Only 3% of children have the “cornerstone beliefs” that make a biblical worldview—only three percent.

This data comes from a 2023 study by the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University that examined “the prominence of belief in the ‘Seven Cornerstones of a Biblical Worldview’ among adolescents” (children ages 8–12).

These cornerstones include:

• God exists and is the all-knowing, all-powerful, perfect Creator and ruler of the universe.

• As a sinner, the only solution to the consequences of sin is to acknowledge your sins, ask God to forgive you through Jesus Christ, and rely on him to save you from those consequences.

• Sin is real and significant; we are all sinners by choice.

• Your most important reason for living is to do what God wants.

• You trust the Bible because it is completely true and personally relevant to your life.

• The Bible provides a complete and reliable understanding of right and wrong.

• Success is consistently doing what the Bible teaches.

The survey found that just 3% of children embraced all seven cornerstones. The majority only agreed with one or two, rejecting or stating they were unsure about the others. The survey report states, “That does not bode well for adolescents building a stable foundation that will lead to a robust and biblical worldview.”

So, what worldview are these children forming? Researcher George Barna says it’s a worldview of syncretism—the dominant worldview in the West today as people combine a little bit of this and a little bit of that into a religion of their own making. Barna says, They are following in the footsteps of their parents, only 2% of whom have a biblical worldview, and 96% of whom are syncretists. That mindset and lifestyle is modeled for their children every day and has become the comfortable default position among most adults, teens, and children who call themselves Christian.

“A little of this and a little of that” doesn’t grow a mature Christian who can move on from milk to the meat of God’s Word, who can stand strong amid trials and persecutions, and who will be effective salt and light, contending for the faith and fulfilling the great commission. So what can we do?

First, we must recognize that every person has a worldview. The only correct worldview is the one grounded in God’s Word. Every other worldview is ultimately founded on man’s opinion (man’s word) and is therefore subjective and arbitrary. The only absolute worldview is the one that comes from God’s Word.

Second, a worldview is built from the foundation up. So many Christians try to impose a Christian worldview—or at least Christian morality—on the wrong foundation (the foundation of man’s word that our culture instills in children). But if we want children to truly think biblically, we must first lay the correct foundation—the truth and authority of God’s Word from the very first verse.

This means we must teach them from Genesis, as Genesis provides the foundation for every major doctrine of theology and the Christian worldview. Pastors and leaders often ignore Genesis because it can be controversial, but that’s a huge mistake—our entire worldview is founded in Genesis. For example:

• How do you deal with LGBTQ? You have to start with Genesis 1–11, which teaches the creation of mankind as male and female and shows the origin of marriage.
• How do you deal with abortion? You have to start with Genesis 1–11 and the truth that we’re not animals: we’re uniquely made in God’s image, and life begins at fertilization.
• How do you deal with racism? You have to start with Genesis 1–11 and the history of humanity, all descended from Adam and Eve and divided at the tower of Babel. That’s why we have people groups around the world.
• How do you deal with climate change? You have to start with Genesis 1–11, where we know God’s original creation was “very good.” It became marred by sin, and there was a global flood that catastrophically impacted the climate.
• How do you deal with death and suffering? You have to start with (you guessed it!) Genesis 1–11 and the truth of a perfect creation marred by sin that is now cursed and groaning.

Yes, Genesis is the foundation for a biblical worldview. We must get back to teaching Genesis in our churches and Sunday schools, showing children that the foundation for what we believe in is God as Creator and the truth of creation. That’s why our Bible curriculum for churches at Answers in Genesis starts with Genesis and teaches chronologically through the Bible. Foundations matter because your foundation determines your worldview and your worldview has consequences.

Avery Foley is a writer and speaker for Answers in Genesis, the Creation Museum, and the Ark Encounter. She and her husband are homeschool parents to five young children and the producers of Building Blocks, a chronological walk through the Bible for kids on Answers.tv.

Ken Ham is the Founder CEO of Answers in Genesis, the ministry behind the Creation Museum, the Ark Encounter, Answers Bible Curriculum for churches, and the best-selling Answers VBS.
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