Developing a
Christian
World View
Liberty Baptist Church, Antigo, Wisconsin
Summer 2006
Christian Worldview
Introduction
Many sources of “truth” compete for a hearing in the marketplace of ideas today. Supporters of various ideas are battling for supremacy. Some hold that all religious ideas are equally valid (or equally invalid, depending on your point of view). Others assert that their ideas, and only theirs, are correct. With such contradictory and contrary ideas floating around, Christians must insure that they are committed to looking at the world through biblical and accurate lenses.
This series of lessons is designed to help believers develop and maintain a Christian worldview. It will also give believers the tools to help others evaluate their worldview, remove inconsistencies and gaps in it, and replace it if necessary.
Contents:
- What is a Worldview?
- The Christian Worldview—An Overview
- The Christian Worldview Tested
- The Christian Mind
- The Christian View of Scripture
- The Christian View of Economics
- The Christian View of Science
- The Christian View of Art
- The Christian View of Government
- The Christian View of Masculinity
- The Christian View of Femininity
- The Christian View of Psychology
- The Christian View of Education
Additional Material: Graceful Modesty (by Holly Stratton)
Primary Resources:
Think Biblically! John MacArthur, ed. (CrossWay, 2003)
Lifeviews by R. C. Sproul (Revell, 1986)
World-Views in Conflict by Ronald Nash (Zondervan, 1992)
Others as footnoted© Brad Anderson, 2006
Christian Worldview1: What is a Worldview?Page 1
CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW
#1: What is a Worldview?
I.Definitions
A.Simply put, a worldview is a way of looking at the world. Your worldview is a set of beliefs about the most important issues of life. Your worldview asks and answers the most critical questions that individuals have—Why am I here? Is there a God? What is the purpose of the universe? What is my task in life? What is the meaning of life?
B.Other definitions:
“A worldview comprises one’s collection of pre-suppositions, convictions, and values from which a person tries to understand and makes sense out of the world and life.” (John MacArthur, Think Biblically!)
“A worldview is, first of an, an explanation and interpretation of the world and second, an application of this view to life.” (Ronald Nash, Faith and Reason)
“A world view is a set of presuppositions and beliefs that someone uses to interpret and form opinions about his humanity, purpose in life, duties in the world, responsibilities to family, interpretation of truth, social issues, etc.” (Matthew Slick, CARN[1])
“Everybody has what can be called a ‘worldview,’ a perspective in terms of which they see everything and understand their perceptions and feelings. A worldview is a network of related presuppositions in terms of which every aspect of man’s knowledge and awareness is interpreted. … A person’s worldview clues him in as to the nature, structure and origin of reality. It tells what are the limits of possibility. It involves a view of the nature, sources and limits of human knowledge. It includes fundamental convictions about right and wrong. One’s worldview says something about who man is, his place in the universe, and the meaning of life.” (Greg Bahnsen, Always Ready)
C.The Germans coined a word describing worldview—Weltanschauung (velt-än-shau-ung). The word describes a systematic way of looking at life and the world, “a comprehensive conception or apprehension of the world especially from a specific standpoint” (Webster). One’s Weltanschauung conditions how he interprets the meaning of daily life. It’s like a framework or a system that arranges all the elements of life—religion, social relationships, government, family, etc.
D.Inherent in the concept of worldview is a system, scheme or orderly way of organizing all of life. Everything plugs into the system, and the system helps us make sense of the world. A worldview helps organize all of life’s individual issues into a unified whole.
E.A worldview is like the picture on a jigsaw puzzle box. Life consists of many individual pieces which make sense as we look at the larger picture. We may have trouble fitting our individual pieces together into a unified whole, but we recognize that there is a proper way of putting it all together with each piece adding to the final product. The better we know the picture on the box, the better we’ll be able to fit all the pieces together. The “picture on the box” that brings everything together into a unified whole is our worldview.
F.Everyone has a worldview. One may not be able to express verbally what his worldview is, but everyone has one.
II.What are some common, non-Christian worldviews?
Many disagreements among individuals, societies and nations boil down to competing worldviews. Here are a few of the most common and popular non-Christian worldviews.
