PERSPECTIVE 8 February 2025 www.goodnewsfl.org Good News • South Florida edition I mentioned recently that every year I identify a word to serve as my theme. The process is simple. The fourth quarter of each year, I start listening intently to words and when one catches my attention, I note it. As the year winds down, I ponder and pray, to see which word(s) float to the surface, identifying the one that will be my word of the year. There is no science, a little art, and a lot of listening to the process. I have shared that my word for this year is remnant. The word has a sobering tone to it, and I am a little curious and confused by it. However, I do believe its aspirational in nature. The mysterious nature of the word leads me on a particular path, that in itself reinforces the mystery, since it has many emotional twists and turns. Remnant’s biblical application refers to times when God distances Himself from (or often punishes) His children due to their lack of obedience, seduction to worldliness and its pleasures and/or pursuit of pride found in power and people. I am haunted by Jesus’s words found in the book of Matthew where He describes people who claim to adhere to God’s will, are considered followers of Jesus, and have convinced themselves and others that they are indeed surrendered to God; yet Jesus claims that He is unknown to them. Sobering as I asked myself, “Do I know Him, or do I think I know Him”? A biblical worldview The Barna Group, if you are unfamiliar, is an organization that is similar to Gallop in that they are a constant and reliable source of data and information regarding the Christian community. They have been measuring Christian trends, behavior and impact for more than 30 years. Their focus is particularly on the behavior and beliefs of the Church, including the crossways between the Church and culture. I think of them as a scale and mirror combined, both don’t lie, regardless of what you may perceive. I recently read an interesting excerpt from a study that they did on the “evangelical Christian” in the USA with a particular focus on their beliefs. In short, they were measuring what it is that Christians actually believe, and does it align with what many theologians (people who study God) outline as a Biblical worldview. A Biblical worldview, according to this study, was outlined as follows: • That absolute moral truth exists, • That the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches, • That Satan is a real being or force, • That a person cannot earn their way into Heaven by trying to be good or do good works, • That Jesus Christ lived a sinless life, • And that God is the all-knowing, all-powerful creator of the world who still rules the universe today. The most fascinating aspect of this study (and there are many more details about the study if you wish to do your own analysis), was that only 4% of Americans hold to a biblical worldview (the one described above). This was down from 6% from a similar report three years prior (during Covid). Additionally, the research showed that only 1% of adults under 30 holds onto the above-described Biblical worldview. All stand I have pondered on this information for a while, starting with my own scale and mirror, the best place to start. The thought process is sobering. My mind wanders to an imaginary room where a crowd of 100 cheering Christians are gathered, excited about their freedoms, their worship, their success, etc., and then when asked to all stand and remain standing as the basic principles of a Biblical worldview are read outload. Clear instructions are provided to sit if one does not adhere to one or more of these beliefs, when finished, only 4 people remain? Is that possible? How can that be? Am I standing or sitting? Are members of my family standing or sitting? Are those I work with and do life with standing or sitting? Are you standing? Perhaps what is sobering about the word remnant is the aspirational quality of it. I can’t avoid the thought of my own beliefs and behavior. I desire to be one of the four standing. However, my determination, strength, culture, political viewpoints, heritage etc., won’t give me the strength to stand; in fact, it will probably force me to sit. I stand because I am surrendered; it’s counterintuitive. Strength is seductive, power is appealing, machismo appeals to many, swagger looks cool. Jesus remains the primary focus of what it means to stand with the 4, we read about it in His manifesto, the Sermon on the Mount, and we see it in his short-lived life. He is constantly surrendered, though He had options. The more I draw closer to Him, the more I understand His worldview. I am not satisfied with simply desiring to be one of the 4, I must deeply desire, through tears and repentance, to look around that imaginary room and plead with those around me to surrender and stand as well. 4 ought to be more. Stephan N. Tchividjian is the CEO and co-founder of the National Christian Foundation South Florida. Visit southflorida.ncfgiving.com to learn more. 4 And Hoping for More - Stephan Tchividjian - CEO and Co-Founder, National Christian Foundation South Florida
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjE2MjU=