George Barna

Examining the Recent Spiritual Progress and Regress of Gen

George Barna — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 16:17:31 +0000

Is Gen Z—the youngest adult generation in America—experiencing revival?

The latest report from Dr. George Barna and the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University considered that question by looking at findings from three separate surveys of Gen Z over the past four years (2022 to 2026).

And the answer? It’s complicated.

In some ways, Gen Z has witnessed a significant uptick in key spiritual indicators during that time period. More are claiming to be Christians (up five percentage points), and substantially more say they are “deeply committed to practicing their religious faith” and more are reading their Bibles on a weekly basis (up 17 percentage points and 10 percentage points respectively).

But at the same time, a number of other important measures are going the wrong way.

For example, skyrocketing numbers of Gen Z adults now embrace socialism over capitalism—up 17 percentage points from 22% to 39% in the past four years. And we see a similar erosion in support for traditional marriage, with an 18-percentage point increase in the number of Gen Z adults who say that the marriage of one man to one woman is simply one possible choice of many, but not necessarily God’s plan for humanity, nor a morally superior choice compared to other relational options.

Perhaps most tellingly, another dozen-plus spiritual indicators remain unchanged—including nine foundational worldview measurements such as their understanding of God, of human nature, and the Bible—leaving Gen Z with a biblical worldview level of just 1%—the lowest of any American generation.

When it comes to the question of revival, the most optimistic view may be that Gen Z seems to be spiritually open and actively seeking, but as a generation, there currently are few signs of deep or lasting positive shifts in their biblical foundation or overall worldview.

Changes in the Last Four Years

Have the last four years produced change in the worldview or spiritual life of the adult portion of Gen Z? Some people have claimed that since the murder of Christian activist Charlie Kirk, spiritual revival is happening among the youngest adults of the nation. But is there credible evidence of widespread spiritual transformation occurring among the leading edge of Gen Z, currently 18 to 23 years of age?

Comparing three surveys conducted by the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University (CRC), under the direction of veteran researcher George Barna, a new report provides insight into some of the changes that have taken place over the past four years. During that time, the oldest one-quarter of what has become known as Gen Z (people born between 2003 and 2021) has transitioned from high-school-aged teens to young adults old enough to legally vote.

In fact, some changes in religious beliefs and behavior can be identified in CRC’s surveys of the Gen Z population conducted in 2022 and in 2026. Based on an examination of 32 indicators related to faith and worldview, we see eight instances of statistically significant, biblically positive change; seven examples of significant but biblically negative shifts; 15 factors showing no change; and two attributes reflecting both positive and negative changes.

Positive Changes

There was only one change in favor of biblical beliefs. There was a 10-point increase in the percentage of Gen Z that now contends they were created by God, in His likeness, but are undermined by sin and therefore need to be saved. That belief rose from 40% while the group were teenagers to 50% today. That remains the lowest percentage among any adult generation, but is now more in line with the perspectives of their predecessors, the Millennials (52%).

Interestingly, there were seven behaviors identified that showed statistically significant movement toward biblical activity.

The most substantial increases were in regard to claiming to be deeply committed to practicing their religious faith (up 17 percentage points) and a nine-point increase in those who said they are most likely to rely upon the Bible when deciding if something is right or wrong. Note that even with that increase, just 28% of Gen Z claims to be most likely to turn to the scriptures for moral guidance in any given situation.

This is definitely an improvement, but still strikingly low. Roughly similar numbers of the generation said they are most likely to rely primarily on their reason and feelings, and almost as many cited other people as their primary guides for moral decisions.

The relationship of Gen Z and the Bible has captured substantial attention since Charlie Kirk’s death, with industry reports of increased Bible sales and plentiful anecdotes circulating regarding young adults reading the Bible. CRC’s tracking indicates a 10-point rise in weekly Bible reading over the past four years.

Other behavioral improvements are related to shifts from “never” engaging in a biblical behavior to “occasionally” engaging in such activity. These behavioral shifts include seeking and doing God’s will, as well as acknowledging their sins and seeking God’s forgiveness—the surveys showed an 11-point decline for each of those related to “never” doing so. A similar decline was seen in Gen Z regularly “intentionally making time to thank, praise and worship God”—a nine-point drop in “never” doing so.

The final, positive behavioral shift was a five-percentage point increase in the proportion of Gen Z adults who now describe themselves as Christians (moving from 49% to 54%). That still leaves Gen Z far below the levels registered among Americans in older generations: Millennials (65%), Gen X (73%), and Baby Boomers (79%).

Negative Changes

Six of the seven negative changes seen in the research represent movement in beliefs, all of them indicating movement away from biblical thinking in the past four years.

Five of the seven negative changes were double-digit shifts. The largest was an 18-point increase in Gen Z adults saying they deem the marriage of one man to one woman to be simply a personal choice that works in some cultures but not others, but is not necessarily God’s plan for humanity nor a morally superior choice to other relational options.

A similar movement occurred regarding their economic perspective. In the last four years, there has been a 17-point increase in the number of America’s youngest adults who say they prefer socialism to capitalism, rising from 22% to 39%.

The other double-digit changes were a 15-point gain in young adults believing Jesus Christ sinned while He was on Earth; a 13-point increase in Gen Z of those who say they often receive helpful guidance from their horoscope; and a 10-point rise in the number who believe there is no absolute moral truth, and that all truth is determined by each individual.

Additional statistically-significant changes show young people moving farther from biblical truth. Those changes include a nine-point rise in the belief that we will never know how the universe came into existence; and a six-point increase of those who say there is no life after death experience, we simply cease to exist.

No Change

The largest share of beliefs and behaviors tracked over the past four years did not change. This is expected, since people’s worldview is typically formed before they become teenagers, and rarely changes substantially after that formation period.

There were nine foundational faith-related beliefs that showed no signs of shifting:

People are basically good at heart
History has no meaning for how we live today
Success is best defined in ways other than consistent obedience to God
One’s idea about their purpose in life
The basis of truth
Belief about the sinfulness of humankind
The inherent value of human life
Whether the Bible is true, relevant, and reliable for life these days
The existence and core nature of God

There were an additional four behaviors whose incidence did not change over the past four years.

Those included the proportion of Gen Zers who label themselves as being lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (currently at 24%); praying at least once a week (43%); weekly church attendance (33%); and getting even with those who do something wrong against them (44%).

Perhaps most significant of all were two macro-level measures that did not change.

The first of those was the percentage of Gen Zers who possess a biblical worldview. Four years ago, that incidence level was 1%, and it remains stuck there today.

The other measure is the percentage of young adults who registered biblical responses to all of the questions concerning the “seven cornerstones of a biblical worldview”—that is, the spiritual foundations on which one may effectively develop a full biblical worldview. (More information about the seven cornerstones can be found here.)

The earlier survey found only 1% of Gen Z gave biblically-consistent answers to questions about the cornerstones. While that figure rose to 2% in the most recent study, that fluctuation is well within the margin of sampling error and therefore cannot be considered to be a real change.

Positive and Negative Movement

There were two areas of life that appear to be in flux among a significant number of young adults.

One area pertains to wealth. There was significant growth in the numbers of Gen Zers who said having money and other forms of wealth is simply what they have earned or deserve; or that such wealth reflects outcomes that are random and disconnected from any identifiable spiritual force or external plan or purpose; or that such wealth has been entrusted to them by God to manage for His purposes.

The fact that more than one-third of young adults has shifted their point of view on this matter in just four years’ time may relate to their coming of age and having to handle significant amounts of money for the first time in their life. That responsibility may be forcing some of them to reconsider their philosophy of wealth and the commitments they make regarding such resources.

The other factor that showed increases in both biblical and unbiblical perspectives related to their direction and commitments in life.

On the one hand, there was an increase of eight percentage points in young adults who said they are committed to serving God and humanity by consistently seeking to apply biblical principles while using their gifts in acts of service. On the other hand, there was also an 11-point increase in those whose life focus is to consistently use science, reason, and personal goodness to maximize their personal potential and make the world a better place. There was also a smaller but noteworthy jump in those whose primary commitment is to earning a place in Heaven by persuading God their laudable personal behavior justifies that eternal invitation.

A More Recent Comparison

Another way of examining the spiritual change within Gen Z is to compare the 2025 American Worldview Inventory data with the 2026 edition. These studies were sandwiched around the murder of Christian activist Charlie Kirk in September of 2025. The pre-assassination survey was conducted in May of 2025—roughly four months before Mr. Kirk was killed. The most recent American Worldview Inventory was completed in January of 2026, about four months after his death.

While a large share of the beliefs and behaviors evaluated in both 2025 and 2026 did not change, there were 15 measures for which statistically significant shifts were identified. The two behaviors most often focused upon in media accounts of Gen Z’s religious transitions are church attendance and Bible reading.

The Cultural Research Center data support a small, positive change in both of those behaviors among young adults. Gen Z’s weekly church attendance increased by five percentage points. That growth appears to have taken place largely among young adults who were already attending a Christian church, but were doing so less frequently. The proportion of Gen Z who “never” attend church services, either in-person or online, remained unchanged.

The other behavior that has gained a lot of attention is Bible reading. From May 2025 to January 2026, the proportion of Gen Z adults who read the Bible once a week or more was statistically unchanged. However, there was a five-point decline in the number of 18- to 23-year-olds who reported “never” reading the Bible.

Intriguingly, two other measures—taking time each week to thank, praise and worship God, and consciously seeking to know and do God’s will—showed a softening of resistance among Gen Z. The percentage saying they “never” do each of those practices dropped by about five points.

The rest of the changes identified during that eight-month window were highlighted by five unfortunate but noteworthy shifts among Gen Z adults, and one change that is encouraging:

21-point jump in preferring socialism over capitalism
18-point increase in believing that identifying moral truth is up to the individual, and there are no moral absolutes that apply to everyone, all the time
18-point surge in believing that Jesus Christ sinned while He lived on Earth
16-point rise in claims of being deeply committed to practicing their faith (whatever that faith may be)
15-point boost in belief that good people can earn eternity in Heaven
11-point improvement in the number saying they intentionally try to avoid sinning because they know it offends God

Do the Data Support Claims of National Revival?

“Revival” is a term used to identify a period of widespread spiritual awakening or a new beginning that moves people decisively toward God and His ways, and produces tangible evidence of lives that have been radically transformed by God.

Is the United States experiencing a time of revival now among its youngest adults?

The research gives a lukewarm affirmation of revival, at best. While there are a few tepid signs of spiritual interest or growth that have emerged among young adults, there is not much evidence to suggest a broad-based movement of God’s spirit through that generation.

The survey results show that most of the spiritual efforts recently undertaken by young adults are narrow in scope, and lacking a comprehensive and compelling philosophical change. In contrast, a hallmark of revival is a prolonged intensity—even urgency—among those engaging in the quest for authentic biblical faith, accompanied by a lingering hunger for deeper understanding and philosophical consistency.

The disclaimer to such a judgment about the absence of revival is that real transformation does not happen overnight. It takes a decade or more for a person to initially form their worldview. In most cases, it will not be overhauled in just a few months. It may be premature to conclude that revival is not happening today based on the early returns for that generation. But the low levels of spiritual change observed among Gen Z so far suggest that revival is not yet underway.

George Barna, the long-time researcher of trends related to faith and culture, conducted the research and elaborated on the results.

“While the survey findings are so far unpersuasive regarding an outbreak of revival within Gen Z, those disappointing outcomes may point us to a more important question,” Barna noted. “Are American Christians ready to enthusiastically and thoroughly evangelize and disciple the young people who demonstrate authentic interest in biblical Christianity? Given the shockingly small number of biblically defined disciples of Christ the surveys identify, maybe the most strategic issue to address is whether the Church is sufficiently prepared to handle the possibility of widespread spiritual exploration by young adults.”

Barna pointed to the story in Chapter 8 of the Book of Acts, in which an Ethiopian official displayed interest in the scriptures, but became frustrated in reading the passages and expressed his need for someone with mature faith to explain them. (Acts 8:26-39)

“The same discontent experienced by the Ethiopian seeker is a relevant challenge to today’s Church. Our research indicates that many young adults are seeking an authentic Christian experience, initially through religious practices, such as attending church services. Many of them are attempting to evaluate what Christianity has to offer without understanding the biblical principles that promote and support those religious practices,” he said.

“My past studies have shown that when people engage in religious action without an understanding of the underlying philosophy that led to those behaviors in the first place, the practices eventually lose their appeal, the initial spiritual commitment fades, and then interest in the faith itself also wanes.”

According to the CRC researcher, in a society that no longer actively supports a biblical belief and behavior system, revival is unlikely to gain a toehold unless the Church is prepared to holistically build upon moments of spiritual opportunity, such as that produced by the Kirk assassination.

“For the existing Church to advance revival, it would benefit from a period of spiritual renewal among the body of believers,” Barna commented. “That community must be prepared to not only teach biblical truth and call for repentance, but to also model a robustly biblical way of thinking and living that is profoundly different than what the world has to offer. When that exists, then the necessary support system for lasting revival will be in place.”

Barna also addressed questions about the nature of the changes observed in the leading edge of Gen Z during the past four years.

“Spiritual transformation may be introduced by changes in religious behavior,” the ACU professor explained, “but for those behavioral changes to become rooted, there must be an understanding of why such behaviors matter. Without making the connection between beliefs and behaviors, unrooted behaviors will become empty routines and the individuals are likely to revert to prior, comfortable habits. Unfortunately, if we study the beliefs that are changing within Gen Z, they tend to push people farther from biblical truth, not closer. That condition leads to an unfavorable prognosis, although God can generate transformation in any way He chooses, at any time that pleases Him.”

“Our ongoing research about effective discipleship underscores the importance of a handful of disciple-making practices that America’s churches generally do not emphasize,” Barna concluded.

“If the Church will genuinely befriend the young adults expressing interest in biblical Christianity, engage them in meaningful and honest dialogue linked to biblical principles, and model the lifestyle that made Jesus so attractive to the people He mentored, seekers will be more likely to embrace the Christian faith and way of living,” he explained. “Without those connections and examples, based in love and truth, institutional Christianity becomes just another religion competing for numbers.”

About the Research

The data referred to in this report are taken from three national surveys conducted by the Cultural Research Center. The most recent is the 2026 edition of the American Worldview Inventory (AWVI), an annual survey that evaluates the worldview of the U.S. adult population (age 18 and over). The 2026 edition used a national sample of 2,000 adults whose background reflects that of the U.S. adult population. The data was collected using a multi-mode approach incorporating interviews conducted both by telephone and online. The 2025 data is based upon that year’s edition of the AWVI, also based on interviews with 2,000 adults. The 2022 survey was conducted among a nationwide sample of 400 teenagers, ages 13 through 17, drawn from across the nation. Those surveys were administered online through a research panel.

A survey of 2,000 randomly sampled individuals is considered to have a maximum sampling error of approximately plus-or-minus 2 percentage points, based on the 95% confidence interval. A survey of 400 randomly sampled individuals is considered to have a maximum sampling error of approximately plus-or-minus 5 percentage points, based on the 95% confidence interval. Additional levels of undeterminable error may occur in surveys based upon non-sampling activity.

Generations are a social construct, so various research groups define generations differently. The Cultural Research Center bases its study of generations upon the following guidelines. Baby Boomers were born from 1946 through 1964. Gen X includes people born from 1965 through 1983. Millennials are people born from 1984 through 2002. Gen Z is comprised of those born from 2003 through 2021.

About the American Worldview Inventory

The American Worldview Inventory is the first-ever annual national survey conducted in the United States measuring the incidence of both biblical and competing worldviews. Each year’s reports, released to the public at no cost via CRC’s website (www.CulturalResearchCenter.com) throughout the year of the survey, are also compiled in book form and produced at the beginning of each subsequent year, published by Arizona Christian University Press. Those books are available at CRC’s Publications page or on Amazon.

About the ACU Worldview Assessment

The ACU Worldview Assessment is a powerful online tool designed to measure and strengthen a person’s worldview. Developed by Dr. George Barna and based on 40+ years of research, this 15-minute assessment reveals how a person’s beliefs and behaviors align with biblical truth—and how to grow spiritually.

The ACU Worldview Assessment measures worldview beliefs and behaviors in five basic categories (Bible, Truth, and Morals; God, Creation, and History; Faith Practices; Sin, Salvation, and God Relationship; and Lifestyle, Behavior, and Relationships). It also evaluates the “Seven Cornerstones” of the Biblical Worldview. Dr. Barna’s exhaustive worldview research shows that if these seven basic worldview concepts—or cornerstones—are in place, a person is far more likely to possess or develop a biblical worldview. Only the ACU Worldview Assessment identifies and measures these worldview-building basics.

