According to recently released data, Evangelicals are more likely to be changed by the culture than to influence it themselves.

From The Washington Stand. George Barna, director of research at Arizona Christian University’s Cultural Research Center, released new data earlier this month that “reveals the limitations of Christian evangelicalism in American society.” The events from recent years have caused “millions of Americans to realize just how depraved American society has become,” the report stated. “Corrupt politicians, dishonest journalists and media outlets, broken social institutions, immoral religious leaders, unconstitutional government programs and policies, and more, have generated non-stop headlines highlighting the decadence of American society and the demise of the United States.”

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It went on to contend that “The depth of the depravity is shocking” and that it’s “indisputable” that the “decline is a direct result of the spiritual collapse of Christianity in the nation” ­— particularly the way in which the evangelical community has changed over time. According to Barna, not only are there fewer evangelicals than some reports have claimed there to be, but many of them “are far less biblical in their thinking … and tend to vote in far fewer numbers than expected.”

The data, said guest host and former Congressman Jody Hice on Thursday’s “Washington Watch,” “also strongly suggests that evangelicals are more likely to be shaped by the culture around them than they are to influence or evangelize it.” …

Barna, who also serves as a senior fellow for Family Research Council, joined Hice to discuss the research. He explained how, unlike some data that finds up to 40% of people (or 100 million Americans) could be evangelical, his own research found that only “10% of adults actually meet the theological criteria for what makes somebody an evangelical,” which is “closer to maybe 25 million people.” …

But even for those who do meet the theological criteria, part of today’s issue is that many evangelicals “don’t really buy the Bible at face value. Many of their beliefs are not consistent,” argued Barna. …

According to the study, Hice emphasized, “Many evangelicals perhaps get the big picture of Christianity, but they struggle in the sense of trying to apply those core principles of the Bible to everyday situations.” As a result, they fall victim to using secular strategies, such as using the “catchy slogans of feel-good behaviors as promoted by our culture in which we live.” Barna agreed, and he noted how these same people will “believe in the biblical notion of God,” as well as the fact “that God is the basis of all truth,” and “that the purpose of life is to know, love, and serve God with all their heart, mind, and soul.”

“They believe,” he continued, that “the universe was created by God … [and] the reality of Jesus Christ, that He lived on earth … [and] that Satan exists.” The issue is not necessarily in what they believe, Barna explained, but that the fact is, “once you get away from those kind of Sunday School 101 teachings … things get pretty murky.” The nature and application of moral truth, the definition of what the gospel is, and the deeper theological questions that shape our passions and behaviors are “things that don’t get talked about quite as much in our churches. And those are the kinds of issues that relate to not only our lives, but also the political issues of the day.” …

… But perhaps most notable about these findings, Hice highlighted, is that if “professing evangelicals … don’t have a biblical worldview, and they are not being salt and light in their communities … [then] they’re not evangelizing.” He posed the question, “Did [the] study in any way determine what kind of impact that [lack of spiritual engagement] is having on our current culture and society?”

Unfortunately, Barna responded, it’s allowed “the media [to] … become the evangelists of America, rather than disciples of Jesus,” who are called to go “out and [do] everything they can to share the love and the saving grace of Jesus with lost sinners.” …

It’s parents, he underscored, who have the responsibility of “doing everything they can … to raise their children up to be spiritual champions, to hear the gospel, to know the gospel, to embrace the gospel, to live the gospel, to share the gospel. That’s our job as parents and grandparents. Churches can support us in doing that, but it’s got to start in the home.” Beyond the home, Barna expressed it’s necessary for Christians to use their voices in the public square …

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(Excerpt from The Washington Stand. Photo Credit: Daniel Tseng on Unsplash)