A.Secularism/atheism/naturalism—there is no God or spiritual reality; the only thing that exists is the physical universe; life has no ultimate meaning or purpose—it was just a cosmic accident; human life is no more significant or special than any other form of life; no life after death
B.Existentialism—follow your passions; seek meaningful experiences; life has meaning only when you do significant things; make your own value system; carpe diem; do something to validate your existence
C.Nihilism—(nothingness) the world, and especially human existence, is without objective meaning, purpose, comprehensible truth, or essential value. God does not exist, traditional morality is false, and secular ethics are impossible;, life has no meaning, and no action is preferable to any other.[2]
D.Humanism—”man is the measure of all things,” the norm by which all values are determined; the greatest good is the uplifting of humanity
E.Mysticism—one finds meaning in altered levels of consciousness; transcend earthly reality and achieve cosmic unity; much in common with Eastern religions, New Age, etc.
F.Rationalism—whatever makes the most sense is right; human logic determines value
G.Pragmatism—whatever works is good; whatever works best is most valuable
H.Relativism—it’s all a matter of opinion; there is no ultimate, transcendent truth; everyone has to find his own set of values
I.Pluralism—all ideas are of equal merit; even contradictory statements may both be “true;” value all opinions equally; tolerate all philosophies and religions
J.Hedonism—if it feels good, do it; pleasure is the ultimate goal; whatever brings the most pleasure and/or the least pain is best
How does the Bible describe a non-Christian worldview? Note the following verses.
Eph 4:17-19 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind,having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart;who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
Col 2:8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.
Non-Christians remain under the curse and condemnation of sin. They attempt to live independently of the true God, which means that their lives are dark, impure and futile. Non-Christian philosophy is empty deception built on the shifting sands of independent human reason. “To turn away from intellectual dependence upon the light of God, the truth about and from God, is to turn away from knowledge to the darkness of ignorance.”[3]
III.What is a Christian worldview?
We’ll answer this question more fully in the next few chapters, but for now we’ll briefly discuss what makes a distinctly Christians worldview.
A.Christianity is a branch of theism, the belief in a god/gods/God. Anyone who claims to believe in a god/gods/God is a theist (theos is the Greek word for God). The belief in a god/gods/God significantly influences the way one looks at the world.
B.We noted earlier that everyone has a worldview, but not everyone lives consistently within his or her chosen worldview system. For example, even a confessed atheist may cry out to a god/gods/God when under some kind of unusual pressure. A rationalist may occasionally make a decision based on a “hunch” or gut feeling rather than on logic. A hedonist may deny himself a pleasure occasionally. Nihilists will probably object if you punch them in the nose. Thus, few people consistently apply the principles from their chosen worldview.
C.Christians should seek to live consistently within their chosen worldview—Christianity. Biblical faith covers every aspect of life. Every choice, viewpoint, opinion, conviction or commitment is controlled or influenced by biblical truth, or should be. Even seemingly minor matters are not disconnected from a Christian worldview—how you dress, what you eat, where you live, where you work, what media you access, your political views, how you deal with people, etc. The goal for Christians is to better understand how a Christian worldview affects daily life and how we can eliminate inconsistencies and fill the gaps that remain in our personal Weltanschauung.
D.Instead of thinking of Christianity as a collection of theological bits and pieces to be believed or a list of rules to follow, we should approach our faith as a total system, a thoroughgoing, comprehensive way of living and thinking. We must understand both the many pieces of the system and the whole thing. Christianity has something to say about the whole of human life, not just about how to get to heaven. Christianity is a way of thinking and living. The better we understand the system, the better we will be able to live consistently with it, and the better we will be able to defend it against contradictory systems.
E.What sets a Christian worldview apart from all others? Christians believe that Christianity is the best way of living and thinking. All competing systems are in some sense inadequate to explain and guide life. The biblical viewpoint, and especially that system of thought expressed in the NT, most accurately reflects reality. No other philosophy can as satisfactorily explain and deal with reality.
F.The Christian worldview is built on the belief that God exists and that he has revealed himself and his will in the Bible, the Word of God. Instead of following the emptiness and darkness of supposedly “independent” human reasoning, Christians submit their intellects to God’s word. They think God’s thoughts after him. As Augustine said, “I believe in order to understand.” God’s Word is the standard, instructor and guide. The Christian presupposes the truthful Word of God as his standard of truth and direction. Self-sufficient, autonomous thought amounts to rebellion against our Creator.
Pr 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Pr 22:20-21 Have I not written to you excellent things, Of counsels and knowledge, That I may make you know the certainty of the words of truth, That you may answer words of truth To those who send to you?