The ACU Worldview Assessment is a practical tool for evaluating and improving worldview. And there is a specifically tailored version of the ACU Worldview Assessment for every need:

The ACU Worldview Assessment for Individuals -Designed specifically for adults to identify their worldview and discover areas for spiritual growth and personal worldview development.
The ACU Worldview Assessment for Students – Created by Dr. Barna in collaboration with ACU professors and other educational experts, to measure the worldview of students in grades 4, 8, and 12, using a pre- and post-test format. The student assessments are specifically designed for each grade level, making the questions age-appropriate and easier to understand, while maintaining the integrity of the results. Dr. Barna’s extensive research into childhood worldview development shows that an individual’s worldview is essentially formed by age 13. This highlights the importance of strategic worldview training, especially in Christian schools, using the ACU Worldview Assessment to measure worldview development along the way.
The ACU Worldview Assessment for Churches, Ministries, and Groups – This version of the assessment is designed for use by churches, ministries, and other groups of adults.
The ACU Worldview Assessment for Colleges and Universities – Designed in a pre- and post-test format tailored for Christian colleges and universities to use each academic year to assess the worldview of their students, and understand the effect of their university’s teaching and community on their student’s worldview development.

Visit www.ACUWorldview.com to experience the ACU Worldview Assessment. And learn more about the new assessment in our full report, “Arizona Christian University Unveils Groundbreaking Worldview Assessment from Dr. George Barna and the Cultural Research Center.”

About the Cultural Research Center

The Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University in Glendale, Arizona, conducts the annual American Worldview Inventory as well as other nationwide surveys regarding worldview and cultural transformation. National studies completed by the Cultural Research Center (CRC) have investigated topics related to family, values, lifestyle, spiritual practices, and recent election-related activity and political views.

One of the groundbreaking efforts by CRC has been the worldview-related surveys conducted among the ACU student population. The first-of-its-kind ACU Student Worldview Inventory is administered to every ACU student at the start of each academic year, and a final time just prior to graduation. The results of that student census enable the University to track and address the worldview development of its students from a longitudinal perspective.

Research studies conducted by CRC are led by Dr. George Barna. Barna is a veteran of more than 40 years of national public opinion research, having previously guided the Barna Group (which he sold in 2009), and the American Culture and Faith Institute. His research findings have been the subject of more than 60 books he has authored or co-authored, many of which have become national bestsellers. His most recent bestseller is Raising Spiritual Champions: Nurturing Your Child’s Heart, Mind and Soul (Arizona Christian University Press, 2023).

Like ACU, CRC embraces biblical Christianity. The Center works in cooperation with a variety of Bible-centric, theologically conservative Christian ministries and remains politically non-partisan. Further information about Arizona Christian University is available at www.ArizonaChristian.edu.

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New Research Shows Even Committed Christians Struggle with Application, As Overwhelming Majority of U.S. Adults Lack Biblical Basics

George Barna — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 17:15:58 +0000

Even the nation’s most biblically grounded Christians struggle to fully apply scriptural principles in their lives—especially when it comes to thorny social issues such as marriage, family, and the sanctity of life.

According to new national research, these challenges are not limited to contemporary hot-button issues. Similar worldview weaknesses are emerging among biblically aligned believers in essential theological areas, such as understanding God, the basics of Creation, and biblical history.

In fact, new research from the American Worldview Inventory 2026 (AWVI 2026), conducted by veteran researcher Dr. George Barna and the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University, finds overwhelming majorities of U.S. adults—ranging from 68% to 82%—lack biblical alignment in essential areas of worldview beliefs and behaviors.

According to the research, levels of biblical alignment are strikingly low across all worldview categories, regardless of a person’s faith identity or religious affiliation. But the drop-off is cataclysmic in America’s youngest generations—with biblical perspectives in six of eight essential worldview categories hovering between 5% to just 1% among Millennials and Gen Z.

The findings suggest that even among Integrated Disciples—the most biblically grounded segment of the American population—cultural influence is clearly making inroads.

AWVI 2026 has tracked the worldview of American adults every year since 2020. This latest study measures biblical alignment across eight foundational worldview categories—spanning personal purpose, moral truth, spiritual disciplines, theology, human nature, lifestyle choices, salvation, and family values.

Americans Score Low Across Eight Worldview Categories

The first report from the AWVI 2026 found that 4% of American adults possess a biblical worldview, meaning that they generally think and live biblically. That number remains unchanged from 2023, but is lower than the 2020 measure of 6%.

This second report digs more deeply into these overall worldview levels with the hope of identifying strengths and weaknesses in the worldview development of American adults. It measures biblical alignment across eight specific categories of beliefs and behaviors that form the foundation of a person’s worldview:

Category 1: Purpose and Calling: Measures beliefs and behaviors related to life’s purpose, one’s calling, and what constitutes a successful life.

Category 2: Bible, Truth, and Morals: Evaluates beliefs and behaviors about the Bible’s authority, moral relativism, and the nature of truth.

Category 3: Faith Practices: Measures the frequency and consistency of adults’ faith-related behaviors, including prayer, Bible engagement, and sharing faith with others.

Category 4: God, Creation, and History: Assesses beliefs about the nature of God, the origins of humanity, and the divine role in human history.

Category 5: Human Character and Human Nature: Examines understanding of the moral condition of humanity, including beliefs about sin, innate goodness, and the need for redemption.

Category 6: Lifestyle, Behavior, and Relationships: Explores how adults’ worldview shapes their personal choices and values around sexuality, wealth, and religious identity.

Category 7: Sin, Salvation, and God Relationships: Evaluates understanding of sin and salvation, particularly beliefs about whether a right relationship with God is earned through good works or received through Jesus Christ.

Category 8: Family and the Value of Life: Measures convictions about marriage, the sanctity of human life and abortion, and personal ethics as viewed through—or apart from—a biblical lens.

Together these categories provide a comprehensive map of a person’s worldview beliefs and practices. They are designed to test not just what a person believes in isolation, but how well those component worldview beliefs hang together as a coherent, integrated worldview that shapes how a person actually lives.

For example, a person might score well on personal faith practices (e.g., attending church, praying) while simultaneously rejecting moral absolutes or holding an unbiblical view of salvation—which is precisely what the data shows.

The results allow researchers to group respondents into one of three categories, depending on levels of biblical alignment. They defined “Integrated Disciples” as individuals who demonstrate overall biblical alignment in their beliefs and behaviors and who possess a cohesive biblical worldview. “Emergent Followers” are those who possess some biblical beliefs and behaviors but not a full biblical worldview. A third group, “World Citizens,” are adults whose beliefs and behaviors are shaped primarily by the surrounding culture rather than by Scripture, and who have little to no biblical alignment in the categories measured in the study.

The findings show low scores across the American adult population in all eight worldview categories. Overall, U.S. adults are somewhat more likely to embrace biblical perspectives in personal spiritual practices and in purpose and calling, than in categories focusing on deeper theological concepts or issues of Scriptural truth.

More specifically:

Americans scored their strongest levels of biblical worldview in the categories of Purpose and Calling (19% at a biblical worldview level) and Faith Practices (16%).
The most difficult area for American adults to answer biblically came in the questions about marriage, abortion and the sanctity of life, and relational ethics. That category, Family and Value of Life, scored the lowest with only 5% of adults biblically aligned.
The second-lowest category was God, Creation, and History, with 7% biblical worldview alignment.
A middle tier of worldview categories reflected biblical alignment of one of 10 American adults. Those categories reaching biblical alignment among 10% of adults included: Bible, Truth, and Morals; Human Character and Human Nature; Lifestyle, Behavior, and Relationships; and Sin, Salvation, and God Relationships

The research not only measured consistent biblical alignment, but also considered how many American adults have some level of biblical understanding in the eight categories (“Emergent Followers”), as well as those with little to no biblical alignment at all (“World Citizens”).

Across the eight categories, the number of “Emergent Followers” scoring some level of biblical belief and behaviors ranged from 16% to 8%:

Four categories had 16% of Emergent Followers with an average to above-average level of biblical alignment include: Faith Practices; Lifestyle, Behavior, and Relationships; Sin, Salvation, and God Relationships; and Family and Value of Life.
Two categories—Bible, Truth, and Morals and God, Creation, and History—recorded 14% of Emergent Followers answering in a consistently biblical manner.
Other categories and the corresponding levels of Emergent Followers consistently answering in biblical ways included: Purpose and Calling (13%) and Human Character & Human Nature (8%).

The overwhelming majority of Americans scored as “World Citizens” in their worldview beliefs and behaviors:

Overall, 82% of American adults have little to no biblical understanding in the category of Human Character and Human Nature.
Large majorities of “World Citizens” were also found in the other categories:
- God, Creation, and History (79%);
- Family and Value of Life (79%);
- Bible, Truth, and Morals (77%);
- Lifestyle, Behavior, and Relationships (74%);
- Sin, Salvation, and God Relationships (74%);
- Purpose and Calling (68%);
- Faith Practices (68%).

Overall, the weakest area of biblical alignment was found in the area of marriage, abortion and the sanctity of life, and moral behavior in relationships. That category, Family and Value of Life, scored the lowest level of biblical alignment among all Americans, no matter the generation, religious affiliation, and or level of faith commitment. That worldview weakness is both universal and, in the case of Integrated Disciples, surprisingly deep:

Questions related to family and the value of human life produced the lowest levels of biblical alignment of any category—only 5% of adults reached Integrated Disciple status on these questions.
Even among Integrated Disciples—the most biblically committed segment—only 49% achieved biblical alignment, their lowest proportion across all eight categories.
A shockingly low proportion of adults who met the biblical criteria of genuine disciples (21%) were consistently biblical in relation to this category, their lowest module score.
Among Theologically-Identified, Born-Again Christians (defined below), only 12% attained biblical alignment in this category.
For every religious affiliation segment measured in the study biblical alignment levels were in the single or low double digits in this category.

The second-weakest of the eight categories was God, Creation, and History. Only 7% reached Integrated Discipleship status. Overall, study respondents scored in low single digits across most demographic groups in this category. Only 68% of Integrated Disciples were biblically aligned related to these beliefs and behaviors—their second weakest category.

Biblically Aligned Adults Struggle to Apply Scriptural Truth in All Areas of Life

The research carries a warning about the power and reach of the culture—even among well-grounded believers and within the American church.

It would seem logical that Integrated Disciples would possess strong biblical worldview beliefs and behaviors across all eight categories, but that is not the case. In fact, the worldview measurement categories show widely varying levels of biblical understanding even among Integrated Disciples.

For example, 97% of Integrated Disciples were biblically aligned regarding questions in the category of Sin, Salvation, and God Relationships. But only half as many (49%) were biblically alignedregarding Family and Value of Life, their worst performance in any of the eight worldview categories measured. And only about two-thirds—68%—were biblically aligned in the category of God, Creation, and History.

In contrast, only 1% of World Citizens were biblically aligned in any of those three categories—meaning, they rarely know or do things in harmony with biblical teaching on family, marriage, and life, or in relation to sin, salvation, relating to God, understanding God’s intentions and processes, accepting creation through a biblical lense, or grasping the purposes and foundations of world history.

World Citizens consistently garnered the lowest scores across all eight categories. What makes the Family and Value of Life and God, Creation, and History categories noteworthy is the comparatively smaller gap between the percentage of Integrated Disciples and World Citizens who think and live at biblical worldview levels A mere 1% of World Citizens had a consistently biblical point of view in relation to each of those categories. At the same time, Integrated Disciples demonstrated relatively low levels of biblical fidelity in both areas.

More granular evaluation of biblical alignment by the questions within those categories exposes specific smaller-than-average gaps between Integrated Disciples and World Citizens.

The gap is 74 percentage points on the issue of whether Jesus was “fully divine and also fully human” (God, Creation, and History category); and when asked if marriage of one man and one woman is “God’s only marriage option for all people, across all cultures” (Family and the Value of Life category).

The findings make clear that World Citizens and Integrated Disciples represent the two sides of an enormous—and increasingly lopsided—worldview divide in America. The vast majority of Americans (85%) emerged as World Citizens compared to the tiny segment of Integrated Disciples, sitting at just 4% since 2023.

Biblical Alignment Among Faith Segments and Religious Affiliation

The research also breaks out biblical worldview alignment in the eight measurement categories by faith segments:

Biblically-Defined Disciples dominate every worldview category—ranging from 100% who possess a biblical worldview in relation to Purpose and Calling, to a low of 21% who are consistently biblical in beliefs and behaviors related to Family and Value of Life.
Theologically-Identified, Born-Again Christians lagged considerably behind Biblically-Defined Disciples, with their worldview weakest in the more theologically demanding categories.
Biblical alignment levels among Notional Christians were nearly indistinguishable from those of adherents of non-Christian faith systems.
There were generally no individuals among the “Don’ts” who achieved biblical worldview status in any of the eight measurement categories. This is significant, as recent AWVI research shows that the Don’ts are the fastest-growing faith segment in America, representing three out of every 10 adults in the nation. The Don’ts are U.S. adults who “don’t believe, don’t know, or don’t care” whether God exists.

AWVI 2026 also measured biblical alignment across the eight categories by religious affiliation.

People who attend Pentecostal or Independent Christian churches surpassed the biblical alignment levels of people attending other Christian denominational groups in relation to every category of worldview measurement. Catholic church attenders placed at or near the bottom in every worldview category.
Family and Value of Life was the weakest category, with no denominational segment having more than 12% of their adherents achieving strong biblical alignment. Biblical worldview levels were very low even within denominational families that are often thought to be more theologically and socially conservative on social issues such as life, abortion, and marriage. Purpose and Calling and Faith Practices are the strongest worldview categories across all church affiliations.
No tradition came close to having a majority of its attenders having strong biblical alignment in even a single worldview category.

A Cataclysmic Generational Divide

Although the national biblical worldview level among all American adults is only 4%, the levels recorded among younger generations are considerably lower. Among the adult portion of Gen Z (ages 18-22) a mere 1% have a biblical worldview and among Millennials (ages 23-41) that number is 2%.

According to the new research, this lack of biblical alignment persists across all eight worldview categories in these younger generations. Gen Z and Millennials respond biblically at dramatically lower levels than older adults who make up Gen X and Boomer generations.

Here are a few key generational comparisons:

Boomers and Gen X posted low but similar scores across most worldview measurement categories. But a steep decline occurs between Gen X and the younger generations of American adults, with biblical alignment plummeting by about half or more when comparing the statistics for Gen X with those for Millennials and Gen Z.
In six of the eight categories, biblical alignment among Millennials and Gen Z registered between just 2% and 4%—suggesting that biblical worldview formation has effectively collapsed among the two youngest adults generations. This is evident in all but two categories—Purpose and Calling and Faith Practices, suggesting younger adults are more comfortable embracing personal religious activity than the theological basics behind those religious behaviors.
The strongest category for Millennials and Gen Z is Purpose and Calling. Overall, 11% of Millennials and 12% of Gen Z achieved strong biblical alignment. Even so, that was less than half the number of individuals reaching Integrated Disciple status among Boomers (27%) and Gen X (23%).
The weakest category was Family and the Value of Life. Only 2% of Millennials and 1% of Gen Z had strong biblical alignment within this category of measurement.

Analysis of the Research from George Barna, author of American Worldview Inventory 2026:

“The research provides us with a roadmap of how to raise the discipleship potential of American adults. Very few adults presently own a biblical worldview. But the survey also shows that with some commitment and very focused mentoring, millions of Americans could certainly develop a biblical worldview.

The Emergent Follower segment represents that group of adults, which is 25 million people strong. Imagine how America’s culture would be transformed if that segment realized its spiritual potential by rising to Integrated Disciple status! It won’t be quick or easy, but such growth is reasonable and possible if a concerted and strategic effort is made,” explained the veteran researcher.

“While it would be advantageous to continue to deepen and refine the worldview of Integrated Disciples, the most strategic focus should be upon upgrading the worldview of Emergent Followers. Their weaknesses are most observable in the areas of Family and the Value of Life and also God, Creation, and History. This highlights a definitive failing in the way spiritual leaders—particularly pastors, seminary professors, parents, and parachurch ministers—are addressing information and applications in these two areas,” Barna noted.

“If we dive into the weeds of what is missing in people’s understanding within those two categories, we might start by tackling the areas of belief and behavior where half or more lack biblical perspective. Some of those areas are very basic. Those include absolute moral truth; the innate goodness of humanity; the ability to earn our way into Heaven; rejection of the Holy Spirit as real; and believing the possession of a faith is more important than which faith,” he explained.

“But there were also some more serious misunderstandings and bad choices in regard to other worldview measurement categories,” Barna pointed out. “Among those were the acceptance of animism and the spiritual implications; the alleged ambiguity of the Bible regarding abortion and the value of human life; the unwillingness to voluntarily suffer or sacrifice to advance the kingdom of God; and the infrequency with which they choose to verbally share their faith in Christ with non-believers.”

