GLENDALE, AZ — Why do so many self-identified Christians think and live in ways indistinguishable from the culture around them? And what can be done to change this?
These questions sit at the heart of a new book from veteran researcher and bestselling author George Barna, How to Think Like Jesus: 7 Cornerstones to Build a Biblical Worldview, from Arizona Christian University.
Dr. Barna, Director of Research at ACU’s Cultural Research Center, has spent decades studying the questions. His conclusion: the problem isn’t a lack of sincerity—it’s the absence of a coherent, biblically grounded worldview.
And his latest book addresses that root problem, identifying seven cornerstones of foundational belief that separate a truly biblical worldview from one shaped by culture, emotion, or popular opinion.
“Your worldview is only as strong as its foundation,” Barna writes. “You will experience as much success in life as your worldview allows.”
Drawing on more than 1,000 surveys and interviews with over one million Americans, Barna identifies seven foundational cornerstones essential to developing a biblical worldview that enables a person to think and act like Jesus. His research found that rejecting even a single cornerstone reduces to near zero a person’s likelihood of developing a full biblical worldview.
“A disciple of Jesus Christ is someone who consistently thinks like Jesus—and that intellectual philosophy leads to behavioral change,” Barna writes. “More than four out of five people who possess a holistic philosophy of life consistent with the Bible own all seven of the cornerstones” shared in the book.
How to Think Like Jesus is a practical, research-based resource that outlines the transformational process of embracing the seven cornerstones and developing a biblical worldview.
Whether readers are strengthening their own faith, discipling others, or seeking clarity in a confused culture, How to Think Like Jesus is designed to be the resource needed to cultivate the mindset of a true disciple.
The book grew out of Barna’s nationwide worldview research, which also led to the creation of the ACU Worldview Assessment, an online tool that measures an individual’s worldview, including the same seven cornerstones outlined in the book. The Assessment is available for individuals, churches, students, and universities alike.
How to Think Like Jesus: 7 Cornerstones to Build a Biblical Worldview releases September 15, 2026 and is available for pre-order on Amazon. It is published by Arizona Christian University Press in partnership with Fedd Books.
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George Barna is a professor at Arizona Christian University and Director of Research at its Cultural Research Center, where his work focuses on worldview assessment, discipleship, and cultural transformation. He is also Senior Research Fellow at the Family Research Council Center for Biblical Worldview. Drawing on four-plus decades of worldview research, he has conducted more than 1,000 surveys involving interviews with more than one million Americans. He has provided research and strategy to Fortune 500 companies, the U.S. military, government agencies, and thousands of Christian churches. Barna has authored or co-authored more than 60 books, including New York Times and Amazon bestsellers.
His new book, How to Think Like Jesus: 7 Cornerstones to Build a Biblical Worldview, builds on groundbreaking research shared in his recent bestseller, Raising Spiritual Champions: Nurturing Your Child’s Heart, Mind and Soul (Arizona Christian University Press, 2023).