2 Cor 10:5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.
IV.The major elements of a worldview
A.God (theology): The most important element of any worldview is what is says or does not say about God. Does God exist? What is the nature of God? Is he/it personal or impersonal? Systems like Buddhism, Hinduism and Zoroastrianism differ so markedly from Christianity because of what they believe about the nature of their gods. Christianity, Islam and Judaism share many common beliefs about God—monotheism, that God is a person, that God communicates to man, that believers may be properly or improperly related to God, etc. Other systems are pantheistic (everything is god) or polytheistic (many gods), and this influences what they think about the world and their place in it.
What about an atheist? An atheistic system of thought proposes that there is no God, but that doesn’t mean that an atheist may not have his own personal gods, like money, power, or even himself. Whatever the object of ultimate concern is could be considered a god. Anyone who replaces the true God with something else has violated the First Commandment and will fall under God’s judgment. Also, the Bible implies that there are no true atheists because God has revealed himself to everyone (Ps 19:1; Rom 1) and everyone has some knowledge of God. The atheist is a “fool” (Ps 14:1) who wants to believe that there is no God in spite of the evidence.
B.Reality (metaphysics): Most philosophical systems claim to say something true about how things really are. A worldview should answer questions like, What is the relationship between God and the universe? Is the universe eternal or created? Who created the universe, and how? What is the purpose of the universe? Is there anything beyond the physical in the universe? Are miracles possible?
“Metaphysics asks, what is it to exist? And, what sorts of things do exist? Thus the metaphysician is interested to know about fundamental distinctions (i.e., the basic classes of things that exist) and important similarities (i.e., the essential nature of the members of these classes). He seeks the ultimate cause or explanation for the existence and nature of things. He wants to understand the limits of possible reality, the modes of existing, and the interrelations of existing things.”[4]
C.Knowledge (epistemology): A worldview makes claims about whether or not genuine knowledge is possible. How do we know what we know? Can we trust our senses and/or our minds? Can we know anything with certainty? Is truth relative/subjective, or is it the same for all rational beings? What is the relationship between faith and reason? Is knowledge about God possible? How can we know God?
D.Ethics (morality): Ethics is concerned with why something is good or evil in the moral realm. When we make moral judgments about people or things, we are expressing our ethical viewpoint. Are there moral laws that all people should follow? Is morality simply opinion like taste? How does one discover moral laws, or what is their source? Does morality depend on culture or transcend it?
One’s ethics/morality leads one to make claims about how things should be. Things can always be better than they are, and a worldview presents a picture of how things could be different. A worldview may also provide an explanation for why things are not as good as they could be. For example, Marxists blame capitalism for the ills of western civilization. Freudians blame problems on human psychological phenomena. Nietzsche proposed that the human drive for power is behind most ills in society. Christians blame the sinfulness of man for injustice, corruption and stupidity. Buddhists blame desire for all of man’s woes.
E.Mankind (anthropology). Every worldview contains a number of important beliefs about human beings. Do people have free will, or are they subject to determining forces? Are humans merely physical machines, or do they have a non-material nature? Does man have a soul? What is the relationship of the mind to the body? Do people go on in conscious existence after death?
Those who adopt a Christian worldview answer the above questions with biblical explanations. God exists. He has made the universe and mankind, and as God’s image-bearer, man can truly understand and know reality. Ethics are based on God’s moral will. Humans have both a material and a non-material nature. All Christians agree on these points. Basic agreement, however, does not suggest that those endorsing a Christian worldview will always come to the same conclusions on many of the issues of life. Christians disagree on many of the finer points of theology and philosophy, which leads to different lifestyles. Yet such differences are “family squabbles,” so to speak. All Christians, whatever their views on the issues, should live according to their understanding of the Christian worldview. Understanding the Christian worldview is one thing; putting it into practice consistently is another.
Unfortunately, some professing Christians deny what the Bible says about some of these issues and thus put themselves outside the limits of orthodox Christianity. Theological liberals, for example, often deny the fundamentals of the faith, yet want to retain the Christian label. Cultists also desire the Christian name, but deny many basic tenets of the faith. Those who are faithful to the Christian worldview should recognize and refute such error.
Conclusion: Everyone has a worldview, a conceptual scheme that explains how they “see” the world as they do. Competing worldviews often come into conflict, with results ranging from minor interpersonal disagreements to total war between nations. An inadequate worldview can hinder our efforts to understand God, the world, and ourselves. The right worldview can bring everything into focus and help us “live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world” (Titus 2:11).