As Barna explained, “If disciplers and teachers of the Bible were to effectively address these and the related shortcomings, the American Church could get back on the path to spiritual health and experience real transformation. That improvement would bring renewal to the Church, which is a necessary foundation before spiritual revival in America is possible.”

About the Research

The data referred to in this report are taken from the American Worldview Inventory (AWVI), an annual survey that evaluates the worldview of the U.S. adult population (age 18 and over). Begun as an annual tracking study in 2020, the assessment is based on 53 worldview-related questions that fall within eight categories of worldview application, measuring both beliefs and behavior. Additional demographic and theolographic questions are included in the survey for segmentation purposes.

Interviews for the AWVI-2026 were undertaken in January 2026 among a national sample of 2,000 adults whose background reflects that of the U.S. adult population. The data was collected using a multi-mode approach incorporating interviews conducted both by telephone and online. In total, the average survey length was 21 minutes per completion.

A survey of 2,000 randomly sampled individuals is considered to have sampling error of approximately plus-or-minus 2 percentage points, based on the 95% confidence interval. Additional levels of undeterminable error may occur in surveys based upon non-sampling activity.

About the ACU Worldview Assessment

The ACU Worldview Assessment is a practical tool for evaluating and improving worldview. And there is a specifically tailored version of the ACU Worldview Assessment for every need:

The ACU Worldview Assessment for Individuals -Designed specifically for adults to identify their worldview and discover areas for spiritual growth and personal worldview development.
The ACU Worldview Assessment for Students – Created by Dr. Barna in collaboration with ACU professors and other educational experts, to measure the worldview of students in grades 4, 8, and 12, using a pre- and post-test format. The student assessments are specifically designed for each grade level, making the questions age-appropriate and easier to understand, while maintaining the integrity of the results. Dr. Barna’s extensive research into childhood worldview development shows that an individual’s worldview is essentially formed by age 13. This highlights the importance of strategic worldview training, especially in Christian schools, using the ACU Worldview Assessment to measure worldview development along the way.
The ACU Worldview Assessment for Churches, Ministries, and Groups – This version of the assessment is designed for use by churches, ministries, and other groups of adults.
The ACU Worldview Assessment for Colleges and Universities – Designed in a pre- and post-test format tailored for Christian colleges and universities to use each academic year to assess the worldview of their students, and understand the effect of their university’s teaching and community on their student’s worldview development.

Visit www.ACUWorldview.com to experience the ACU Worldview Assessment.

And learn more about the new assessment in our full report, “Arizona Christian University Unveils Groundbreaking Worldview Assessment from Dr. George Barna and the Cultural Research Center.”

About the Cultural Research Center

The post New Research Shows Even Committed Christians Struggle with Application, As Overwhelming Majority of U.S. Adults Lack Biblical Basics appeared first on George Barna.

Few Signs of Spiritual Renewal as the National Incidence of Biblical Worldview Remains Unchanged

George Barna — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 22:17:16 +0000

Much discussion followed in the wake of the murder of Christian activist Charlie Kirk about a possible eruption of spiritual renewal and revival in the Christian Church. But a new national survey from Arizona Christian University’s Cultural Research Center indicates that any increased interest in the Christian faith spurred by Kirk’s assassination has not produced positive growth when it comes to biblical worldview.

That is one of the conclusions from the American Worldview Inventory 2026 (AWVI 2026), the seventh annual worldview survey of American adults conducted by the group. Although 12% of American adults had a biblical worldview in 1994, that number was halved to just 6% by 2020, dropped to 4% in 2023, and remains stuck at 4% in 2026.

The research was conducted in January under the guidance of veteran researcher George Barna, Director of Research at the Cultural Research Center, among a national sample of 2,000 adults. The American Worldview Inventory is the only nationally representative annual tracking study of the worldview of American adults. The assessment incorporates 53 worldview questions, examining both beliefs and behavior.

According to the veteran worldview researcher, all adults have a definable worldview. This is the intellectual, emotional, and spiritual filter an individual uses to experience, interpret, and respond to reality. A person’s worldview is the basis of every decision they make.

The biblical worldview (also known as biblical theism) is just one of many competing worldviews that exist. In the biblical worldview, people’s ideas about all dimensions of life and faith are consistent with biblical principles and commands, and serve as the foundation of their lifestyle choices.

Worldview Categorization

The American Worldview Inventory not only measures how many people are what the research terms “Integrated Disciples” (i.e., people with a biblical worldview), but also identifies how many adults are categorized as Emergent Followers and World Citizens.

Emergent Followers are adults who do not have a biblical worldview, but are leaning in that direction, possessing a substantial number of beliefs and behaviors that are consistent with biblical principles, but not enough to qualify as Integrated Disciples. The survey found that one out of every 10 American adults (10%) is an Emergent Follower—a significant decline from 19% in 2020 and even from the 14% identified in 2023.

Most Americans—85%—are in the World Citizen category. These are people who may embrace some biblical principles, but generally believe and behave in ways that conflict with biblical teaching. This group has grown substantially—up 16 percentage points from the 69% identified in 2020.

Faith Connections

People choose among numerous available worldviews to guide their lives. A biblical worldview—which refers to consistently interpreting and responding to life situations based on biblical principles and teachings—is just one of those options.

The newly released research shows that people’s church affiliation was loosely related to worldview.

One segment examined was adults associated with an evangelical Christian church. Those churches generally believe that Jesus Christ died to facilitate forgiveness for people’s sins, He is the only means to eternal salvation, and believe that the Bible contains the true words of God and is a reliable guide for life. Adults attending such a church—12% of all American adults—were only a bit more likely to have a biblical worldview than were people attending Christian churches that do not have a similarly “high view” of Scripture.

One out of every nine adults attending evangelical Protestant churches (11%) have a biblical worldview. Nearly as many who attend a charismatic or Pentecostal church (13%) have such a philosophy of life. In contrast, smaller proportions of people associated with mainline Protestant (6%) or Catholic (2%) churches—segments that typically place less trust in the reliability of the Bible and upon Jesus Christ as the sole means to God’s forgiveness—have a biblical worldview.

It is noteworthy that evangelical churches, once the stronghold of biblical preaching and belief, have experienced a sharp decline in the proportion of adherents with a biblical worldview. In 2020, 21% held that worldview, but that number has dropped by almost half—down to only 11% today.

Born-again Christians—a segment defined by their acceptance of scriptural teachings regarding sin, grace, and salvation—were three times more likely than the national average to have a biblical worldview (12%). That statistic, however, reflects a significant decline from 19% in 2020. The fact that only one out of eight born-again adults holds a biblical worldview highlights the extensive decline of core Christian principles in America in recent years. Born-again adults currently constitute one-third of the national adult population (34%).

The largest segment of people who describe themselves as Christian is “Notional Christians”—those who self-identify as Christian but do not embrace eternal salvation through a personal confession of sin and accepting Jesus Christ as their personal savior. Notional Christians constitute a majority of U.S. adults (53%) who describe themselves as Christian. Very few Notional Christians—just one-tenth of one percent—have a biblical worldview.

Segments That Are More Biblically Inclined

According to the new research, several demographic slices of the population had a higher likelihood of possessing a biblical worldview.

In a break from the past, individuals who had earned a college degree were three times more likely than those who had never attended college to qualify as an “Integrated Disciple” (6% versus 2%, respectively).
People from households earning more than $100,000 annually were twice as likely as those from households earning less than $60,000 to have a biblical worldview (6% versus 3%, respectively).
The study also showed that the younger a person’s age, the less likely they were to possess a biblical worldview. Seven percent of Americans 50 or older had a biblical worldview, compared to just 2% of those in their 30s and 40s. Just 2% of 18- to 29-year-olds had a biblical worldview. Generationally, only 1% of Gen Z adults had a biblical worldview; 2% of Millennials did; but 7% of the people in the three older generations (Gen X, Baby Boomers, and Seniors) qualified as Integrated Disciples.
Of the five most highly populated states in the United States, only residents of Texas (7%) exceeded the national average of biblical worldview incidence. The statewide incidence was only slightly below average in the other four large states (3% among residents of California, New York, Florida, and Illinois).
Not surprisingly, political leanings were related to people’s worldview. Among adults who are politically conservative, 12% had a biblical worldview. That far exceeded the proportion among political moderates (1%) and liberals (1%). Still, among conservatives, the incidence has fallen from the 16% recorded in 2020.
Adults who identified themselves as part of the LGBTQ community were highly unlikely to have a biblical worldview (less than one-half of one percent did). In contrast, 5% of the “straight” population qualified as Integrated Disciples.

A hybrid segment of the nation’s Christian population is known as SAGE Cons—which stands for Spiritually Active Governance Engaged Conservative Christians—who represent about 5% of the adult population. They are a group that is active in both politics and faith: they generally vote in every election, are consistently conservative, are born-again, frequently read the Bible, and stay informed about political and government matters.

SAGE Cons are credited with playing a pivotal role in putting Donald Trump in the White House in 2016 and 2024. The survey revealed that nearly half of all SAGE Cons (44%) had a biblical worldview.

For comparison, the survey did not encounter a single respondent from the other end of the political-spiritual continuum who had a biblical worldview (i.e., adults who consistently vote, are well-informed and consistently liberal on political matters, are not born-again Christian, and do not read the Bible).

Segments That Were Indistinguishable

Several demographic and theological segments showed no discernible difference in their likelihood of possessing a biblical worldview.

For instance, the incidence among men (3%) and women (5%) was statistically identical.
In the past, higher proportions of the populations in the South and Midwest had a biblical worldview than did residents of the Northeast and West. That is no longer the case. There has been a substantial decline in biblical worldview in areas previously considered to be “the Bible Belt” and other highly religious areas in those two regions. Perhaps the combination of massive population migration across state lines, plus the heightened influence of Millennials and Gen Z, help explain the regional shift.
Whites were marginally more likely than non-whites to have such a worldview (5% versus 3%, respectively), a small difference that falls within the margin of the survey’s sampling error. Among the non-white adults, 3% of both the black and Hispanic segments possessed a biblical worldview, with only 2% of the Asian population having such a view.
The difference between those who have children under the age of 13 in the home and those who do not was also within the margin of sampling error (3% versus 5%, respectively).

Worldview Realities, Patterns, and Hope

The survey results indicate that despite the increased attention given to faith matters after the Charlie Kirk murder, and the growth in church attendance and individuals purchasing Bibles immediately after that incident, there is no hint of improvement when it comes to biblical worldview.

According to the study’s author Dr. George Barna, decades of research looking at worldview development suggests that people begin developing their worldview very early in life and continue to refine and integrate their worldview throughout their 20s. While there are many influences that affect the worldview people embrace, the dominant influences are family, media messages, public policy, schooling, and peer influence.

A person’s worldview is perhaps the most critical factor in influencing character, values, and lifestyle. It also is a crucial element in biblical discipleship. Yet, worldview continues to be ignored by many Christian churches. According to Barna, a pioneer in measuring worldview for more than four decades, the findings of the current study continue the pattern of worldview decline he has long observed.

“A quarter century ago, 12% of the adult population held a biblical worldview,” he explained. “Since then, we have seen a steady reduction in that incidence. We reached a low point—4%— in 2023. The fact that we have not plumbed new depths since then hopefully suggests that we have bottomed out and are in line to experience positive growth in biblical thought and action.”

Barna rejects the argument that further decline is inevitable and perhaps even irreversible, pointing to the experience of students at Arizona Christian University.

Since he began measuring the worldview of ACU students in 2020, Barna has found that between their freshman year and graduation from ACU, there has been an 833% increase in the proportion of students who develop a biblical worldview before they graduate—a nine-fold improvement! That means the typical ACU graduate is 28 times more likely than a typical 21- to 24-year-old in America to live as an Integrated Disciple.

Barna attributes that transformation to the “immersive biblical worldview environment” at the University, where every class, every extra-curricular activity, and even the relational atmosphere on the campus is intentionally designed to facilitate worldview development.

With the survey results underscoring how lacking American culture is in Integrated Disciples, he urged parents, churches, and Christian schools to get serious about the worldview development of young people.

“Make no mistake about it, we are losing American society and all that it has historically represented because we have succumbed to the influence of the culture instead of the exhortations and promises of God,” Barna commented. “Entertainment and media messages as well as public policies and errant public education have distorted the thinking and behavior of our young people.”

He continued, “It is time to reclaim the culture for Christ, who died for each of us. With just 1% of Gen Z exhibiting a biblical worldview, the ways of Christ are facing extinction in America unless we act today. The ACU discipleship model persuasively shows a turnaround is very possible—but it must be intentional and strategic, and requires an immersive, multi-year commitment.

“This is urgent,” the bestselling author continued. “The fate of our nation hangs in the balance. The national divide is an indication of the spiritual battle for the soul of America. Jesus commanded us to make disciples. A disciple is one who imitates Christ, reflecting his beliefs and behaviors. You cannot become a genuine disciple of Jesus without having a biblical worldview, since that outlook on life is the outlook that Jesus had. And because you do what you believe, if you do not think like Jesus, you will not act like Jesus. Parents, grandparents, teachers, and pastors need to get on top of this now. If we lose another generation to secular humanism, postmodernism, Eastern Mysticism, Marxism, and all of the other unbiblical philosophies of life, we will lose America itself.”

As a tool to help in the much-needed worldview turnaround, Barna also created the ACU Worldview Assessment, an online tool designed to measure worldview beliefs and behaviors.

“When it comes to worldview, you get what you measure,” Barna explained. “It’s imperative that we measure worldview.”

He continued, “We created the ACU Worldview Assessment as a practical tool for individuals, churches and groups, and even K-12 educators—to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses in their students’ worldview in grades 4, 8, and 12, or as adults, so they can efficiently strengthen and improve worldview development.”

The ACU Worldview Assessment is available at www.ACUworldview.com. See below for more information.

About the Research

About the ACU Worldview Assessment

The ACU Worldview Assessment is a practical tool for evaluating and improving worldview. And there is a specifically tailored version of the ACU Worldview Assessment for every need:

The ACU Worldview Assessment for Individuals -Designed specifically for adults to identify their worldview and discover areas for spiritual growth and personal worldview development.
The ACU Worldview Assessment for Students – Created by Dr. Barna in collaboration with ACU professors and other educational experts, to measure the worldview of students in grades 4, 8, and 12, using a pre- and post-test format. The student assessments are specifically designed for each grade level, making the questions age-appropriate and easier to understand, while maintaining the integrity of the results.

Dr. Barna’s extensive research into childhood worldview development shows that an individual’s worldview is essentially formed by age 13. This highlights the importance of strategic worldview training, especially in Christian schools, using the ACU Worldview Assessment to measure worldview development along the way.

The ACU Worldview Assessment for Churches, Ministries, and Groups – This version of the assessment is designed for use by churches, ministries, and other groups of adults.
The ACU Worldview Assessment for Colleges and Universities – Designed in a pre- and post-test format tailored for Christian colleges and universities to use each academic year to assess the worldview of their students, and understand the effect of their university’s teaching and community on their student’s worldview development.

Visit www.ACUWorldview.com to experience the ACU Worldview Assessment.

And learn more about the new assessment in our full report, “Arizona Christian University Unveils Groundbreaking Worldview Assessment from Dr. George Barna and the Cultural Research Center.”

About the Cultural Research Center

Research studies conducted by CRC are led by Dr. George Barna. Barna is a veteran of more than 40 years of national public opinion research, having previously guided the Barna Group (which he sold in 2009), and the American Culture and Faith Institute. His research findings have been the subject of more than 60 books he has authored or co-authored, many of which have become national bestsellers. His most recent bestseller is Raising Spiritual Champions: Nurturing Your Child’s Heart, Mind and Soul (Arizona Christian University Press, 2023).

The post Few Signs of Spiritual Renewal as the National Incidence of Biblical Worldview Remains Unchanged appeared first on George Barna.

Most Americans Say Eternal Salvation Demands a Blend of Works and Grace

George Barna — Tue, 25 Nov 2025 06:48:00 +0000

Americans typically believe that Jesus Christ’s death on the cross and His resurrection from the grave is not sufficient to secure their eternal salvation. Instead, they believe that experiencing eternal peace and joy requires a blend of personal works and God’s grace.

A new report from the Cultural Research Center of Arizona Christian University based on a national survey of 2,000 adults also reveals that expectations regarding what happens after death—a key component of worldview—vary substantially, even among those who claim to be Christian.

For many of those individuals, Heaven may be a place of permanent peace or rest, but without the presence of God. Regardless, more than nine out of 10 Americans who align with the Christian faith contend they will experience that condition of never-ending bliss, whether God is there or not.

Predicting the Future

While the survey found that 84% of adults—including 95% of self-professed Christians—believe that there is such a thing as sin, millions of American adults do not believe their sinfulness will resign them to a future of fire and brimstone. Overall, a mere 3% of adults believe their soul, spirit, or essence will experience unending torment and punishment.

