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Biblical Worldview Across the States, John Knox, and Jesus' Commitment to Principle
A report on the incidence of a biblical worldview across U.S. states, the history and impact of John Knox, how Jesus never compromised principles (as demonstrated in His second temptation), and more.
Anthony Langer
June 28, 2025
It’s Saturday, June 28, 2025.
Today’s edition highlights a report on the incidence of a biblical worldview across U.S. states, the history and impact of John Knox, how Jesus never compromised principles (as demonstrated in His second temptation), and more.
“Get wisdom; get insight; do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.” (Proverbs 4:5)
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Of Christian Concern
INCIDENCE OF A BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW VARIES DRAMATICALLY ACROSS U.S. STATES
Photo: Leah Newhouse
Incidence of a biblical worldview varies widely across U.S. states, according to a recent report from the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University.
While 4% of American adults have a biblical worldview, that population is distributed unequally across the states. Alabama takes the prize for the highest incidence, with 12.6% of the adult population having a biblical worldview. That's followed closely by Mississippi at 12.5%. By contrast, the state with the lowest incidence is Rhode Island, at less than 0.25%.
Page 7 of the report lists the 45 states included in the study, along with their percentages and ranks. How does your state rank?
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Also Noteworthy
The Ten Commandments posted on a wall, as a Louisiana law seeks to mandate in schools.
→ Governments in Africa and Latin America “are failing to protect” large populations of Christians from persecution, reports International Christian Concern. Christians “in Cuba, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Mexico, Mozambique, Nicaragua, and Nigeria” suffer due to “Islamic oppression, dictatorial paranoia, and criminal cartel organizations.”
→ “Members of the British House of Commons voted today to pass a dangerous bill to legalize assisted suicide,” reports LifeNews.com.
→ Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed the “What is a Woman Bill/Women’s Bill of Rights” (HB 229) last week, “defin[ing] the terms ‘man’, ‘woman’, ‘boy’, and ‘girl’ by accurate scientific definitions and biological reality,” reports Texas Values. The sweeping effects include “protecting women by ensuring that true biological sex is recognized” in “women’s prisons, sororities, and private spaces like locker rooms.”
→ A suicide bomber killed 22 and wounded 63 in a Greek Orthodox church in Dweil’a, Syria, on Sunday.
→ A deacon and church security team prevented a would-be mass shooter from entering Crosspointe Community Church in Wayne, Michigan, on Sunday. Deacon Richard Pryor hit the attacker with his truck in the parking lot, allowing church security time to respond, fatally shooting the 31-year-old gunman. Pryor’s car took gunfire and was totaled, and security team member Ron Amann was shot in the leg. GoFundMe campaigns have been established for both men, for a new truck and medical costs, respectively.
→ The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Louisiana’s law requiring The Ten Commandments to be posted in public schools is unconstitutional. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill intends to appeal the ruling, reports Courthouse News Service.
Content Catch-Up
Recent, notable content of Christian interest.*
Detail of Michael Jackson’s 1983 press photo. (Public Domain)
→ Separation of Church and State: In a brief video, Zach Conover outlines the history and meaning of “separation of church and state.” Preview: it does not mean “separation of God and government.” (Video)
→ Michael Jackson and Christ: In a clip from a recent interview on The Breakfast Club, producer Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins claims that Michael Jackson received Christ just weeks before his death. (Post)
*Not necessarily an endorsement
Church History Tidbit
Knox Knocked Catholicism
John Knox (c. 1514–1572) was a Scottish reformer and key figure in the Protestant Reformation. Born in Haddington, Scotland, he studied theology and was ordained a Catholic priest before embracing Protestant ideas in the 1540s. Influenced by John Calvin in Geneva, Knox became a fervent advocate for Reformed theology. He returned to Scotland in 1559, leading the Reformation there, which established Presbyterianism as the national church.
Knox’s fiery sermons and writings, like his First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstrous Regiment of Women, stirred controversy, criticizing Catholic rulers like Mary of Guise and Mary, Queen of Scots. His leadership in the Scottish Reformation Parliament of 1560 helped abolish papal authority and adopt a Protestant confession of faith. Knox’s Book of Discipline outlined a vision for a reformed church and education system, shaping Scotland’s religious and cultural identity.
Despite clashes with monarchs and political turmoil, Knox’s preaching galvanized the Scottish people, establishing a Presbyterian Church that emphasized scripture, discipline, and education. His legacy endures in the Church of Scotland and global Presbyterianism, though his uncompromising stance often polarized contemporaries. He died in Edinburgh in 1572, leaving a lasting impact on Protestantism and Scottish history.
Written with Grok.
The Bible, Briefly
Jesus Never Compromised Principle
"The Temptation of Jesus" by Gustav Doré, 1891 (Public Domain)
And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.
And Jesus answered him, “It is written,
“‘You shall worship the Lord your God,
and him only shall you serve.’” (Luke 4:5-8)
An essential element of Jesus’ mission was to rule the earth (Matthew 28:18). The plan was to do that by dying and calling people to respond to Him in faith. But what if He could avoid the suffering (Matthew 26:39) and the frustration of dealing with faithless and hard-hearted people (Matthew 17:17; Romans 9:22-24; 2 Peter 3:9) by taking a shortcut? What if He could gain authority over the nations by compromising on just one point? But no, He chose the harder and longer path to victory, refusing to compromise principle.
Jesus never violated principle for victory—in fact, His victory was only possible because He never violated principle. That is to say, His death on the cross was only able to pay the price for others’ sins because He had no sin of His own to pay for. He had never done any wrong, even in pursuit of good.
If He had taken the shortcut that the devil offered, it would not have truly been a shortcut to victory. In a myopic grab at one essential element of His mission, He would have failed in others. Rather than deliver the world from Satan to God, He would have become subservient to Satan.
In a messy world, the temptation to “do evil that good may come” is strong (Romans 3:8) and may sometimes seem, from our human perspective, the only reasonable choice. We think we can do the evil deed and then neatly leave it behind us once we’ve achieved the good result, not realizing that evil has hooks. A deal with the devil comes at a cost, a debt you can never pay off (apart from Christ’s intervention). So, when compromising a principle seems expedient, Scripture reminds us, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). In other words, we must not do what we think is best, but what God tells us is best. We must imitate Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1; Ephesians 5:1).
An important caveat to this is that you have to have the correct principles to begin with, and that is sometimes more nuanced than either side (the principled or the pragmatists) care to acknowledge. Discerning and applying the correct principles is also a function of imitating Christ.
As a brief example, lying is a sin (Exodus 20:16; Leviticus 19:11), so Jesus never lied (1 Peter 2:22). However, that doesn’t mean He always plainly spoke the entire truth. Sometimes, He answered questions evasively (e.g., Luke 20:1-8). Sometimes, He intentionally spoke so that He would not be understood (e.g., Matthew 13:10-17). On one famous occasion, He remained silent (Matthew 26:62-63; Mark 14:60-61). These actions were never in service of selfish motives or fear of man but in service of His divine mission. So, while we are called to tell only the truth, we are not always called to tell everything. Living in simple faith does not mean living as a simpleton. There is a place for strategy and tactics, just never at the cost of godly principles. Sin is the line—the only line—we must strive never to cross.
“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.” (Ephesians 5:1)
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