-touch global political elite, and especially with our public school system. The indoctrination of children into environmentalist alarmism under the cynical, self-serving supervision of the EPA is professional malpractice and inhumane. Unfortunately for the women getting sterilized today, by the time they realize today’s scary predictions are as baseless as Ehrlich’s decades ago, it will be impossible for them to have children should they so desire.

Psychology 

Recently, the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE) posted an article about John B. Calhoun “mouse utopia” experiments in the 1960s. Briefly, mice were provided with utopian (ideal) conditions—the ultimate in cradle-to-grave security. Eventually, the pampered mice became antisocial. They shunned sex and procreation, and consequently died out. Calhoun concluded from his experiments that “When all sense of necessity is stripped from the life of an individual, life ceases to have purpose. The individual dies in spirit.”

I have commented before about the paradox of prosperity—that the wealthier capitalism has made human societies, the more individuals despise capitalism. Today, the wealthier and easier that life becomes compared to what our ancestors experienced, the more reactions there are like Isabel’s. She states, “I think it’s morally wrong to bring a child into the world. No matter how good someone has it, they will suffer.” In other words, since the perfect life is unattainable, today’s better life becomes a tragedy to be avoided.

Spiritual alienation

Pagan greens disparage human life as a “cancer,” “plague,” “vermin,” “disease,” etc., and openly long for humans to decrease. They reject the Christian belief that life is a gift from God and that we humans should “be fruitful and multiply.” “I don’t want to work my life away,” says Isabel, an avowed anti-natalist. Like the mice in Calhoun’s experiments, when creature comforts abound and life is without challenges to survival, it seems that the zest for life atrophies, and along with it, the desire to procreate and share the joys of life with children. If this attitude becomes dominant—if more and more people view children as a burden instead of a gift, and life as a dreary nuisance rather than a splendid opportunity to enjoy God’s creation—our population will indeed implode. If taken to an extreme, societal suicide becomes a possibility.

We may not be at the point of an existential crisis yet. But it is ominous that an increasing number of young people no longer include child-bearing in their concept of what constitutes a fulfilled life. God help us.

Dr. Mark W. Hendrickson is a retired adjunct faculty member, economist, and fellow for economic and social policy with the Institute for Faith and Freedom at Grove City College.

Embracing the blessings of children in a culture that doesn’t

It was reported recently that the number of births in the U.S. fell in 2018 for the fourth consecutive year, marking the lowest number of births in more than three decades. The fertility rate also hit a record low of 1.7 births per woman, which means, as a nation, we’re not even on track to replace our current population. (If it weren’t for immigration, the population would already be declining.)

Some experts were surprised at the decline. Traditional wisdom suggests that the number of babies decreases during times of economic hardship, and increases again during times of prosperity. But the economy has been improving, yet the number of births is still declining.

“The birthrate is a barometer of despair,” states Dowell Myers, a demographer at the University of Southern California, as quoted by NPR.

Explaining that idea, he says young people won’t make plans to have babies unless they’re optimistic about the future.

“At first, we thought it was the recession,” Myers says of the recent downturn in births. But after a slight rise in 2012, the rate took another nosedive. He adds that by nearly all economic standards — except for high housing costs — birthrates should now be rising.

As for what’s behind the negative sentiment among people of childbearing age, Myers cites the current political turmoil and a gloomy outlook for America’s future.

“Not a whole lot of things are going good,” he says, “and that’s haunting young people in particular, more than old people.”¹

Maybe. But I can’t help thinking there are other reasons for the falling birthrate as well. Namely, our culture continues to drift away from a Biblical worldview, and that includes a Biblical perspective on family and childbirth. The Bible teaches that children are a blessing and that we have a responsibility to populate the earth and raise up godly children. That’s not the viewpoint of most of our culture.

If we reject that Biblical view of family, we’re left with no overriding reason to give birth and raise children. If the world feels too uncertain, or we’re not as prosperous as we’d like, or there are other obstacles in the way, why bother?

I’m not saying that practical considerations can never influence decisions regarding how many children to have. What I am saying is that the lower our commitment to a Biblical view of children, the less of a consideration it will take to cause us to give up on starting or growing a family. And I believe that’s where our society is today. It’s not hard to believe that economic or political uncertainty influence the American birthrate. But I don’t believe it would have the size of impact it currently does if we didn’t have a secularized worldview that fails to prioritize children.

The Bible calls us to prioritize eternal considerations over temporal ones, and this perspective should inform our decisions regarding family size.

Now, that said, the Bible doesn’t command us to have a certain number of children. There’s no perfect number as far as Scripture is concerned. But the Bible does tell us that children are a blessing. Not only that, it tells us that children in quantity are a blessing (Psalm 127:3-5). The idea that the perfect family consists of Mom and Dad and two kids isn’t drawn from the Bible.

I’m not condemning anyone who has two children. That’s between you, your spouse, and God. What I am saying is that the modern ideas about family size are rooted more in temporal conveniences rather than eternal considerations. I’m also not saying we’re required to have as many children as physically possible. What I will say is this: as God’s people, informed by Scripture and seeking to live a life in accordance with Biblical values and an eternal perspective, we ought to at least be open to the possibility that God may want to bless us with more than 1.7 children.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I know it’s hard work raising children, and having a large family doesn’t always feel like the blessing God says it is. My wife and I had our first baby the day before our first anniversary, then added three more in the six years after that. Our youngest just turned one, and at this point, I don’t know how many children we’ll end up with—that’s something we’re still praying about! Suffice it to say, we’re very much in the thick of things and will be for some time to come.

When things get tough, we would do well to keep in mind what God says in Malachi 2. In that passage, God tells the Israelites that the reason He joins a husband and wife together as one is so they can raise godly children. That’s the eternal significance of our parental responsibilities. God wants us to raise up children who can serve and worship Him and make an impact on the world around them for His glory.