All told, more than three out of five people (63%) expect an eternity filled with peace and rest. One out of five (19%) anticipate some form of reincarnation—either joining with the universe or returning to earth as another life form. About one out of every eight adults (13%) contends they will simply cease to exist. Among those who expect a future of peace and serenity, one-fifth (13% of all adults) foresee a period of purification for their soul before spending the rest of time in that state of bliss.

Spiritual optimism is widespread. Among those who say they are Christian, three out of four (77%) said they will enjoy eternal comfort and peace. That eternal reward, however, was described in three different ways. Half of the self-identified Christians (52%) say after they die, their soul, spirit, or essence will reside in the presence of God—a condition widely described as “Heaven.”

But about one out of every eight (13%) said it will be a two-step process for them, in which their soul will first go through a period of purification before experiencing peace and rest for the duration of eternity. That expectation was more than twice as common among Catholics as Protestants.

The third expected outcome, anticipated by 12%, is experiencing eternal peace, serenity and joy without any divine being present. Surprisingly, Protestants, Catholics, and people of non-Christian faiths were equally likely to predict this future for themselves.

The survey discovered that even among those most likely to fit some description of being “born-again” through Jesus Christ, there were significant differences—and points of conflict—with the scriptures. Incidence levels for each of the three uniquely defined “born-again” segments the researchers created and studied varied substantially.

The first data-defined segment, people who call themselves “born-again,” represents one-third of the public (33%). More than four out of five of them (82%) believe they will experience eternal life in peace and serenity, including six out of 10 (62%) who say that will include the presence of God

Overall, this group was perhaps the most biblically confused of the three born-again segments examined. Just 58% of them believe every person will be personally judged by God. More than four out of 10 say good people can earn their salvation (41%), one-third believe in reincarnation (35%), one-third say there are many viable paths to salvation (35%).

Further, a large minority says a simple admission of sinning constitutes repentance (40%), and one-quarter of the group does not believe that confessing their sins is very important in their salvation process. One out of every three does not consider themselves to be a sinner. Ultimately, just six out of 10 of the self-described born-again segment believes they will live eternally in the presence of God.

A second data-defined born-again segment included those who claimed they had confessed all of their sins to Jesus, embraced Him as their savior, and believed that after they die their soul, spirit, or essence will experience eternal peace and rest. That segment represented close to half of all American adults (43%).

However, the worldview of this group is a jumble of biblical and cultural ideas. While nine out of 10 believed that everyone will be personally judged by God, a majority also believed that “a person who is generally good, or does enough good things for other people, will earn a place in Heaven.”

There is a widespread misunderstanding among these people about the biblical notion of repentance. Nearly half of this group believes repentance is simply admitting to sinfulness, regardless of future behavior. Half of the segment also said there are many viable paths to eternal salvation.

The third research-defined born-again segment was based on a more detailed perspective. This group is made up of adults who claimed they have confessed all of their sins to Jesus; prayed to Christ to forgive them for those sins; changed their thinking and behavior related to such sins; specifically asked Jesus to save them from the consequences of their sins; and believed that after they die their soul, spirit, or essence will live in the presence of God. Defined in this manner, one out of four adults fit the characterization (27%).

But even this segment was confused in their spiritual understanding of sin and salvation. For instance, although 95% knew that God will judge all people individually, nearly half of this segment (42%) believed that good people can earn Heaven. More than one-third (38%) said repentance only takes admission of sin, not behavioral change. One-fourth (27%) argued that there are paths to salvation apart from Jesus.

The Post-Life Breakdown

The survey explored 13 different ideas about what is very important in determining the post-life experience their soul, spirit, or essence will go through. Here is the breakdown, from the most common to the least common point of view among all those surveyed.

57% – Embracing Jesus as your savior
55% – Honoring and serving God above all else
54% – Consistently demonstrating strong moral character
54% – Confessing all of your sins to Jesus
49% – Living a transformed, righteous life
49% – Consistently and sincerely worshiping your god
45% – How successfully you obeyed all of God’s laws/commands
38% – How well you understood yourself
38% – How meaningfully you addressed suffering and need
36% – The degree of harmony you achieved with the spiritual world
36% – The balance between your good deeds and bad deeds
35% – Your devotion to the path to perfection
34% – Participating in your faith’s sacred rites and sacraments

The combinations of ideas about what matters when it comes to salvation underscore how much “theological noise” exists within people’s worldview related to this central focus of the Christian Church—what happens after death.

For instance, if a person said they consider embracing Jesus Christ as their Savior to be “very important” for the good of their eternal soul, spirit, or essence, that person was also likely to deem more than a half-dozen other actions to be similarly important. Those often included biblically defensible choices such as confessing all of their sins to Jesus, living a transformed and righteous life, and honoring and serving God above all else.

However, they were also likely to include biblically indefensible or questionable behaviors such as personal devotion to the path of spiritual perfection and to include their degree of harmony with the spiritual world.

The survey results showed that only one of the 13 behaviors examined was deemed very important by a majority deemed very important among Gen Z adults: consistently demonstrating strong character. They were the only adult generation having a minority saying it was very important to confess all their sins to Jesus (44%), to embrace Jesus Christ as their Savior (48%), and to honor and serve God above all else (45%).

There were also major differences between the four primary ethnic/racial segments in America.

Blacks were more likely than whites, Hispanics, and Asians to consider living a transformed life, honoring, and serving God above all else, obeying God’s laws and commands, consistently and sincerely worshiping God, and being devoted to the path of perfection to be very important in determining their soul’s destiny.
Hispanics emerged as the segment most likely to elevate the importance of achieving a good balance between their good and bad deeds.
Asians were the least likely to affirm the importance of each of the 13 behaviors evaluated. In fact, there was not a single behavior examined that a majority of Asians felt was very important to ascertaining their soul’s outcome. Asians were the only racial/ethnic group for which a minority believed that their soul, spirit, or essence will experience eternal peace or the presence of God. Half of the segment (50%) said their soul will either join with the universe, be reincarnated in another life form, or cease to exist.

Comfortable Ideas about Eternity Foster Earthly Comfort

Dr. Barna, who has been conducting research related to beliefs about life after death for more than four decades, noted that despite the importance of Jesus Christ to the Christian faith, so many people aligned with the faith do not understand His reason for spending time on Earth.

“There remains a shocking degree of misunderstanding among Christians regarding sin, repentance, forgiveness, and salvation,” the researcher explained. “Tens of millions of people who attend Christian churches every week, and who consider themselves to be followers of Christ and eternally secure, do not seem to understand that repentance is necessary for salvation, and that repentance demands a change in behavior.”

He explained, “Repentance is not merely sorrow over misdeeds. It must include a determined effort to change both mind and actions to avoid committing the same sins in the future. Simply apologizing to God, or saying a prayer asking for forgiveness, without a real effort to change the lifestyle, does not fit with biblical teaching about forgiveness and grace.”

The study results raised another issue that concerned Barna. “Millions of people who regularly attend Christian churches believe that eternal salvation does not depend on the sacrifice of Christ because of our sins. They don’t understand this fundamental tenet of Christian belief.”

“Instead, we have a majority of self-described Christians hedging their eternal bets by integrating multiple means of salvation into their personal security plan. They say they are relying on Jesus to wash away their sins, but they also expect their good works to gain them points with God, and they retain the possibility of other pathways to eternal peace, just in case. This multi-faceted salvation strategy enables them to avoid stress over the whole issue—especially for those who also harbor the possibility that there may be no type of life after death anyway,” Barna said.

Barna, who has written numerous books about the connection between faith and lifestyle, concluded that the baseline problem is Americans are biblically illiterate.

“The presence of unbiblical beliefs in the minds of most Christian-leaning Americans reminds us that most people are information collectors rather than biblically consistent followers of Christ. Americans are more determined to be comfortable than biblically right. That preference will produce profound eternal effects for each of us,” he explained.

About the American Worldview Inventory

The data reported in this report were collected in the second of those two waves, conducted in May 2025, among a national, demographically-representative sample of 2,000 adults (age 18 or older). The survey contained 97 questions and the average duration of the survey experience for respondents was 20 minutes. The sample was constructed from among the members of a national research panel managed by Braun Research and Fulcrum as part of the Lucid national panel of survey respondents. A probability sample of this size would have an estimated maximum sampling error of approximately, plus or minus 2 percentage points, based on the 95% confidence interval. Additional levels of indeterminable error may occur in surveys based upon both sampling and non-sampling activity.

The American Worldview Inventory 2025: A National Study for Strengthening the Worldview of Americans from Dr. George Barna is designed to examine trends in American beliefs about God, truth, sin, and salvation. It seeks to understand key aspects of American faith and to provide practical insights for building a stronger biblical worldview in our nation. This major research from the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University is intended to describe and understand the nation’s current worldview landscape and to guide improvements. In total, there will be 12 reports released from the American Worldview Inventory 2025.

Begun as an annual tracking study in 2020, the American Worldview Inventory (AWVI) is based on several dozen worldview-related questions that fall within eight categories of worldview application, measuring both beliefs and behavior. The same questions are asked in each of the worldview incidence studies conducted by the Cultural Research Center (CRC), facilitating reliable tracking data from year to year. Additional worldview-related research is part of the AWVI project, allowing researchers at CRC to look beyond incidence data, digging deeper into an array of worldview components toward understanding the genesis of existing worldview and how to more effectively move people toward a biblical worldview.

The American Worldview Inventory is the first-ever national survey conducted in the United States measuring the incidence of both biblical and competing worldviews. Each year’s reports, released to the public at no cost via CRC’s website (www.CulturalResearchCenter.com), are also compiled in book form and produced at the beginning of each subsequent year, published by Arizona Christian University Press. Those books are available at CRC’s Publications page or on Amazon.

About the ACU Worldview Assessment

The ACU Worldview Assessment is a practical tool for evaluating and improving worldview. And there is a specifically tailored version of the ACU Worldview Assessment for every need:

The ACU Worldview Assessment for Individuals -Designed specifically for adults to identify their worldview and discover areas for spiritual growth and personal worldview development.
The ACU Worldview Assessment for Students – Created by Dr. Barna in collaboration with ACU professors and other educational experts, to measure the worldview of students in grades 4, 8, and 12, using a pre- and post-test format. The student assessments are specifically designed for each grade level, making the questions age-appropriate and easier to understand, while maintaining the integrity of the results. Dr. Barna’s extensive research into childhood worldview development shows that an individual’s worldview is essentially formed by age 13. This highlights the importance of strategic worldview training, especially in Christian schools, using the ACU Worldview Assessment to measure worldview development along the way.
The ACU Worldview Assessment for Churches, Ministries, and Groups – This version of the assessment is designed for use by churches, ministries, and other groups of adults.
The ACU Worldview Assessment for Colleges and Universities – Designed in a pre- and post-test format tailored for Christian colleges and universities to use each academic year to assess the worldview of their students, and understand the effect of their university’s teaching and community on their student’s worldview development.

Visit www.ACUWorldview.com to experience the ACU Worldview Assessment.

And learn more about the new assessment in our full report, “Arizona Christian University Unveils Groundbreaking Worldview Assessment from Dr. George Barna and the Cultural Research Center.”

About the Cultural Research Center

Research studies conducted by CRC are led by Dr. George Barna. Barna is a veteran of more than 40 years of national public opinion research, having previously guided the Barna Group (which he sold in 2009), and the American Culture and Faith Institute. His research findings have been the subject of more than 60 books he has authored or co-authored, many of which have become national bestsellers. His most recent bestseller is Raising Spiritual Champions: Nurturing Your Child’s Heart, Mind and Soul (Arizona Christian University Press, 2023).

The post Most Americans Say Eternal Salvation Demands a Blend of Works and Grace appeared first on George Barna.

Churchgoers Exhibit Significant Changes in Political and Religious Beliefs and Lifestyles

George Barna — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 23:46:40 +0000

A new report describing the continuing ideological and spiritual shift among Americans shows how traditional biblical beliefs are being pushed aside by people who consistently attend Christian churches. That transition is leading to more churched adults abandoning traditional conservative perspectives on social and political issues amid a firm disinterest in their worldview.

These findings come from a national survey of 1,000 regular churchgoers, commissioned by Family Research Council and conducted by the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University under the direction of veteran researcher Dr. George Barna.

This is the second of two news summaries based on the national study that focused on political views and engagement, worldview perspectives, attitudes related to family and abortion, and support for Israel. The full report, “Worldview and Social Issues: A National Survey of Churchgoing Americans,” is available at FRC’s Center for Biblical Worldview website or at the Cultural Research Center.

Churchgoers and Political Engagement

The survey among adults who attend a Christian church at least once a month revealed that a small plurality (34%) considers themselves to be conservative on fiscal and social issues, compared to nearly as many (29%) describing themselves as moderate, and 19% self-identifying as liberal or progressive. One out of 10 regularly churched adults (10%) said they determine their ideological view on an issue-by-issue basis, and 8% said they do not pay much attention to the issues or that they were not sure where they usually fall on the ideological spectrum.

Compared to the results from a similar political ideology question asked of an equivalent sample of churchgoers two years ago, the regularly churched population may have moved closer to the ideological middle. People embracing the “moderate” self-description jumped from 19% to 29%. Meanwhile, those who self-identified as liberal or progressive rose by three percentage points and those who self-selected the conservative designation increased by five percentage points.

Researchers cautioned that some of that shift might be due to a more detailed series of response options offered in the new survey, while also suggesting that the intense political controversies and hostilities of the past few years may have contributed to the shift.

The survey also indicated that churchgoers are paying more attention to sociopolitical news than before. Three out of every five regular churchgoers (60%) said they currently pay either “a lot” or “quite a bit” of attention to news related to government and politics, up from 54% in 2023. Most of that increase relates to a higher percentage claiming to pay “a lot” of attention to such news reports (an increase from 27% to 32%).

Similar to the 2023 outcome, one-third of regularly churched adults (32%) said they prefer socialism to capitalism. Slightly less than one-half of the survey respondents (46%) said they rejected that preference, with a substantial share of church regulars (22%) saying they did not know whether they prefer socialism to capitalism. Two years ago, 30% had opted for socialism rather than capitalism.

A huge majority of regular churchgoers (93%) said they are registered to vote. Most (84%) also described themselves as consistent voters, with close to half (43%) claiming they vote in every election (including both primaries and general elections), about one-fifth (21%) claiming they vote in all general elections and most primaries, and about one in six (16%) saying they vote in most general elections and some primary elections. This was nearly identical to the voting self-report recorded in the 2023 survey.

How churchgoers decide who or what to vote for is a different matter, though. Less than half of regular churchgoers (46%) said they determine who and what to vote for mainly based upon what the Bible teaches about the issues and candidate character. That represents a decline from 51% in 2023.

Previous research from the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University (CRC) indicated that self-identified Christians were largely responsible for the re-election of Donald Trump in 2024.

According to CRC’s post-election survey, President Trump won a 56% share of the vote among self-identified Christians. His vote share was even larger among the more committed Christian segments such as 64% support from theologically-identified born-again Christians, 75% among adults with a biblical worldview, and 90% among SAGE Cons.

Self-identified Christians represented 72% of all voters who turned out (compared to just 27% of the voters who did not identify as Christian.) The combination of high turnout and decisive candidate preference made the ultimate difference in the Trump-Harris contest.

Given that data, it was not surprising to discover that every SAGE Con (i.e., Spiritually Active Governance Engaged Conservative Christians) who was interviewed in the new survey claimed to determine their voting preferences based on biblical principles. That stood in stark contrast to the mere 38% who made such a claim among regular churchgoers who are born-again Christians, but who align at the other end of the political-engagement or ideological spectrums (a segment known as the Disengaged).

Lukewarm Toward Israel

To better understand how churchgoers apply their faith to a real-world challenge, the survey asked respondents how they believe Christians should respond to the current plight of Israel. Overall, the perspective was one of lukewarm support for Israel.

The greatest show of support for Israel by churchgoing Christians was the six out of 10 who said it is “very important” for American Christians to pray for Israel. While 60% support is a majority, it is a surprisingly small proportion of Christians expressing such a fundamental means of spiritually supporting Israel.

That level of support was highest among Integrated Disciples (i.e. people who have a biblical worldview, 91% support) and theologically-identified born-again Christians (72%). Protestants were more likely than Catholics to claim praying for Israel is very important (69% versus 57%, respectively). Churchgoers living in the Midwest (65%) or South (66%) were much more likely than residents in the Northeast (54%) or West (48%) to believe in the importance of praying for Israel. Whites were more likely than any non-white segment to support prayer for Israel (63%, compared to 56% among blacks, 53% of Hispanics, and 43% of Asians).

