I just read a really good article by Chuck Swindoll in my email inbox. I'd like to share part of it here:

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What is the purpose of life?
How did the world come to be?
How can we know what truth is?

Walk down the street today, and ask ten people these questions. You’ll likely get eleven different answers for each one! An atheist will tell you that the purpose of life is whatever you want it to be. An agnostic will say that we can’t know how the world originated. And truth? Good luck with that one.

Now ask the same questions in your local church. You will be even more shocked. In his book written in 2003, Think Like Jesus, researcher George Barna surveyed a group of born-again adults and found that only 14 percent believe in absolute truth and base their ethical and moral decisions on Scripture. Let that sink in for a moment. Six out of seven Christians believe that truth is relative—that it is open to personal definition and interpretation—and live their lives based on that misguided belief.  

When I ponder those disheartening statistics, I am reminded of the apostle Paul’s strong words: “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is” (Romans 12:2). What Paul was addressing, and what Barna’s research so clearly demonstrates, is the desperate need for God’s people to reject the thought patterns and practices of a world that often ignores, dismisses, or disparages God. In other words, Paul calls us to develop and maintain a thoroughly Christian worldview.

Why is this so critical? The world’s way of thinking is infiltrating the church instead of the other way around. That’s the reason I thought of Romans 12:2. Our decision on this matter is like a continental divide determining the direction in which our thoughts and actions flow. And here’s the challenge. Nothing in this verse happens easily or automatically. Paul’s command requires consecration, transformation, and evaluation. Allow me to define these briefly.

Consecration is the radical separation from a secular worldview and the dedication to a godly mind-set.

Transformation is the deliberate determination to think biblically and to act accordingly.

Evaluation is the unguarded, vulnerable appraisal of our spiritual condition.

As followers of Christ, we must be willing to turn away from the world’s system and to embrace the biblical way of life. No matter the personal, professional, or social cost.

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The Insight for Living website is definitely one to visit--see www.insight.org .