At a Glance
Are we experiencing a spiritual revival—or facing a full-blown discipleship crisis in the American church? In this powerful conversation, renowned researcher Dr. George Barna shares alarming new data and challenges us to rethink how we measure spiritual health and make disciples in a post-Christian culture.
Main Topics
- The Decline of Belief in the God of the Bible
- The fastest-growing spiritual segment in America is now the “don’ts”—those who don’t know, don’t believe, or don’t care if God exists.
- Barna reveals a 30-year decline in belief in the God of the Bible.
- Why Discipleship Metrics Are Failing
- Most churches track attendance, programs, and budgets—but not spiritual transformation.
- Barna outlines six biblical criteria for true discipleship based on Jesus’ teachings.
- Only 1 in 10 born-again Christians actively disciples others.
- The Crucial Role of Children’s Ministry and Worldview Formation
- A child’s worldview is largely formed by age 13, starting as early as 15–18 months.
- Only 12% of children’s pastors have a biblical worldview themselves.
- Barna’s “Seven Cornerstones” research shows that rejecting even one foundational belief drops the likelihood of a biblical worldview from 83% to just 2%.
What if the greatest threat to the church today isn’t cultural hostility—but our failure to make true disciples?
Special Guest
George Barna is the Director of Research and cofounder of the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University. He is also an ACU professor, focusing on worldview assessment and development, and cultural transformation. He was the founder and leader of the Barna Group, a research company that has set the standard for understanding trends in American culture. In addition, Barna serves as Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Biblical Worldview at the Family Research Council. He has taught at the undergraduate and graduate level, and has pastored two churches. Barna has written 60 books, including numerous award-winners and New York Times bestsellers. His most recent book is Raising Spiritual Champions: Nurturing Your Child’s Heart, Mind and Soul.
What You'll Hear
Using the link above, you can read the transcript or listen along while highlighted text follows the podcast audio.
"Your worldview is your decision making filter.”
Dr. George Barna [19:30]
Quotes
Go Deeper
Recommended links
Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University (Dr. George Barna is the Director of Research)
Three decades of research show that Seven Biblical Cornerstones predict whether you have a biblical worldview. Learn more with this free article!
Worldview Assessment (available for adults at a cost of $9.95 for individuals)
- Click here to read the January 2025 newsletter from Cultural Research Center featuring Barna’s book and the article, “Barna, CRC Research Reveal 12 Trends That Will Shape Faith and Culture in 2025.”
Footings for Children: Developing a Biblical Worldview So They Can Thrive
Free Resource
As parents and teachers, we want our children to thrive in life, to grow strong, and to flourish in every circumstance. We desire for them to prosper in the best sense, developing and using their abilities to bless others and the world around them all their days.
Yet, most would agree that the conditions for raising children are as intense and difficult as ever. While statistics highlight this fact, they are unable to portray the pain and disillusionment experienced.
How can we equip children to grow strong and actually thrive and flourish in this world?
We must impart to our children a foundational understanding of truth and reality upon which all future viewpoints will be formed and decisions will be made.
We must give them the footings on which they can understand all of life clearly and accurately. In short, today’s youth need a Biblical worldview.
This powerful, tested curriculum is designed to help parents, churches, and Christian educators disciple the children in their lives and is available to download free of charge.
A Teacher’s Guide is available to accompany several available student versions for adolescents, young readers (under age 11), non-readers, and even a devotional version for when time is limited. Two versions are available in Spanish!
Each version has 28 or more lessons that guide students in learning through Scripture, discussion, journaling, and activities. The lessons span six units that teach (a) About God, (b) Made in God’s Image, (c) God’s Purpose for Mankind, (d) Our Problem and God’s Solution, (e) God’s Design for the Family, and (f) God’s Design for Money.