The other three forms of support for Israel were each deemed to be “very important” by a minority of the churched population. Just 44% said it is very important for American Christians to provide verbal support; 40% said urging the U.S. government to support Israel was very important; and only 37% described providing personal financial support to Israel as very important.

Support for Israel across all four actions tested was most common among SAGE Cons, political conservatives, political activists, voters who make their candidate choices based on biblical criteria, adults with a biblical worldview, adults attending a Pentecostal church, highly spiritually active individuals, parents of young children, and whites. Generational support was fragmented, with Millennials the most supportive regarding verbal and financial support; Boomers most supportive in prayer; and Gen Z generally at the low end of support on each of the four fronts.

Choosing Socialism

Despite a plurality of regular churchgoers claiming to be conservative, and a majority of regular churchgoers having supported Donald Trump in 2024 election, a shockingly large number of churchgoers stated they prefer socialism to capitalism. In total, one out of three adults who regularly attend a Christian church (32%) indicated their preference for socialism. That result was statistically similar to the 2023 outcome (30%). Equally interesting insights were that only a minority of regular churchgoers (46%) said they reject socialism in favor of capitalism, and that nearly one-quarter (22%) said they did not know which they prefer.

What types of adults are most likely to favor socialism? Among the most supportive are churchgoing individuals who identify as LGBTQ: 60% of them, nearly double the national average, said they’d prefer socialism. People under 50 years of age were almost twice as likely as older adults to prefer socialism. Other people well above the norm in supporting socialism included those with a graduate degree; blacks; people with a household income exceeding $100,000 annually; and churchgoers who lack a biblical worldview.

Worldview Perspectives

Every adult possesses a worldview, although apparently many are unaware of it. The survey among regular churchgoers discovered that roughly half of them (45%) either said they do not have a worldview or they do not know if they possess one. That breadth of unawareness about their worldview represents an increase from 38% in two years. The groups most likely to claim having a worldview were upscale adults (83%); SAGE Cons (71%); college graduates (69%); men (66%); liberals (66%); Pentecostals (66%); and people under 50 (63%).

The 55% of churchgoers who contend they have a worldview were most likely to identify their primary philosophy of life as a biblical worldview. That perspective, referred to by theologians as Biblical Theism, was cited by close to half of regular churchgoers who claimed to possess a worldview (46%). That means just three out of 10 adults who regularly attend a Christian church—30%—believe they have a biblical worldview. The annual American Worldview Inventory conducted by CRC indicates that only 11% of regular churchgoers actually have a biblical worldview, reflecting the widespread ignorance of churched adults regarding the substance of Biblical Theism—and their own worldview status.

Amazingly, less than half of all regular churchgoers (47%) say it is “very important” for Christians to have a biblical worldview, with another three out of 10 (29%) saying it is “somewhat important.” The decline from two years earlier, when six out of 10 (59%) said a biblical worldview is very important, is a significant shift in the thinking of regular churchgoers.

The absence of depth and clarity of understanding about worldview indicates that churchgoers would benefit from more extensive education on the matter. When churchgoers were asked about their interest in receiving such knowledge, the reactions further reflected the indifference of churched adults about the application of biblical principles to their thoughts and actions.

Of the five worldview-related teaching topics offered for consideration, a majority of regular churchgoers showed interest in just one of those topics. Overall, a slight majority (55%) expressed interest in more education regarding religious liberty. Topics with far less appeal included social and personal responsibility (38%); human sexuality (29%); abortion and the value of life (28%); and euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide (25%).

Interest in worldview education related to three of those topics was also tested in the 2023 survey. In each case, the 2025 data revealed substantially lower levels of interest. Overall, the proportion of churchgoers interested in further biblical teaching about social and political responsibility declined six points; dropped seven points related to human sexuality; and plummeted by 16 points in relation to abortion and the value of life.

Churchgoers also demonstrated a declining level of belief that the Bible speaks clearly and decisively on each of five current social issues. A majority of respondents said that for three of the five issues evaluated—the definition of legitimate marriage (65%), religious liberty (59%), and the morality of killing an unborn child (51%)—the Bible provides unambiguous direction. However, less than half of adults concluded that the Bible is definitive in its teaching related to whether homosexuality and transgenderism are morally acceptable.

All five of those points of views saw the percentage of churchgoers contending that the Bible is clear and decisive decline by double-digit margins compared to two years earlier. Specifically, there were 10-point drops in alleged clarity related to both marriage and religious liberty, a 12-point decrease concerning homosexuality, a 14-point decline related to killing the unborn, and a 16-point decrease concerning transgenderism.

Specific Religious Beliefs

Shockingly, only one-half of adult churchgoers (54%) believe the Bible is either the actual, true word of God that should be taken literally, word for word, or that it is the inspired word of God that has no errors, although some verses are meant to be symbolic rather than literal. The other half of churchgoers were most likely to say the Bible is just one of the many holy books that provide religious teaching but it is neither more nor less reliable than the sacred literature of other religious traditions (16%); it is the inspired word of God but with some factual or historical errors (15%); or it is a widely read and influential text that has religious content but is not divinely inspired (7%).

Given the growing perception that the Bible does not provide direction on many current cultural challenges and lifestyle choices, it was not surprising to see a serious reduction in the numbers of churchgoers who possess biblical perspectives regarding foundational Christian beliefs.

For instance, one might assume that attending a Christian church is based on belief in the God featured in the Bible. However, just three out of five regular churchgoers (61%) concur with the existence of God as depicted in the pages of Scripture: an all-powerful, all-knowing, perfect and just creator of the universe who rules that universe today. That belief was held by 68% of regular churchgoers in 2023.

Overall, a minority of churchgoers indicated they have adopted scriptural perspectives related to basic biblical teachings:

Only one out of every four (25%) believes that success is best defined as “consistent obedience to God.” Alarmingly, that low figure reflects a 14-point decline in the past two years.
Less than one-third of regular churchgoers (31%) described the human condition as all people being born into sin and can only be saved from sin’s consequences by Jesus Christ. That represents a significant decline from two years earlier, when a plurality of regular church attenders (41%) gave that response.
Barely one-third of the people who regularly attend Christian church services (36%) believes they will live in eternity with God after they die on earth only because they have confessed their sins and accepted Jesus Christ as their personal savior.
Fewer than two out of five churched adults (37%) listed “knowing, loving, and serving God with all your heart, mind, strength, and soul” as the general purpose of life for all people, regardless of their culture. That is a large drop from the 53% measured two years earlier.
Fewer than four out of 10 regular churchgoing adults said their primary moral guide in life is the Bible (39%), a startling dip from the majority who made such a claim two years earlier (56%).
Most adults who consistently attend a Christian church do not believe that euthanasia is “morally wrong”—just 43% claim that viewpoint.
Not quite half believe in the existence of moral absolutes that apply to everyone, all the time. Despite the Bible teaching that God is the embodiment of truth, and that the Bible provides a description of His truth principles for human lives, just 49% believe this teaching. This outcome is statistically identical to what was measured two years earlier

Applications for Americans

Dr. George Barna, Senior Research Fellow at the Family Research Council’s Center for Biblical Worldview and director of the research project, highlighted the immense opportunity the survey results identify for parents, teachers, and pastors.

“We have seen these faith patterns taking shape over the course of the past three decades,” Barna commented, alluding to the data from the annual American Worldview Inventory and related studies. “It is embarrassing how poorly informed the Christian community is about the foundational perspectives and applications of its faith. The all-too-common dismissal by Christians of the importance of worldview reflects their indifference to their palette of religious beliefs and its integration into their lives.”

But Barna also suggested that the dismal statistics offer the possibility of better times to come. “The combination of ignorance and apathy represents a tremendous opportunity to committed followers of Christ and church leaders to clearly and unapologetically address the fundamentals of the Christian faith in ways that will lead to transformed lives in our spiritually confused society.”

According to Dr. David Closson, Director of the Center for Biblical Worldview at FRC, “Overall, this report is deeply sobering. On one hand, I’m grateful to see that so many churchgoers remain engaged politically, value religious liberty, and recognize the importance of prayer—especially prayer for Israel. These are good signs that believers still care about the moral and spiritual direction of our country.”

“But the larger picture is alarming. The data reveals widespread confusion about the most basic truths of the Christian faith—about who God is, what sin is, and how someone is saved. Only a third of regular churchgoers affirm that salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone, and fewer than four in ten say their primary moral guide in life is the Bible. That tells us we have not just a cultural problem, but a discipleship problem in the church.”

“When half of churchgoing adults say they don’t even know if they have a worldview, it underscores how urgently pastors and parents must recommit to teaching biblical truth from the pulpit and around the dinner table. The answer to these trends is not despair, but a return to the faithful proclamation of God’s Word. We must help Christians connect their zeal for God with the knowledge of God, as Scripture commands in Romans 10:2.”

“The good news is that this kind of clarity and conviction can be recovered. As the research shows, there’s still a strong foundation of spiritual interest and participation in local churches. But it’s time for that activity to be grounded once again in truth. Our calling is to turn biblical illiteracy into biblical literacy—and to ensure that the next generation of Christians is equipped to think and live according to a thoroughly biblical worldview.”

About the Research

In July of 2025, a national survey was conducted regarding public opinion related to a variety of social issues, as well as responses regarding their worldview. That survey incorporated responses from 1,003 adults, age 18 or older, who attend worship services at a Christian church at least once a month, either in-person or online. Based on national tracking by the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University, that segment of the population constituted 42% of all U.S. adults in 2025.

The survey included 37 questions related to faith and morality (in addition to nine demographic questions) that were part of a similar survey conducted by FRC in June of 2023, allowing direct comparisons. The survey questionnaire designed for the 2025 project was constructed by FRC and the Cultural Research Center, substituting about two dozen questions from the 2023 survey with a similar number of questions of current interest to FRC.

The project was managed by David Closson and Brent Keilen, of the Family Research Council, and by George Barna, who serves as a Senior Research Fellow for Family Research Council (FRC), and as a professor and Director of Research at the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University.

About Dr. George Barna

Dr. George Barna is a Senior Research Fellow for the Family Research Council. He is also the Director of Research at Arizona Christian University’s Cultural Research Center and a professor at the University. Author of more than 60 books, Barna’s most recent book is Raising Spiritual Champions: Nurturing Your Child’s Heart, Mind and Soul (Arizona Christian University Press, 2023).

Barna is also the developer of the ACU Worldview Assessment, an online tool that draws on his four decades of research to measure worldview beliefs and behaviors—evaluating five core categories of worldview, as well as the essential “Seven Cornerstones” that determine the likelihood of developing a biblical worldview.

About Family Research Council

Founded in 1983, Family Research Council is a nonprofit research and educational organization dedicated to articulating and advancing a family-centered philosophy of public life. The mission of FRC is to champion marriage and family as the foundation of civilization, the seedbed of virtue, and the wellspring of society. FRC shapes public debate and formulates public policy that values human life, upholds the institutions of marriage and the family, and defends religious liberty. Believing that God is the author of life, liberty, and the family, FRC promotes the Judeo-Christian worldview as the basis for a just, free, and stable society.

In addition to providing policy research and analysis for the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of the federal government, FRC seeks to inform the news media, the academic community, business leaders, and the general public about family issues that affect the nation from a biblical worldview.

The Center for Biblical Worldview exists within FRC to equip Christians with a biblical worldview and train them to advance and defend the faith in their families, communities, and the public square. The Center is led by Dr. David Closson.

About the Cultural Research Center

The Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University in Glendale, Arizona, conducts the annual American Worldview Inventory as well as other nationwide surveys regarding worldview and cultural transformation. The Cultural Research Center (CRC) developed and implemented the ACU Student Worldview Inventory, which is administered to every ACU student at the start of each academic year, and a final time just prior to a student’s graduation. The results of that student census enable the University to track and address the worldview development of its students from a longitudinal perspective.

The Center works in cooperation with a variety of Bible-centric, theologically conservative Christian ministries and remains politically non-partisan. Further information about Arizona Christian University is available at www.ArizonaChristian.edu.

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Americans’ Redefinition of Sinful Behavior Fuels Social Turbulence

George Barna — Fri, 10 Oct 2025 22:46:04 +0000

New research reveals a steady erosion in how Americans understand and define sin. Asked about 12 specific behaviors—each once traditionally considered sinful—the majority of Americans now say only half still deserve the label “sin.” The new data from the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University signals a dramatic shift in the nation’s moral compass, and builds on earlier reports documenting widespread confusion about the existence and nature of sin.

The new research from Dr. George Barna found that some behaviors, such as drinking, gambling, and working on the Sabbath, are rarely viewed as sinful, while others—like abortion, sexual fantasies, and cheating on taxes—split public opinion. Only six of the 12 behaviors were still widely regarded as sinful, mainly those related to speech, sexuality, faith, and drug use.

According to Barna, CRC Director of Research, the observed data patterns suggest the social turbulence common across the country for the past decade—reflected in significant changes in family structure, personal relationships, integrity and ethics, faith practices, and lifestyle choices—can be traced directly to shifts away from traditional, biblical views on sin.

This new report from the Cultural Research Center is the latest in the annual series of American Worldview Inventory studies. Prior AWVI 2025 reports here and here on the nation’s views about sin showed that although most adults believe sin exists, there is widespread confusion and controversy—and often ambivalence—regarding what constitutes sin, who commits sins, what can or should be done about sin, and whether sin even matters. In addition, fewer than one out of five adults maintain a consistently biblical perspective on sin.

Sinful Behaviors

The six behaviors still considered by a majority of adults to be sinful practices related to speech, sexual behavior, faith, and drug use.

Lying, Deceiving, Manipulating

Of the dozen behaviors evaluated, the action the greatest number of people viewed as sinful was intentionally lying, deceiving, or manipulating people for personal benefit. Almost three-quarters of all adults (73%) labeled such action as sinful.

Adults associated with the Christian faith, regardless of their church ties, were more likely than other individuals to view such behavior as sinful. Their reactions ranged from 99% of adults with a biblical worldview and 96% of the theologically-identified born-again Christians seeing deception and manipulation as a sin, to 81% of Catholics agreeing with that assessment.

In contrast, only a minority of people who are atheists or agnostics (44%) portrayed intentional deception as sinful, partly because a large share of that segment (45%) does not believe there is such a thing as sin. For many within that group—and others who similarly dismiss religious faith as real or useful—it appears their distaste for lying and deception is more related to the personal vulnerability they could experience as the victim of such behavior rather than concerns about offending God, respecting moral boundaries, or any personal spiritual implications.

Adults under 50 years of age (67%) were significantly less likely than older adults (77%) to view lying and manipulation as sin, while Asians (59%) were also far less likely than adults from all other major racial or ethnic groups (73%) to characterize that behavior as sinful.

Abusing God’s Name

Six out of 10 adults believe that using God’s name irreverently is a sin. While more than seven out of 10 people from every Christian-oriented segment accepts that view, only one out of every four atheists or agnostics hold that perspective. A comfortable majority of each generation says that abusing God’s name is a sin, except for Gen Z (barely more than half hold that view). Similarly, every at least six out of 10 members of each major racial or ethnic segment calls misusing God’s name a sin, except for Asians (less than half, just 46%).

Worshiping Beings Besides God

Roughly six out of 10 adults (59%) contend that worshiping a spirit or person other than the God of the Bible is sinful. The segments that were most likely to reject that notion were Gen Z (only 47% said it is a sin) and Asians (36%). Among the Christian-oriented segments, Catholics stood out as being substantially less convinced that idol worship is sinful (67%), while 80% or more of their Christian compatriots defined such worship as sinful. Blacks were much more likely than any other ethnic or racial segment to believe that idol worship is sinful.

Sexual Sins

Slightly more than half of adults (55%) contend that sexual relations with someone you are not married to constitutes sin. A minority of people in their 20s adopted that point of view, and only about half of Asians accepted that perspective. Atheists and agnostics were the segment least likely (22%) to regard such activity as sinful. While 72% of Protestant adults consider extra-marital sexual activity to be sinful, only 60% of Catholic adults embraced that thinking.

Intentional exposure to pornography was also deemed sinful to a slight majority of the adult public (55%). The only segments for which a minority labeled pornography usage as sinful were atheists and agnostics (21%) and Asians (41%). Catholics were the Christian-oriented group least likely (57%) to deem porn as sinful. An uncharacteristically large gap between men and women was recorded on this issue, with 58% of females deeming pornography use to be sinful compared to only 51% of men.

Illegal Drug Use

Using illegal, non-prescription drugs for recreational purposes was the remaining behavior of those examined to be considered sinful by a majority of the survey respondents (54%). Two-thirds or more of each Christian subgroup, except Catholics, described such drug use as sinful. There were only minor statistical fluctuations across demographic segments on this matter, although Asians (49%) were notably less likely than other non-white segments to characterize illegal drug use as sinful.

Split 50-50

Meanwhile, the country’s adults were evenly split regarding the sinful nature of three of the 12 behaviors examined.