Raising a family—yes, even a larger-than-average family—is holy work. It can get crazy, hectic, exhausting, and overwhelming. But it’s God’s work. It matters. At a time when the world is abandoning God’s perspective on children, let’s embrace the blessings and commit ourselves to raising up a generation who can make a difference in God’s name. 

¹Bill Chappell, NPR, U.S. Births Fell To A 32-Year Low In 2018; CDC Says Birthrate Is In Record Slump; https://www.npr.org/2019/05/15/723518379/u-s-births-fell-to-a-32-year-low-in-2018-cdc-says-birthrate-is-at-record-level, accessed on 5-16-19

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In less than two weeks, Americans will know which candidates will direct the course of our state and nation for the next two to four years.  Unfortunately, too many Christians do not understand exactly what is at stake.  With each passing election cycle, we ought to be ever more concerned with the vital issues of essential liberty, morality, and ethics. Right now, due to the steady erosion of long-held liberties, coupled with the rise of bigger, more tyrannical government and a blatant disregard of corruption in leadership in all areas of government, our Christian values and way of life are quickly disintegrating.

This progressive disintegration is exactly what we can expect to happen when Christian citizens choose to ignore their responsibility to actively participate in self-government.  When we refuse to fulfill our obligation, we squander a precious gift given to us by God.  By declining to take part in the political process, we are relinquishing our God-given authority and handing it over to atheists and humanists who will abuse, distort and exploit it for themselves or for godless agendas.

It is unthinkable that Christians would refrain from the political process, knowing full well that the absence of their voice and vote will allow godless ideologies and philosophies to influence and capture the culture!

Romans 13 tells us that “there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.”  Who has been appointed as authorities here in America? The first three words of the U.S. Constitution tell us:  “We the people” are the appointed rulers.  In our republican form of government we delegate our authority to certain offices and branches of government, but we are ultimately responsible for the authority that we delegate.

Therefore, when the Bible we profess to believe in tells us that political power comes exclusively from the very God we worship, it is unconscionable for Christians to excuse themselves from the public arena on the grounds that “Christians shouldn’t be involved in politics.”

I must also point to the fact that a Biblical view of love requires our political engagement.  In Matthew 22:36-40, Jesus tells us that the greatest commandment is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with your entire mind.”  He goes on to tell us that the second great commandment is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

If we truly love our neighbors as ourselves, shouldn’t we be more intentional about opposing or supporting certain candidates and their legislative proposals in Springfield and Washington D.C. because we know how it will affect not only our family, but our neighbor and his or her family as well?

If we truly love our neighbors, we should be actively promoting candidates who are pro-life, pro-marriage, and who understand pro-family concerns in regard to bigger government, higher taxes, drug legalization, school indoctrination, gambling expansion, and pornography.

Then there is the issue of stewardship.  As it has been pointed out before, roughly 20-30 million Christians did not vote in the last presidential election in 2012. This is certainly not good stewardship of God’s gift of self-government!

Consider the passage of Scripture in which Jesus praises a servant by saying “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.” (Matthew 25:21)  In light of this Scripture, is it any surprise that Bible-believing Christians are sparsely represented in Springfield and Washington, D.C?  Moreover, if we aren’t faithful in the little things that God has given us to do – such as voting or communicating with our elected representatives – why are we surprised that we aren’t successful when it comes to the bigger things?  (This is why you should voluntarily enlist in IFI’s Gideon’s Army!)

Even if America was a monarchy or a dictatorship, where citizens have very little influence in civil government, Christians would still have a responsibility to be salt and light in the dark and decaying culture. In America, however, we are blessed with the benefit of living in a country not only founded on Christian principles, but also established on the maxim that power is derived from the consent of the governed. “We the people” have both a civic and Christian duty to be engaged in culture and government.

I will admit that the situation we face is difficult – but we are not without hope and we have political tools and spiritual resources at our disposal!

Let me challenge each and every one reading this today:  Take a stand.

Make sure you research the candidates using the IFI Voter Guide and/or the IFA online guide at ILVoterGuide.com.  Then be sure you make the time to vote!

But let that not be the only political engagement you partake in this year.  There are other ways to be involved and to engage the culture.  The reality that the godless Left has been able to effectively influence the culture, where we have not, should spur us to do all that we can to present a Biblical worldview.

Many will try to dissuade us from influencing the culture with our faith and political views – telling us that we should not talk about religion and politics – but that is a ploy to silence us!

How are people to know about Jesus Christ if we refuse to talk about our faith?  Likewise, how are people going to know about the good candidates and policies if we won’t engage in political discourse?

George Washington understood the importance of one’s influence.  This quote expresses his thoughts:

“It should be the highest ambition of every American to extend his views beyond himself, and to bear in mind that his conduct will not only affect himself, his country, and his immediate posterity; but that its influence may be co-extensive with the world, and stamp political happiness or misery on ages yet unborn.”

We cannot extend our views on faith and politics if we remain silent, distracted, and disengaged from the public square.

So, first and foremost, I encourage you to vote! And after you vote, please do not disengage from the political arena until the next election cycle.  Now is the time for Christians to be intentional about engaging the culture!  It is time that we become good stewards of the duty of self-government and it is time we get serious about being Christ’s ambassadors! (2 Corinthians 5:20)

Finally, I want to encourage you to PRAY for our state and nation.  We don’t deserve God’s mercy, but we should still wholeheartedly pray for it!

PRAY that citizens in Illinois and across America will choose to go to the polls to support candidates who will honor biblical truth, uphold life and marriage, and defend religious liberty and our Christian faith.

And after this election cycle, continue to PRAY for all of our government officials as you are led, and as  1 Timothy 2:2 instructs us to do.

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