There is a growing ignorance about the basics of the Christian faith, and an epidemic of Biblical illiteracy…among Christians.

The following statistics are reported by Christian demographer George Barna (www.barna.org):
• 33% of born-again Christians believe that a non-Christian can earn salvation through his good works.
• Only 32% of born-again Christians say that they believe in moral absolutes.
• 45% of born-again Christians deny that Satan exists.
• 33% of born-again Christians say that abortion is morally acceptable.
• Only 38% of born-again Christians attend Sunday School in any given week.
• Only 54% of those who attend church say that they are “absolutely committed to the Christian faith.”
• Only 9% of born-again Christians tithe their income to their church.

In other words, there is a desperate need for DISCIPLESHIP in the modern American church. Biblical illiteracy is epidemic; many “Christians” do not even understand the saving message of the gospel. By almost any measure – Bible knowledge, personal ministry, lifestyle and behavior, evangelism – there is an urgent need for discipleship.

Do You Have a “Biblical Worldview?”
Where do you stand on the following seven statements:
• There is such a thing as absolute right and wrong.
• The Bible is the authority on what is right and what is wrong.
• The Bible is accurate in everything it teaches.
• Salvation is a gift from God that cannot be earned by good works.
• God is the all-powerful, all-knowing Creator of the universe.
• Jesus lived a sinless life.
• Satan is real.

Those seven simple statements are no-brainers, right? They are fundamental truths of the Christian faith. However, Barna found that only 9% of born-again Christians – only 9 out of every 100 believers! – agree with all seven statements.

Barna developed the above checklist to provide a measurable definition of what it means to possess a “Biblical worldview.” What is a Biblical worldview? It means that you live your life and make your decisions based on what the Bible says. Of course, if a person doesn’t believe that the Bible is true or authoritative, if he doesn’t even believe there is such a thing as absolute right and wrong, if he isn’t even sure what he believes about God – then he isn’t going to make his decisions based on the Bible.

No wonder that there is no noticeable difference any more between the lives of “Christians” and non-Christians. Many modern American Christians do not believe God’s Word – and they are having their doubts about God Himself.

Discipleship = Teaching
Our mandate, Christ’s commission to us, is to make disciples – not just converts, not just church members, but true believers, followers. Jesus coined the phrase “born again” to underscore the radical transformation that is supposed to occur in our lives when we accept Him and receive the gift of His Spirit. Christianity is supposed to change us, inside and out, from top to bottom, 24/7.

In that Great Commission, Christ also went on to tell us how to make discipleship happen: by “teaching them to observe all that I commanded you.” Discipleship begins with Bible teaching. “Disciple” means student; for Christians, our textbook is God’s Word. The Bible is a supernatural book, the sword of the Spirit (Eph 6:17), which teaches, corrects and trains us for every good work (2 Tim 3:16-17).

Actually, although Biblical illiteracy is rampant, many church-goers say that they want to learn more about their faith. In Surprising Insights from the Unchurched, Thom Rainer reported that in a survey of hundreds of adults who had recently begun attending church, the No. 1 reason (listed by 94% of those surveyed!) was that they were seeking teaching on Christian doctrine. It is not a huge leap to suggest that one reason many new attenders fade out after several months of church attendance is their disappointment that their desire for Bible teaching is not being satisfied by the churches they attend.

Click here for more information about: Discipleship University.