Only 4% of adults in America have a biblical worldview. George Barna, director of Research and co-founder of the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University, suggests this is because most adults don’t have a strong biblical foundation to build on.

Most Christians adopt a worldview known as “syncretism,” Barna explained during a Thursday appearance on “Washington Watch with Tony Perkins,” stating that this is “the prevailing worldview in America, even among most people who consider themselves to be Christian, even among most of the people who would be identified as born-again Christians.”

“[Syncretism] is where we simply pull in ideas from many different worldviews, and we create our own worldview that feels good, feels comfortable, makes us feel secure, maybe makes us popular with other people,” he continued. “But it’s not true. It’s not valid, and it’s not helpful.”

In his new book, “How to Think Like Jesus,” Barna, who also serves as senior research fellow at Family Research Council’s Center for Biblical Worldview, asserts that there are seven foundational cornerstones that are necessary to inform a wholly biblical worldview. “What we discovered is if you really own these seven, then you’ll have an 83% probability of going on and developing a complete biblical worldview,” Barna shared. “But if you reject even one of those seven, then the probability of having a biblical worldview drops to just 2%.”

The foundation starts with returning to the basics of what Scripture lays out for believers. “Most Americans do not truly believe in the existence and the biblical nature and character of the God of Scripture. Now, if you don’t believe he exists, I mean, that’s a game changer right there,” Barna reasoned. “All of your decisions basically are going to come back to you. You don’t have to worry about any kind of guardrails that He put into place for our life. You don’t have to worry about any kind of afterlife, because you won’t believe there is such a thing because He doesn’t exist or He doesn’t care. He’s no longer involved with human beings.”

“[God is] the all-knowing, all-powerful creator of the universe who rules it today,” he added. “He’s loving, He’s just, He’s merciful, He’s true, He’s involved in our lives. All of those things matter. And spend time thinking about the implications of that for your life, because that will change a lot of things in your life.”

Barna described the second cornerstone as the recognition of sin as something humans are born into as their natural inclination. The third is realizing that the only way to find freedom from sin is to confess, repent, and start a relationship with Jesus Christ. “Then we truly have hope,” said Barna. 

The author proposes that the cornerstone that follows this realization is the acknowledgement of ultimate truth. “There is absolute moral truth. Truth isn’t something that you and I decide for ourselves. There’s no such thing as your truth and my truth. The only truth that exists is God’s truth,” Barna explained. “And we can either get on board with it or not.”

Barna noted the validity and gift of God’s word to His followers as the fifth cornerstone. “God loves us so much, and he cares about our lives so much that he gave us the Bible, which is a guidebook of how to live in harmony with his principles for our life.”

He concluded that the final cornerstones are recognizing what God created humanity for, and what success in the Christian life looks like. “Each of us has a common purpose for living a universal purpose, if you will. We’ve also got an individual purpose that he gives to us uniquely, but that universal purpose is that we know, love, and serve God with all our heart, mind, and soul.”

“The best way to determine whether or not you’re successful in life has nothing to do with the size of your house, the kind of car in your driveway, your zip code, how much money is in your bank account.” Barna countered that instead, it is honoring the Lord. “Are you being consistently obedient to God? And if you are, that’s what success is.”

The researcher and cultural analyst offered a piece of advice to Christians who seek a to live out a biblical lifestyle. “Most of the media that’s out there is not going to point us toward Christ. It’s not going to encourage us to live a biblical lifestyle, so rethink where you’re getting your information from.”

Barna further underscored the importance of evaluating peer relationships. “Do they know, love, and serve God with all their heart, mind, and soul? If not, either treat them like a mission field and help them to get there. But on the other hand, try to find those people who do know and love and serve God with all their heart, mind, and soul. Hang around with them because they’ll be a good influence.”