Abortion

Overall, CRC surveys over the past decade have tracked the inconsistency of people’s views on abortion. In the past year, CRC research has found that one out of every six adults admitted to having been responsible for or somehow involved in facilitating an abortion. (The proportion among churchgoing adults is slightly higher than the national norm, although the research does not indicate if engagement in the abortion occurred before or since becoming a regular church attender.) Further, half of all adults deem abortion to be morally acceptable, with an additional one-sixth not sure what they believe.

The current research revealed that half of adults (51%) said having or facilitating an abortion was sinful. The gap between the highest and lowest percentages on this issue were noteworthy. Adults with a biblical worldview (93%) and theologically-identified born-again Christians (79%) were the religious segments most likely to view abortion as sinful, while atheists and agnostics (19%) were the least likely to do so.

Among the demographic segments least likely to deem abortion to be sinful were LGBTQ adults (35%), Asians (38%), Gen Z (42%), adults from households earning $200,000 or more annually (42%), and people who are single and have never been married (43%). Women were somewhat less likely than men to consider abortion to be sinful (49% versus 53%, respectively).

Sexual Fantasies

Half of the nation’s adults (50%) contended that entertaining sexual thoughts or fantasies about someone to whom you are not married is sinful. Relatively few atheists and agnostics (17%) considered such fantasies to be a sin. The youngest adults (four out of 10 who are 24 or younger) and Asians (38%) are among the demographic segments least concerned about sexual thoughts. Catholics (54%) emerged as the Christian-related niche least likely to view sexual fantasies as offensive to God. Women were somewhat less likely than men to define sexual fantasies as sinful.

Income Tax Cheating

Just 47% stated that knowingly not reporting all income on tax returns qualifies as sin. The same groups that consistently rejected the behaviors evaluated as being sinful—young adults, Asians, atheists and agnostics, and Catholics—were once again the segments in their demographic or theological categories most likely to reject the behavior in question as sinful. While men and women were generally similar in their perceptions of the sinfulness of the dozen behaviors measured, women were significantly more likely than men to characterize tax cheating as sinful.

Majority Says: Not Sinful

Three of the behaviors evaluated in the survey escaped most people’s characterization as sinful. Those included getting drunk (deemed sinful by 42%), gambling (40%), and working on the Sabbath Day (23%).

Drunkenness

Within the Christian community there are a wide berth of opinions about drunkenness. The population of self-identified Christians are split on the matter: half say drunkenness is sinful, half say it isn’t. However, that statistic masks the essential difference: six out of 10 Protestants call being drunk a sin while just four out of 10 Catholics (39%) do. Other Christian subgroups likely to portray drunkenness as “sinful” included Integrated Disciples (90%), people who attend Evangelical (65%) or Pentecostal churches (66%), and theologically-identified born-again Christians (64%).

Not surprisingly, just 15% of atheists and agnostics claim that drunkenness is sinful. Reactions to excessive drinking changed the typical age-group pattern of Gen Z being the most likely to reject the sinfulness of a behavior. In this case, Baby Boomers were the least likely to view getting drunk as sinful (37%), followed by Gen Z (39%) and Gen X (42%), while Millennials were the most likely to cite being drunk as a sin (47%).

While a majority of blacks call drunkenness sinful (56%), Asians (34%) and whites (39%) were the least likely. Catholics (39%) were the Christian-related faith segment to have the least concern about being drunk. Atheists and agnostics were the least likely subgroup of the 80 subgroups examined in the research to view excessive drinking as a sin.

Gambling

The statistics related to perceptions about gambling were very similar to those related to drunkenness. In total, only 40% said gambling is a sin. The only segments for which more than six out of 10 viewed gambling as sinful were people who regularly attend Pentecostal churches (61%) or mainline Protestant churches (61%). A surprise regarding this issue was that less than one-third of Baby Boomers (31%) describing gambling as sinful—the second-lowest proportion recorded (higher than only the 15% registered among atheists and agnostics).

Sabbath Day Observance

Less than one-quarter of all adults (23%) identified working on the Sabbath Day as sinful. The only segment for which more than one-third consider breaking the Sabbath to be sinful were adults who regularly attend an Evangelical church (37%). Interestingly, while people with a biblical worldview were typically far different than all other adults in their views on sin—and invariably the segment most likely to reflect biblical views on the behavior in question—just 32% of the Integrated Disciples described working on the Sabbath as a sin.

Sin As a Predictor of Culture

Barna has been digging deep into the intersection of culture and faith since the 1980s. After analyzing the new data on lifestyle, faith, and points of view regarding the commission of sins, he suggested that recent changes in people’s characterizations of sinful behavior are closely tied to the moral decay of society.

“Unfortunately, long-term tracking data related to the behaviors that people consider to be sinful does not exist,” the ACU professor and bestselling author lamented. “However, there appears to be a clear and moderately strong link between generational differences of opinion related to sin and the ongoing redefinition of morality in American society.”

The researcher explained, “If you follow the response patterns of the groups that are increasingly influential in American society, you can see the moral redefinition unfolding. The adult portion of Gen Z is currently less than 10% of the adult population, but when all of the members of that generation are 18 or older, that group will be nearly four times their current proportion of the total adult population. Add to that the fact that the atheist and agnostic percentage of the nation’s population today is about one-quarter of all adults, and remains one of the fastest growing religious segments in the United States, and one that will likely continue to grow in the next decade or two. A third piece of the cultural puzzle is the Asian-American population, which has also been a rapidly growing segment, and will continue to grow steadily in the coming years.”

“In other words, some of the major growth drivers of our population are people groups that reject biblical morality,” Barna continued. “As we seek to understand why America is being transformed from a Bible-honoring, traditional morality population to one that is more laissez-faire or even aggressively secular in its views of right and wrong or sin and virtue, the demographic curves provide important insights. Three influential subgroups are moving the culture toward their preferred worldview, which is at odds with biblical morality. And those subgroups have cultural momentum on their side.”

To drive home the point, Barna specified the dominant perspectives of those segments. “Together, a majority of those groups approve of lying for personal benefit, sex on demand, abortion, idolatry, and various lifestyle vices. Their will is not monolithic—there are other population segments larger in size, or which possess considerable counter-balancing influence. However, the trajectory of the three segments indicates they have considerable favor and impact within today’s society. Those who ignore the cultural influence they wield do so at their own peril.”

Barna summed up his observations by stating that unless the Christian church—both as an accumulation of individual believers as well as a coalition of religious institutions—become more engaged in the intentional determination of the moral and spiritual framework of American society, traditional biblical morality will be a historical footnote within a couple of decades.

“Our national moral code is increasingly being shaped by cultural rather than spiritual forces,” he said. “If Christians in America want a nation based on biblical morality, they must be clearer and more assertive in teaching, assessment, and modeling of the biblical worldview and its resultant lifestyle choices. As matters stand now, the biblical worldview is poised to lose what little ground it currently occupies in America, including an increased loss of influence related to our national morality.”

About the American Worldview Inventory

About the ACU Worldview Assessment

The ACU Worldview Assessment is a practical tool for evaluating and improving worldview. And there is a specifically tailored version of the ACU Worldview Assessment for every need:

The ACU Worldview Assessment for Individuals -Designed specifically for adults to identify their worldview and discover areas for spiritual growth and personal worldview development.
The ACU Worldview Assessment for Students – Created by Dr. Barna in collaboration with ACU professors and other educational experts, to measure the worldview of students in grades 4, 8, and 12, using a pre- and post-test format. The student assessments are specifically designed for each grade level, making the questions age-appropriate and easier to understand, while maintaining the integrity of the results. Dr. Barna’s extensive research into childhood worldview development shows that an individual’s worldview is essentially formed by age 13. This highlights the importance of strategic worldview training, especially in Christian schools, using the ACU Worldview Assessment to measure worldview development along the way.
The ACU Worldview Assessment for Churches, Ministries, and Groups – This version of the assessment is designed for use by churches, ministries, and other groups of adults.
The ACU Worldview Assessment for Colleges and Universities – Designed in a pre- and post-test format tailored for Christian colleges and universities to use each academic year to assess the worldview of their students, and understand the effect of their university’s teaching and community on their student’s worldview development.

Visit www.ACUWorldview.com to experience the ACU Worldview Assessment.

And learn more about the new assessment in our full report, “Arizona Christian University Unveils Groundbreaking Worldview Assessment from Dr. George Barna and the Cultural Research Center.”

About the Cultural Research Center

Research studies conducted by CRC are led by Dr. George Barna. Barna is a veteran of more than 40 years of national public opinion research, having previously guided the Barna Group (which he sold in 2009), and the American Culture and Faith Institute. His research findings have been the subject of more than 60 books he has authored or co-authored, many of which have become national bestsellers. His most recent bestseller is Raising Spiritual Champions: Nurturing Your Child’s Heart, Mind and Soul (Arizona Christian University Press, 2023).

The post Americans’ Redefinition of Sinful Behavior Fuels Social Turbulence appeared first on George Barna.

Charlie Kirk’s Death Offers a Unique Spiritual Moment

George Barna — Mon, 22 Sep 2025 21:21:54 +0000

The murder of Charlie Kirk is one of the biggest tragedies of the 21st Century, and a monumental loss for his wife and children. The Church has lost one of its most influential and unique leaders. Our nation is missing one of its leading thinkers, social activists, and Christian apologists. It is fitting that millions of people around the world are mourning his passing, and rethinking their own values and lifestyle in light of his teachings, exhortations, and example.

More than one social media commenter has asked why God allowed Charlie to be assassinated if He is an unerringly perfect and loving deity, and Charlie was devoted to serving God. That’s a fair question.

The question intrigued me not so much because it was an updated version of the often-expressed doubts about the goodness of God or confusion about the existence of pain and suffering in a God-ordered world, but because it led me ponder the timing of Charlie’s assassination.

Charlie Kirk was only 31 years old. We might have reasonably expected him to provide another 30-plus years of groundbreaking, transformative ministry. With such a productive period of service to look forward to, why would God have allowed Charlie’s death at such a young age?

Why, God?

The most plausible reason I have imagined is that as fruitful as his life would surely have been, God alone knew that his unjust and gruesome death at this moment in time would optimize the advancement of the Kingdom of God. Even more than all the life-changing conversations Charlie would have initiated or sparked on campuses, in churches, and through media around the world, his ghastly murder in September of 2025 would ignite a worldwide awareness and a global conversation, backed by action, that otherwise would not have occurred for many years.

Charlie, with the heart of a servant of God, willing to do whatever His Lord asked of him, might have even been willing to be martyred to explode the growth of God’s agenda.

And so, we see massive celebrations in the streets of countries around the world, and unparalleled gatherings of conservatives seeking to get the world back on track in the wake of the assassination. The conversations happening are not just political in nature, but frequently incorporating the biblical principles Charlie shared when he addressed questions from people at his events or in his media exchanges. In other words, Charlie’s death has opened the door to the real possibility of spiritual renewal within the Church and spiritual revival from outside of it. Unlike the false proclamations of revival we have heard consistently during the past two decades, the Kirk revival may be the real thing.

Such a Time as This?

It may be the real thing.

Why express such caution about claiming that the huge gatherings and faith-driven dialog are the revival we’ve been seeking? After all, churches and believers have been praying for such a moment as this. Why not simply acknowledge it?

Because we have been here before. Remember the aftermath of 9/11? Churches were overflowing with people seeking answers and consolation for the month immediately succeeding the terrorist attacks on our country. Not finding what they sought, churches shrunk back to pre-attack levels within six weeks.

Why?

Because churches and believers were not prepared for the moment. We had not equipped interested people to become genuine disciples of Christ before the attacks, and we were certainly not prepared to do so with larger numbers of people after the attacks. Simply providing open buildings with nice teaching amidst interested people does not facilitate life transformation. Merely offering more programs for people to join does not produce disciples.

The American church has become enamored of numbers related to attendance, donations, program participation, staff hirings, and square footage. Rare are the churches that take discipleship so seriously that they not only follow the practices of Jesus, but also measure the efficacy of their efforts to build devoted followers of Christ.

The result is that the Church has become a weak facsimile of the early Church. Numbers convincingly tell the story:

66% of U.S. adults call themselves Christians.
42% attend a church service at least once a month.
31% read the Bible at least once a week.
30% are theologically-defined born-again Christians.
11% lead a person to Christ per year.4% possess a biblical worldview.
Only 3% are biblical disciples, based on the six criteria Jesus gave us for disciples.

America desperately needs biblical renewal and revival to restore and reshape a nation that has lost its way. God may be using Charlie’s death as the impetus for the restoration that many have faithfully prayed for.

How will we respond? By inviting them to attend church services? That won’t grab them. By encouraging them to participate in a faith formation class? That won’t have much staying power, either.

The Necessary Response

The only people who can make disciples are disciples because you can only give what you have, and you ultimately reproduce who you are.

In other words, forget the programs and events, now is the time for true disciples of Christ to infiltrate the culture through the doors Charlie has opened for us. Disciples, this is our time to seize the opportunity to advance God’s kingdom on earth. That requires us to recognize the special hour of spiritual vulnerability and to give it all we’ve got. If we are effective, the four-week window may be extended so more lives will be transformed by God’s love through our efforts.

We can make the most of this moment through relationships we establish with those who are seeking truth, purpose, meaning, hope, wisdom, and community. We share not just our time but our hearts and hopes with them, fostering trust and openness to new ways of thinking and living.

We can help them on their journey through dialogue that is loving, realistic, pragmatic, Scripture-driven, and neither defensive nor offensive. Our objective is to coach them into God’s presence so that the Holy Spirit may both convert and develop them—perhaps even through us.

We attract attention and generate reconsideration of God’s ways through our lifestyle. As the Apostle Peter exhorts us—we must always be prepared to explain what we believe, why we believe it, and how that instills unwavering hope in Christ and His grace to us—and to them.

People see what they want to see. Do you want to see a time of political instability, or public dialogue, or a time of potential spiritual breakthrough? If it’s the latter, and that matters to you, be prepared to take advantage of the people God puts in your path these next few weeks. Take risks to influence lives for the kingdom. Don’t let Charlie Kirk’s death fade away without bearing substantial spiritual fruit.

George Barna is the Director of Research at the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University. He is also a professor at the University and a Senior Research Fellow at the Family Research Council. A veteran researcher of more than 40 years, Barna is the author of 60-plus books, including Raising Spiritual Champions: Nurturing Your Child’s Heart, Mind and Soul (2023). Over the years, he enjoyed multiple public appearances with Charlie Kirk.

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Research Identifies Common Sources of Confusion about Sin

George Barna — Wed, 17 Sep 2025 17:31:48 +0000

Americans are deeply confused about the nature of sin—with only one in seven (14%) holding a consistently biblical view of sin. And much of this confusion stems from how the nation’s adults define “sin,” what they believe it does, and what sources they trust to explain it, according to research from the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University.

In fact, a new report identifies six key public perceptions about sin— ranging from denying the heart’s corruption to downplaying sin as insignificant— that help explain Americans’ widespread confusion about sin’s source, seriousness, consequences, and connection to God.

The latest findings build on an earlier CRC report from Dr. George Barna showing that although four out of five adults believe sin exists, only half think all people sin and about the same number are willing to call themselves “a sinner.”

And by believing people are “basically good at heart,” the overwhelming majority of Americans (75%) blur the seriousness of sin. In fact, the perspectives that most Americans have on sin are riddled with both logical and theological inconsistencies, according to findings from the American Worldview Inventory 2025.

The American View of Sin

Dr. George Barna, who directed the research for the Cultural Research Center, summarized the findings of the deeper dive into six key public perceptions about sin.

Fewer than half of all adults—just 43%—believe that sinful behavior stems from a wicked, corrupt heart. This infrequent acceptance of the biblical teaching that the human heart is wicked and corrupt is consistent with the prevailing notion that people are “basically good at heart.”
- - - - The groups especially likely to believe that are blacks (58%), theologically-identified born-again Christians (59%), and those who attend either an Evangelical (67%) or Pentecostal church (71%). The people least likely included Asians (35%), people 65 or older (34%), LGBTQ individuals (33%), and people who say they have no religious faith (16%).

