VENTURA, Calif. — A recent study by the Barna Research Group suggests much of the nation's moral and spiritual challenges stem from Americans not having a biblical worldview.

According to Barna, research findings show that only 4 percent of U.S. adults employ a biblical worldview as a basis for their decision making.

"If Jesus Christ came to this planet as a model of how we ought to live, then our goal should be to act like Jesus. Sadly, few people consistently demonstrate the love, obedience and priorities of Jesus," said researcher George Barna.

"The primary reason that people do not act like Jesus is because they do not think like Jesus. Behavior stems from what we think — our attitudes, beliefs, values and opinions," he said. "Although most people own a Bible and know some of its content, our research found that most Americans have little idea how to integrate core biblical principles to form a unified and meaningful response to the challenges and opportunities of life."

For purposes of research, a biblical worldview was defined as believing that absolute moral truths exist and that such truth is defined by the Bible. Also part of the definition was a firm belief in six specific religious views.

Those views were that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life; God is the all-powerful and all-knowing Creator of the universe and He still rules it today; salvation is a gift from God and cannot be earned; Satan is real; Christians have a responsibility to share their faith in Christ with other people; and the Bible is accurate in all of its teachings.

The national survey of 2,033 adults revealed a low proportion of adults with a biblical worldview among various segments:

• People who attend non-denominational protestant churches — 13 percent
• Pentecostals — 10 percent
• Born-again Christians — 9 percent
• Baptists — 8 percent
• Protestants — 7 percent
• Mainline Protestants — 2 percent
• Catholics — less than one-half of 1 percent

The study suggests that people with a biblical worldview possess radically different views on morality, hold divergent religious beliefs and demonstrate vastly different lifestyle choices.

People with such a view are 31 times less likely to accept cohabitation that those without a biblical worldview (2 percent verses 62 percent); 18 times less likely to endorse drunkenness (2 percent versus 36 percent); 15 times less likely to condone homosexual sex (2 percent versus 31 percent); 12 times less likely to accept profanity (3 percent versus 37 percent) and 11 times less likely to describe adultery as morally acceptable (4 percent versus 44 percent).

In addition, according to the research, less than one-half of one percent of those with a biblical worldview said voluntary exposure to pornography is morally acceptable, compared to 39 percent of other adults. A similar gap existed over the endorsement of abortion.

White, college educated, married adults are more likely to have a biblical perspective. Politically, 10 percent of Republicans have a biblical view as opposed to 2 percent of Independents and 1 percent of Democrats.

Residents of Texas and North Carolina are more likely to have such a worldview while residents of Louisiana and the six New England states were the least likely.