Truth and Worldviews in Culture

Everyone has a value set that determines his or her view of the world. However, a recent national survey of adults conducted by the Barna Research Group (2008) indicated that only 4 percent of adults have a biblical worldview as the basis of their decision making. The findings from this survey are astonishing, even more surprising is that the survey also discovered that only 9 percent of born again Christians have such a perspective on life.[1] Our perception of truth, and what we esteem the most, directly impacts how we judge everything around us. It also determines the level of influence we will have on this culture.

What is Truth?

Truth in biblical terms can only be known in a relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus once said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). It is increasingly evident that we are living in “perilous times” (II Timothy 3:1-9), where the Christian faith and its truth are in conflict with the secular worldview of the current age of unbelief (I Timothy 4:1-2).

According to Colson and Pearcey (2001), “The dominant worldview today is naturalism, which has created a culture that is both post-Christian and postmodern. By post-Christian, we do not mean Americans no longer profess to be Christians or no longer attend church. As a matter of fact, most Americans do both. Rather, by post-Christian we mean that Americans, along with most other Western cultures, no longer rely on Judeo-Christian truths as the basis of their public philosophy or their consensus.”[2] If one is to make a difference in our world, he or she must grasp these profoundly contrary worldviews of reality, for they are the roots of our cultural crisis.

The treat against Truth

Whether one embraces naturalism or other worldviews, many in this world are saying “leave me alone with my truth.” They possess a plurality of truth which is commonly known as relativism and is often expressed through liberalism. Unfortunately, a great number of Christians have fallen for the lies of liberalism. Liberalism is always making major concessions to culture in order to become accepted. Adjusting and compromising the message of the cross for the sake of acceptance is an abomination to God. The making of Christianity as a relevant source of comfort to sinners through seeker friendly approaches is a mean of placating the approval of a hostile culture. Rethinking truth in order to make it palatable to culture is a false gospel and an abomination to God. No matter what your set of beliefs at the end of the day you will have to give an answer to God—Jesus Christ.

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[1] Barna Research Group, A Biblical Worldview Has a Radical Effect on a Person’s Life. Barna Update December 1, 2003 Retrieved on December 15, 2008 from http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdate&BarnaUpdateID=154.
[2]Charles Colson and Nancy Pearcy, How now shall we live? (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2001), 22.