Three out of every five adults (62%) said that sin can be understood as “an act of disobedience against God.” Americans are more comfortable describing sin as disobedience than rebellion (see below).
- - - - Viewing sin as disobedience is most common among blacks (66%), theologically-identified born-again Christians (92%), and those who attend either an Evangelical (85%) or Pentecostal church (89%). People least likely to accept that description include people of no religious faith (15%), LGBTQ people (39%), people associated with a non-Christian faith (45%), adults under 30 (46%), and residents of the Western states (49%).
About six out of 10 (61%) indicated that sin produces guilt, and such guilt is “often worse than the sin” that caused it. With present-day culture so sensitive to feelings, it is perhaps not surprising to find disqualifying behavior less concerning than the damaged feelings caused by the behavior.
- - - - There were few subgroups that strayed more than a few percentage points from the norm on this factor. The most noteworthy outliers were Catholics, who were well-above the norm in acknowledging the effect of sin-induced guilt (73%). At the other end of the scale were adults who have no religious association, who were the types of people least likely to decry the impact of guilt resulting from sin (28%).
Slightly more than half of all adults (56%) believe that “sin is a life-changer.” Placed in context, this means that one-third of the adults who believe that sin exists reject the idea that life is significantly impacted by sin.
- - - - Among the segments most likely to embrace the idea that sin is a life-altering choice are theologically-identified born-again Christians and adults who attend independent or non-denominational Christian churches. Among the groups least likely to buy that concept are individuals who are atheist or agnostic.
One of the more telling discoveries is that only slightly more than half of all adults (56%) contend that “sin is rebellion against God.” Apparently, millions of Americans conceive of sin as a behavior whose acceptability is determined apart from its relationship to God’s will.
- - - - The groups that are most likely to believe that perspective are theologically-identified born-again Christians (82%), people who attend an Evangelical (82%) or independent or non-denominational Christian church (80%). The least likely adherents of that point of view are people with no religious faith (15%), self-proclaimed atheists and agnostics (21%), and Asians (42%).
About half (53%) define sin as “intentional choices that you know are morally wrong.” That half of the population, however, was divided between 12% who said those choices “don’t matter much” and the 41% who said those choices “matter spiritually.”
- - - - A few people (4%) minimized sin as “unintentional mistakes;” 14% diminished the significance of sin by claiming there are no absolutes in the realm of sin (i.e., sins are “inappropriate choices; but what qualifies as a sin is different for every person”); and 13% positioned sin as a kind of customized, religious distinctive. One out of six adults (16%) did not provide a definition because they maintained there is no such thing as sin.

The Sources of People’s Insight into Sin

People get their points of view about sin from a variety of places. Previous research by Dr. Barna and the Cultural Research Center have shown that foundational beliefs about sin are developed prior to a person’s teen years, and rarely change much after that point. Consequently, many of the ideas that adults consider in relation to sin are more likely to reinforce existing perspectives than to develop new ones.

Nevertheless, adults take cues on sin from a variety of places, whether the result is to inform or reinforce their ideas. The survey found that most adults have three or more sources of insight regarding sin that they trust.

Among adults who believe that sin exists, the sources most often trusted to provide insight into sin include the Bible (listed by 62%); religious or church-based teaching (47%); personal feelings (43%); reason or logic (40%); guidance from trusted people (34%); laws and public policies (25%); prevailing standards in society (24%); tradition (23%); and lessons learned in school (20%). Fewer than one out of every five adults who believe that sin is real said they get their insights about sin from sacred literature other than the Bible (15%) or from the beliefs of the majority (8%).

Barna highlighted some distinctions among the various population subgroups studied. For instance, self-identified Christians were more likely than other adults to turn to the Bible and religious teaching for their insights regarding sin, while people aligned with a non-Christian faith were more likely to rely upon reason, tradition, the media, and the thinking of the majority. Atheists and agnostics stood out as more likely than either Christians or people of non-Christian faiths to trust their feelings and their logic.

He noted that Protestants (77%) were significantly more likely than Catholics (62%) to seek information about sin from the Bible. Catholics were comparatively more likely to rely upon laws, reason, school lessons, and tradition for their insights into sin.

Also of note, adults who attend an Evangelical church were equally likely as those who attend a mainline Protestant church to pursue information about sin from the Bible. However, those who attend a mainline church were significantly more likely than Evangelical church attenders to supplement biblical information with points of on sin drawn from their feelings, teaching from their church, tradition, and public policy.

Demographically, the survey revealed that the Bible was most frequently relied upon for insight into sin by Boomers (68%) and blacks (67%), while the segments least prone to use it included LGBTQ adults (43%), people from households making more than $200,000 annually (47%), and Asians (55%).

Our Misguided Sin Views

The religious faith of Americans is complicated, as exemplified by their inconsistent beliefs about sin. Those inconsistencies generate numerous logical conflicts regarding their perspectives. As an example, Barna pointed to the fact that millions of Americans simultaneously contend that sin exists, define sin as “an act of disobedience against God” or “rebellion against God,” and yet claim that they do not believe in the existence of God.

Having spent more than four decades studying the religious beliefs and behavior of the American people, Barna commented that such disparities are a hallmark of American religious faith.

“Americans tend to spend comparatively little time studying faith, reflecting on what we have learned, and searching to eliminate the paradoxes, impurities, and impossibilities in our personal belief system. We often resist accepting long-held perspectives on aspects of the Christian faith in favor of creating a customized version of Christianity that provides personal comfort rather than truth and reliability. As time goes on, Americans have shown their increasing desire to satisfy feelings rather than logic. Our muddled theology of sin is a prime example of a deeply personal albeit immature and imprecise faith conviction.”

There are ironies embedded within those convictions, too.

“Selfishness is one of the attributes that characterize people whose focus is on living for personal satisfaction and gain rather than the glory of and obedience to God,” Barna said. “For instance, consider that three-quarters of adults argue that the guilt produced by sin is often worse than the sin itself. To focus on the personal feelings one’s sin generates rather than what our sin does to God, our relationship with Him, and its impact on our life betrays what we love the most. That widespread mindset reflects another ingrained sin: esteeming ourselves more than God, and worrying more about our happiness and comfort in the moment than our eternal standing with God.”

In the end, the researcher suggested that America’s views on sin indicate that we do not take the Bible as truth to live by.

“As a nation, we have generally made peace with all but the most egregious or personally painful sins,” Barna stated. “For America to be spiritually restored will require us to recognize the death grip that sin has on our minds, hearts, and souls. We seem to not grasp that repentance is not about mouthing words of remorse, but living in ways that prove that remorse. We appear to be comfortable with the idea that Jesus will save us when we go through the motions of confession but fail to experience the despair of committing offenses against Him and the determination to do something radical about our choices. We even fail to give God credit for producing that guilt within us as a wake-up call that we have broken His laws and His heart.”

Barna expressed hope that the research will cause people to reflect more deeply on sin and its consequences. He also encouraged church leaders to integrate more emphasis and wisdom related to sin in their teaching and conversations.

“If the Church is not distinct from the culture in its understanding of and response to sin, it loses its power and authority. As our nation is reeling from the tensions and sadness heightened by recent episodes of political violence, suicides, rampant crime, and other threats to our way-of-life and existence, the opportunity for the Church to restore sanity and security by unashamedly proclaiming the truths conveyed in the Bible is undeniable. The only question is who will be bold enough to steadfastly share God’s truths with a people who so desperately need His forgiveness and loving guidance.”

About the American Worldview Inventory

The data in this report are part of the American Worldview Inventory (AWVI), an annual nationwide survey that examines a wide variety of aspects of the worldview of U.S. adults. The current worldview research was generated in two waves of surveys fielded during the first half of 2025. The American Worldview Inventory 2025 is the sixth year of the annual surveys.
The data reported in this report were collected in the second of those two waves, conducted in May 2025, among a national, demographically-representative sample of 2,000 adults (age 18 or older). The survey contained 97 questions and the average duration of the survey experience for respondents was 20 minutes. The sample was constructed from among the members of a national research panel managed by Braun Research and Fulcrum as part of the Lucid national panel of survey respondents. A probability sample of this size would have an estimated maximum sampling error of approximately plus or minus 2 percentage points, based on the 95% confidence interval. Additional levels of indeterminable error may occur in surveys based upon both sampling and non-sampling activity.

The American Worldview Inventory 2025: A National Study for Strengthening the Worldview of Americans from Dr. George Barna is designed to examine trends in American beliefs about God, truth, sin, and salvation. It seeks to understand key aspects of American faith and to provide practical insights for building a stronger biblical worldview in our nation. This major research from the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University is intended to describe and understand the nation’s current worldview landscape and to guide improvements. In total, there will be 12 reports released from the American Worldview Inventory 2025.

The American Worldview Inventory is the first-ever national survey conducted in the United States measuring the incidence of both biblical and competing worldviews. Each year’s reports, released to the public at no cost via CRC’s website (www.CulturalResearchCenter.com), are also compiled in book form and produced at the beginning of each subsequent year, published by Arizona Christian University Press. Those books are available at CRC’s Publications page or on Amazon.

About the ACU Worldview Assessment

The ACU Worldview Assessment is a practical tool for evaluating and improving worldview. And there’s a specifically tailored version of the ACU Worldview Assessment for every need:

The ACU Worldview Assessment for Individuals -Designed specifically for adults to identify their worldview and discover areas for spiritual growth and personal worldview development.
The ACU Worldview Assessment for Students – Created by Dr. Barna in collaboration with ACU professors and other educational experts, to measure the worldview of students in grades 4, 8, and 12, using a pre- and post-test format. The student assessments are specifically designed for each grade level, making the questions age-appropriate and easier to understand, while maintaining the integrity of the results.
Dr. Barna’s extensive research into childhood worldview development shows that an individual’s worldview is essentially formed by age 13. This highlights the importance of strategic worldview training, especially in Christian schools, using the ACU Worldview Assessment to measure worldview development along the way.
The ACU Worldview Assessment for Churches, Ministries, and Groups – This version of the assessment is designed for use by churches, ministries, and other groups of adults.
The ACU Worldview Assessment for Colleges and Universities – Designed in a pre- and post-test format tailored for Christian colleges and universities to use each academic year to assess the worldview of their students, and understand the effect of their university’s teaching and community on their student’s worldview development.

Visit www.ACUWorldview.com to experience the ACU Worldview Assessment.

And learn more about the new assessment in our full report, “Arizona Christian University Unveils Groundbreaking Worldview Assessment from Dr. George Barna and the Cultural Research Center.”

About the Cultural Research Center

The post Research Identifies Common Sources of Confusion about Sin appeared first on George Barna.

Millions of American Christians Deny Their Sinfulness

George Barna — Tue, 09 Sep 2025 20:05:20 +0000

New research from the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University explores the beliefs of American adults about sin. The prevailing views are more flattering than logical, and more culturally fitting than biblically consistent.

One major finding is that just one out of every seven—or about 14%—of self-described Christians have a core theology of sin that is biblically accurate. The findings regarding sin are part of the annual American Worldview Inventory, the national tracking research that analyzes the worldview of Americans.

Sin Exists

More than four out of five adults (84%) agree that there is such a thing as “sin.” The research revealed the population segments that are substantially less likely than the norm to believe in the existence of sin, including members of Gen Z, Asians, members of the LGBTQ community, people with no religious affiliations or who doubt the existence of God, those who do not believe the Bible can be trusted to teach truth, and adults who believe in reincarnation or do not believe in any type of existence after death.

The survey also identified some intriguing connections between people’s ideas related to sin. For instance, among people who say sin is a reality, four out of every 10 reject the notion that every human being is a sinner.

Further, a substantial majority of those who believe in the existence of sin agree on how to define sin—nearly three-quarters of them (72%) describe it as disobedience to God. However, a majority of those who believe that sin is a reality (52%) also contend that there are no absolute sins, that is, sins that are constant, regardless of the conditions or context.

Everyone Has Sinned

Only half of all adults (52%) believe that everyone on Earth has sinned. Although the sinfulness of all people is one of foundations of the Christian faith, and the basis of every person’s need to accept Jesus Chist as Lord and Savior, just two out of three self-professed Christians (66%) contend that everyone sins. Adults who attend Protestant churches are far more likely than those attending Catholic churches to believe that everyone is a sinner (73% versus 57%, respectively).

The Arizona Christian University study revealed that the adult members of Gen Z (who constitute the oldest one-quarter of that generation, currently 18 to 22 years old) are far less likely to believe that everyone sins (41%) than are members of the three older generations (49% of Millennials, 53% of Gen X, 57% of Baby Boomers). Blacks (62%) were notably more likely than whites (51%) or Hispanics (50%) to believe all people sin, while a mere one-fourth of all Asians (28%) hold that view.

Guilty of Sin

Just as half of Americans accept the contention that everyone has sinned, the same proportion (52%) believes that they, personally, can be considered to be a sinner.

There were some noteworthy distinctions among people groups regarding their acknowledgment of sinfulness:

People 50 or younger were substantially less likely (47%) to say they are sinners than were people over 50 (56%).
Less than one-third of Asians accept being a sinner (31%), compared to a slight majority of blacks (54%).
A majority of residents of the Midwestern and Southern states said they are sinners, while a minority of residents in the Eastern and Western states adopted that same stance.

There were a few theological shockers that emerged, as well. Among theologically-identified born-again Christians—people who said they are assured of living in Heaven eternally because they have confessed their sins and accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior—one-quarter (26%) refused to categorize themselves as sinners.

Dr. George Barna, the survey director, hypothesized that this might be due to that group believing that because of the forgiveness they have received from Christ, they no longer consider themselves to be sinners.

Four out of 10 self-identified Christians (40%) also rejected the “sinner” label. While a robust one-third of the adults (34%) who regularly attend a Protestant church do not believe they are sinners, a full one-half of those who attend a Catholic church (50%) dismissed that description for themselves.

Within the Protestant world, the incidence of accepting personal sinfulness ranged from a high of 70% among attenders of mainline churches and 69% among adults aligned with independent or non-denominational Christian congregations, to 61% of adults at Evangelical churches, and barely half (55%) among adults who typically attend a charismatic or Pentecostal church.

The research underscored one of the barriers to Christian evangelism. Among adults who are not associated with the Christian faith—a majority of whom are in the atheist/agnostic camp—only about one-third (36%) believe they are a sinner. Within that non-Christian population, individuals who are aligned with a religion other than Christianity are less likely than those who could be categorized as atheists or agnostics to embrace the “sinner” label (27% versus 38%, respectively).

It appears that atheists and agnostics are unfazed by the notion of sin. But people aligned with a religion other than Christianity are less likely to believe sin exists and are less persuaded that they are “sinners.”

Significant differences also arise within the Christian community regarding who recognizes their personal sinfulness. Not surprisingly, nine out of 10 adults with a biblical worldview accept the “sinner” label.

But the proportion drops dramatically after that. Among theologically-identified born again Christians—people who supposedly have asked Jesus Christ to forgive them of their sins, which presupposes the existence and personal admission of sin—one-quarter do not recognize themselves as sinners.

Intriguingly, there was not a one-to-one correspondence between those who said all people sin and those who said they personally are sinners. Overall, one-third of adults (33%) argue that while everyone else is guilty of sin, they are not.

The Goodness of Humanity

A significant reason for the widespread rejection of the sinfulness of humanity is likely the belief held by 70% of adults that while sin may be a reality, people are “basically good at heart,” and therefore, should not be pejoratively characterized as sinners.

That mindset is somewhat more common among self-identified Christians (72%) than among non-Christians (65%). Unexpectedly—and unbiblically—seven out of 10 theologically-identified born-again adults (70%) contend that people are basically good at heart. That view is also considerably more prevalent among Catholics (82%) than Protestants (66%).

Perceptions of people’s goodness were distributed differently than one might expect. For instance, the younger a person’s generation, the less likely they were to defend human goodness. Another group defying expectations were residents of the Western states, who emerged as the geographic group least likely to describe people as good at heart.

Perhaps the biggest head-scratcher of all, though, are adults who are in the Emergent Follower category related to possession of a biblical worldview.

Emergent Followers are people who are in between Integrated Disciples (i.e. people who possess a biblical worldview) and World Citizens (i.e. those who have rejected most biblical beliefs and behaviors as valid and personally operative). Emergent Followers possess an above-average number of biblical beliefs and behaviors, but not enough to be driven by that philosophy of life.

The research found that the Emergent Follower segment was twice as likely as Integrated Disciples and 50% more likely than World Citizens to believe that people are good at heart.

Biblical Clarity and Lifestyle Consistency

Currently, about two-thirds of adults in America describe themselves as Christians. To be a Christian presumes the acceptance of biblical teachings, which define the foundations of the Christian faith. Among the fundamental teachings of Christianity—and central to the primary narrative of the Christian faith—are the following beliefs: Sin is real; every person who has ever or will ever live is a sinner; that every Christian is a sinner from conception; the only solution to the eternal consequences of sin is the forgiveness for those sins extended through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ; and that people are not good at heart but are corrupt by nature, which causes their sinful behavior against God’s will and standards.

The Bible, held by Christians to be the true, authoritative, instructive, and practical message from God to humanity for the purpose of shaping people’s beliefs and behavior, is abundantly clear on the matter of sin. Among the perspectives it teaches are:

No human being is morally and spiritually perfect; we all sin and therefore fall short of the perfection and expectations of God. (Psalm 51:5; Proverbs 20:9; Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3:23, 7:14-21; James 3:2; 1 John 1:8)
The heart of every human being is wicked, deceitful, proud, and corrupt. (Genesis 6:5; Psalm 14:1-3; Proverbs 28:26; Jeremiah 17:9; Mark 7:21-22; Romans 1:21)
Sin has consequences, the most serious of which is the disruption of our relationship with God. (Isaiah 59:2; Romans 6:23; Galatians 6:7; James 1:15)
Humans are incapable of erasing their sin and its consequences. (Isaiah 64:6; Jeremiah 2:22; Ephesians 2:8-9)
God loved the pinnacle of His creation—human beings—so much that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to Earth to die a painful and unjust death on behalf of every human who acknowledges their sinfulness, asks for God’s forgiveness, changes their sinful behavior, and embraces Jesus Christ as their eternal Savior. (Isaiah 53:5-6; John 3:16; Acts 3:19; Romans 5:8; Ephesians 1:7; Titus 2:14; Hebrews 9:22; 1 Peter 3:18)
Anyone who sins (i.e. everyone) and refuses to confess, repent, and accept Jesus as their Savior, will spend eternity isolated from God and the glorious afterlife He has prepared for those whose sins were forgiven by Christ. (Matthew 25:41; John 3:18; 2 Thessalonians 1:9; Jude 1:7; Revelation 20:15)

The unmistakable message of the Bible regarding sin and its impact on every human life makes the ignorance of American Christians on the topic shocking. Yet, the key research finding shows that a mere 14% of all self-described Christians have a biblically-consistent theology related to these four basic but essential beliefs about sin (i.e. that sin is real, every person commits sins, the survey respondent is a sinner, and no human being is good at heart).

The Church Derailed – And Hope for Restoration

The situation described by the research is serious but not hopeless, according to George Barna, who directed the research for ACU’s Cultural Research Center.

“The job of the local church is to educate God’s people about God’s ways,” the ACU professor explained. “Yet, a 2019 Pew Research study that analyzed sermon content across the nation, determined that just 3% of all sermons preached even mentioned sin. That’s a devastating body-blow to the Church world.”

Barna continued, “Students will remain ignorant when their teachers fail to inform them of critical information and consequences. For an overwhelming majority of Christian churches to suppress the reality of sin, its consequences, and its solutions from the people those churches serve is a travesty.”

He noted that the small percentage of people with a biblical outlook on sin coincides with the downward trends of alignment with Christianity, trust in Christ for salvation, and incidence of biblical discipleship. It also helps explain the increasing numbers of Americans rejecting absolute moral truth or relying upon the Bible for moral and lifestyle guidance.

In that context, Barna said it is not surprising to see a steady rise in the numbers of self-identified Christians who accept abortion, homosexuality, lying, divorce, and tax cheating as moral behaviors.

“Describing all people as ‘basically good at heart’ is the culturally-comfortable dismissal of sin that millions of people use to ignore the possibility that their love affair with disobedience to God is a life-threatening spiritual disease with eternal consequences,” the researcher commented.

“Taking refuge in the idea that other people have a sin problem, but they personally do not, or that sin is an outdated concept, are harmful strategies,” Barna explained. “Parents, pastors, and religious influencers have a vital responsibility to keep basic biblical truths before the Christian body, including the reality of sin and its repercussions.”

“Allowing Americans to skirt around the personal implications of sinful living is a major disservice to the people they influence, and facilitates the continuing demise of American society,” he said.

Nevertheless, Barna expressed hope that the Church can get back on track.

“Sin is not a difficult concept to understand or identify,” the bestselling author continued. “Hopefully, our avoidance of teaching and accountability regarding sin can be quickly and easily rectified by those who seek to add value to the spiritual journey of the people they influence. Inserting sin back into the national consciousness would be an invaluable investment into who we are as a nation and as the Church.”

About the American Worldview Inventory

About the ACU Worldview Assessment

The ACU Worldview Assessment is a practical tool for evaluating and improving worldview. And there’s a specifically tailored version of the ACU Worldview Assessment for every need:

The ACU Worldview Assessment for Individuals -Designed specifically for adults to identify their worldview and discover areas for spiritual growth and personal worldview development.
The ACU Worldview Assessment for Students – Created by Dr. Barna in collaboration with ACU professors and other educational experts, to measure the worldview of students in grades 4, 8, and 12, using a pre- and post-test format. The student assessments are specifically designed for each grade level, making the questions age-appropriate and easier to understand, while maintaining the integrity of the results.
Dr. Barna’s extensive research into childhood worldview development shows that an individual’s worldview is essentially formed by age 13. This highlights the importance of strategic worldview training, especially in Christian schools, using the ACU Worldview Assessment to measure worldview development along the way.
The ACU Worldview Assessment for Churches, Ministries, and Groups – This version of the assessment is designed for use by churches, ministries, and other groups of adults.
The ACU Worldview Assessment for Colleges and Universities – Designed in a pre- and post-test format tailored for Christian colleges and universities to use each academic year to assess the worldview of their students, and understand the effect of their university’s teaching and community on their student’s worldview development.

Visit www.ACUWorldview.com to experience the ACU Worldview Assessment.

And learn more about the new assessment in our full report, “Arizona Christian University Unveils Groundbreaking Worldview Assessment from Dr. George Barna and the Cultural Research Center.”

About the Cultural Research Center

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Report Identifies How U.S. States Rank When It Comes to Incidence of Biblical Worldview

George Barna — Thu, 12 Jun 2025 21:50:28 +0000

With the national biblical worldview incidence at 4% among adults, a new report from the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University indicates that there is substantial variance in that incidence across the 50 states. The state with the highest proportion of adults who have a biblical worldview is Alabama, with a 12.6% incidence—more than triple the current nation level. At the other end of the scale is Rhode Island, which has less than one-quarter of one percent of its adults who qualify as Integrated Disciples (i.e., adults with a biblical worldview).

While there may be a few surprises in the data regarding the ranking of states , or the actual incidence level some states, the identity of the 10 states with the highest and 10 with the lowest incidence levels probably will not raise many eyebrows.

However, when the incidence level of each state is used to project the total number of Integrated Disciples in each state, based on the most recent Census Bureau population counts per state, some surprises emerge.

Top and Bottom States

The proportion of adults in each state estimated to have a biblical worldview is roughly the same for the top two states, which are Alabama (12.6% of its adult residents are Integrated Disciples) and Mississippi (12.5%). South Carolina was third (9.8%), trailed by Arkansas (9.0%), Montana (8.0%), Virginia (7.1%), and Idaho (7.0%). Rounding out the top 10 states were Oklahoma and Tennessee (each at 6.7%), and North Carolina (6.3%).

Eight of the top 10 biblical worldview states were located in the southern portion of the United States. While mobility and cultural shifts have diminished the prominence of biblical Christianity in the South over the past quarter-century, it remains the area where the biblical worldview is most common. The two states in the top 10 outside of the South are both located in the Mountain region of the country. There were no states in the top 10 from the northeast, the Midwest, or the Pacific states.

The state with the lowest proportion of its adults possessing the biblical worldview was Rhode Island, with less than one-quarter of one percent qualifying as Integrated Disciples. There were five other states that each had an incidence of below 2% of their adults qualifying as Integrated Disciples: Maine, Nebraska, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Connecticut. The rest of the bottom 10 states included New Mexico, New Hampshire, Louisiana, and New York.

Among the clear patterns in the bottom 10 states was the inclusion of seven states located in the northeast. The only states from outside the New England and Middle Atlantic divisions were New Mexico, Louisiana, and Nebraska.

Regional Data

The U.S. Census Bureau divides the 50 states into nine geographic divisions. The two divisions with the highest biblical worldview incidence are in the South. The East South Central division leads the way, with its residents sporting an incidence of 8.8%. (That division contains Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee.) It is followed by the South Atlantic states, at 6.4%. (The eight states in that division are Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia.)

The division with the lowest biblical worldview incidence was New England. That area is comprised of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Less than 2% of the people in that division have a biblical worldview. That is, by far, the lowest of any division, registering barely half the proportion of biblical theists as are found in the next lowest division.

The second lowest division is the neighbor of New England, a cluster of states known as the Middle Atlantic. There are just three states in that group: New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. Only 3.4% of the adults in that area are Integrated Disciples.

Most of the other divisions were close to the national average for biblical worldview, ranging from 4.1% to 5%. In fact, the only two of the nine divisions featured incidence levels that are more than one-tenth of a percentage point above the national average. The other seven divisions are either average or below average.

The Census Bureau has also defined four geographic regions, each of which is comprised of a non-duplicated combination of the nine divisions. Not surprisingly, the Northeast region – which covers the states from Maine down to New Jersey and Pennsylvania, representing the New England and Middle Atlantic divisions – was easily the lowest in biblical worldview (3.0%). The South was clearly the highest (6.3%), while the Central (4.3%) and West (4.7%) regions took up the middle ground.

Biggest Numbers of Integrated Disciples

Using the biblical worldview incidence data from the Cultural Research Center in conjunction with Census Bureau population estimates, it is possible to project the number of Integrated Disciples in each state.

By virtue of its massive population, California emerged as the state with the largest number of adults with the biblical worldview, despite its left-leaning politics and relatively average biblical worldview statistic (4.6%, barely below the national average). The projections indicate there are nearly one-and-a-half million such people in the Golden State.

Right behind California is Florida (slightly more than 1.1 million Integrated Disciples) and then Texas (slightly less than 1.1 million). Again, the large populations of those states greatly facilitated their high ranking in the number of Integrated Disciples in residence. The other states in the top 10 each has at least a half-million Integrated Disciples fewer than third-place Texas.

Comparing their rank in total adult population to their rank in the number of Integrated Disciples, four states produced relatively greater number of adults with a biblical worldview than average. Those were North Carolina (ranked eighth in population but fourth in Integrated Disciples); Georgia (ninth in population but fifth in Integrated Disciples); Alabama (24th in population but an astonishing seventh in Integrated Disciples); and Virginia (12th in population but ninth in Integrated Disciples).

Estimates of the Total Resident Population and Resident Population Age 18 Years and Older for the United States, Regions, States, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico: July 1, 2024 (SCPRC-EST2024-18+POP), accessed at https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-national-detail.html.

A Few Surprises

The survey provided a few surprises worth highlighting:

While it might be expected that states in the South—the traditional “Bible belt” of the nation—would produce the highest incidence of biblical worldview, it might be less expected to see the western states outperform the midwestern states. Although the difference is not substantial—the West has a 4.7% incidence compared to 4.3% in the Central region—the outcome is unanticipated. Of the two, the Midwest is considered the more conservative and traditional area, especially when compared to the “Wild West” and its more progressive policies, outlooks, and lifestyles. These numbers, however, suggest that the relationship between values, morals, and population has shifted substantially in the past three decades.

Texas is typically not only thought of as politically conservative, but also as highly Christian and deeply spiritual. Yet, the worldview data suggest a different profile. The statewide biblical worldview incidence was slightly below the national average. Further, Texas ranked 30^th in its proportion of Integrated Disciples out of the 45 states evaluated—much farther down the rankings than many would have expected for a large southern state. The disparity between expectations and reality may partly be explained by the huge numbers of people migrating in and out of Texas during the past decade, which were accelerated by the COVID years. Since 2000, Texas has had more than 9 million people move into the state, as well as millions who left the state. For instance, in 2023, about a half-million people moved in while about 400,000 moved out. In 2024 it is estimated that more than 600,000 moved in while another 400,00 departed. This extreme population fluidity has undoubtedly played a role in the reshaping of the spiritual profile of the state.

If it is surprising that Texas has a below-average proportion of adults with a biblical worldview, it might also be unexpected to identify a few of the states that have an above-average proportion of Integrated Disciples. Those states include Colorado (6.1%), Hawaii (5.3%), and Washington (5.2%). Both the Colorado state legislature and the state’s Congressional delegation are mostly Democrats (66% and 60%, respectively). More than 80% of Hawaii’s state legislature and its entire Congressional delegation are Democrats. In Washington, 60% of the state legislature and more than 80% of its Congressional delegation are Democrats. The strong correlation between political ideology and worldview would have predicted below-average proportions of Integrated Disciples in those states. On the other hand, with 60% of the Texas state legislature and 70% of its Congressional delegation being Republicans, an above-average biblical worldview incidence would have been projected.

Although its first-place standing in number of Integrated Disciples can be explained away as a consequence of its large population, the fact that California not only leads that list but has nearly 300,000 more Integrated Disciples than the next most prolific state is nevertheless shocking. Despite the state’s liberal political policies and practices (including being another state with a large majority of both its state legislators and Congressional delegation as Democrats), its Christianity-hostile media, and the barriers to conservative Christianity imposed throughout the state, these statistics are a reminder that things are not hopeless in California.

Texas as a Bellwether?

George Barna, who directed the research for the Cultural Research Center, provided some context for understanding the state rankings.

“People in Alabama or Mississippi might look at their biblical worldview numbers and feel they can relax, they’re faring better than all the other states,” he said. “But keep in mind, even though those two states have a higher incidence of Integrated Disciples than elsewhere, seven out of eight adults in their states lack a biblical worldview. Yes, comparatively speaking, states like those two are doing better than others, but in absolute terms, every state in the union is failing miserably at developing the biblical worldview among its residents.”

Barna commented that he was particularly struck by the worldview situation in Texas.

“Texas has experienced an unusually high level of in-migration during the past decade. The fastest-growing areas of the state are those attracting a flood of non-Christians and liberals, such as Austin and Houston” the researcher noted. “Perhaps Texas is a harbinger of things to come in terms of worldview, with the ever-diminishing impact of biblical beliefs due to the influx of young adults who dismiss Christianity as irrelevant and untruthful. Texas’s long-standing tradition of biblical Christianity has been severely compromised in a short span of time, due in no small part to household mobility and to a growing proportion of young people. The implications of that transformation are instructive and may become particularly significant for other states in the South and Midwest that are also vulnerable to such influences.”

About the American Worldview Inventory

The data in this report are part of the annual national tracking survey, the American Worldview Inventory (AWVI), which examines a wide variety of aspects of the worldview of U.S. adults. The current report utilizes data drawn from includes six AWVI surveys conducted by the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University between January 2020 and May 2025, plus three additional surveys CRC conducted within that time period, as well. The aggregate number of interviews completed across those nine surveys was 17,800. The data were collected via online surveys. The sample of each survey included randomly selected members of a national research panel managed by Braun Research and Fulcrum as part of the Lucid national panel of survey respondents. A probability sample of this size would have an estimated maximum sampling error of approximately plus or minus 0.7 percentage points, based on the 95% confidence interval. Additional levels of indeterminable error may occur in surveys based upon both sampling and non-sampling activity.

The American Worldview Inventory is the first-ever national survey conducted in the United States measuring the incidence of both biblical and competing worldviews. Each year’s reports, released to the public at no cost via CRC’s website (www.CulturalResearchCenter.com), are also available in book form and published by Arizona Christian University Press. Those books are available at CRC’s Publications page or from Amazon.

About the ACU Worldview Assessment

The ACU Worldview Assessment is a quick, powerful online tool designed to measure and strengthen a respondent’s biblical worldview. Developed by Dr. George Barna and based on 40+ years of research, this 15-minute assessment reveals how one’s beliefs and behaviors align with biblical principles and areas for growth. The ACU Worldview Assessment identifies a person’s dominant worldview; measures worldview in five categories of beliefs and behaviors; and evaluates the respondent’s score related to the “Seven Cornerstones” of the biblical worldview. Visit www.ACUWorldview.com to learn more about, or to engage with the ACU Worldview Assessment. Further information is also accessible in the report, “Arizona Christian University Unveils Groundbreaking Worldview Assessment from Dr. George Barna and the Cultural Research Center.”

About the Cultural Research Center

The Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University in Glendale, Arizona, conducts the annual American Worldview Inventory as well as other nationwide surveys regarding worldview and cultural transformation. National studies completed by the Cultural Research Center (CRC) have investigated topics related to family, values, lifestyle, spiritual practices, and recent election-related activity and political views.

One of the groundbreaking efforts by CRC has been the worldview-related surveys conducted among the ACU student population. The first-of-its-kind ACU Student Worldview Inventory is administered to every ACU student at the start of each academic year, and a final time just prior to graduation. The results of that student census enable the University to track and address the worldview development of its students through this unique, longitudinal research.

Research studies conducted by CRC are led by Dr. George Barna. Barna is a veteran of more than 40 years of national public opinion research, having previously guided the Barna Group (which he sold in 2009), and the American Culture and Faith Institute. His research findings have been the subject of more than 60 books he has authored or co-authored, many of which have become national bestsellers. His most recent bestseller is Raising Spiritual Champions: Nurturing Your Child’s Heart, Mind and Soul (Arizona Christian University Press, 2023).

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