Over the next four weeks we will investigate the two main worldviews vying for our hearts and minds - Christianity and Naturalism. In our previous series titled "Two Kingdoms: Light & Darkness," we examined the spiritual realities of light (God) & darkness (Satan) outlined in the Holy Scriptures and how they are at odds with each other as we decide for ourselves which we will follow, ultimately determining our eternal destiny once we pass from this physical life. In this new series, it is my hope that we will learn and discern the difference between these two worldviews and how we might respond to them. Enjoy!
What in the World is a Worldview?
"Worldview" is really philosophical term and was first used by German philosophers. In German, the word is weltanshung. Generally, it refers to how we view reality and life. In order for the concept of worldview to have significance for us, it pays to see what scholars have said about it, and how they define it. Dr. James W. Sire, in The Universe Next Door gives this definition:
"A worldview is a commitment, a fundamental orientation of the heart, that can be expressed as a story or in a set of presuppositions (assumptions which may be true, partially true or entirely false) which we hold (consciously or subconsciously, consistently or inconsistently) about the basic constitution of reality, and that provides the foundation on which we live and move and have our being".
Though not originally a "Christian" word, Christian philosophers and theologians have used the word to help Christians understand that Christian faith is intended to be a framework (built upon the authority of the Word of God), by which we build the correct way of thinking about the reality and core view of life intended by our Creator. Being a Christian is not a matter of having a compartment of life that is religious and others that are secular - with the false idea that such a position is non-religious. In fact, there are ultimately only two religions in the world - you either start with God's Word or man's word.
The Scripture teaches us there is a God who expects us to live the whole of our lives, not part, in correspondence to His truth and purpose for all of life, based on the foundational propositional truths of God's Word.
For those interested in a very scholarly overview of the worldview discussion, one should read the resource titled, Worldview, the History of a Concept, by Dr. David K. Naugle. This book gives us a historical perspective on the various definitions offered by scholars including:
"Worldview" in a Christian perspective implies the objective existence of the trinitarian God whose essential character establishes the moral order of the universe and whose word, wisdom, and law define and govern all aspects of created existence.
The definition of "worldview" is the first step in understanding this important topic, but there is more to it than definition. It is important to understand the "content" of what goes into making a worldview.
In The Universe Next Door, Dr. Sire lists seven basic worldview questions:
"If a worldview can be expressed in propositions, what might they be? Essentially, they are our essential, rock-bottom answers to the following seven questions:
1. What is prime reality - the really real? To this we might answer God, or the gods, or the material cosmos. Our answer here is the most fundamental. It sets the boundaries for the answers that can consistently be given to the other six questions.
2. What is the nature of external reality, that is, the world around us? Here our answers point to whether we see the world as created or autonomous, as chaotic or orderly, as matter or spirit; or whether we emphasize our subjective, personal relationship to the world or its objectivity apart from us.
3. What is a human being? To this we might answer: a highly complex machine, a sleeping dog, a person made in the image of God or a naked ape.
4. What happens to a person at death? Here we might reply: personal extinction, or transformation to a higher state, or reincarnation, or departure to a shadowy existence on "the other side."
5. Why is it possible to know anything at all? Sample answers include the idea that we are made in the image of an all-knowing God or that consciousness and rationality developed under the contingencies of survival in a long process of evolution.
6. How do we know what is right and wrong? Again, perhaps we are made in the image of a God whose character is good, or right and wrong are determined by human choice alone or what feels good, or the notions simply developed under an impetus toward cultural or physical survival.
7. What is the meaning of human history? To this we might answer: to realize the purposes of God or the gods, to make a paradise on earth, to prepare a people for a life in community with a loving and holy God, and so forth."
So, how does a worldview get developed? Where does it come from? As I stated earlier, in an ultimate sense (as exhibited in Genesis 3 concerning the temptation and fall of mankind), there are really only two worldviews. Either one bases one's thinking on the Word of the One who is perfect, knows everything, who has always been there, who doesn't tell any lies, and has revealed to us what we need to know - or one has to build one's thinking on the fallible word of fallible and sinful man.
Now, we need to understand that there are many versions of these two ultimate worldviews. There are many that will compete for your attention. On what basis is one right? Aren't they all simply a matter of choosing (this would default to the religion of humanism, as humans would be the ultimate authority on the subject)? And further, who is to say one has merit, and others do not? Aren't they all equally valid (again, this would be more humanism)? But even so, these are questions with which we must contend. How will you answer?
According to Dr. Ronald Nash, three major tests should be applied when evaluating worldviews. They are: the test of reason, the test of experience, and the test of practice.
The test of reason has to do with logic - and ultimately the only logical starting point is the infinite God of the Bible (who is the basis for the logic and its existence). In other words, if there is no God of the Bible, there is no basis for logic in the first place. Logic is predictable on the existence of the God of the Bible.
Regarding logic, students should know about the law of non-contradiction as fundamental to our ability to reason. It states: A cannot be B and non-B at the same time and in the same relationship. This is an important philosophic notion in the study of logic. Simply put, it means: two contradictory ideas cannot both be true. Where there is contradiction, one side or the other is in error. Not all ideas are equally valid. To employ the test of reason in worldview development is to determine, among competing ideas, which are reasonable and which we might believe to be true. Ultimately only one passes the test - the rest will exhibit logical fallacies. The only true worldview is that which begins with the infinite Creator God and His written revelation to man.
The test of reason alone is not enough upon which to build the content of a worldview. Dr. Nash says:
"Worldviews must pass not only the test of reason; they must also satisfy the test of experience. Worldviews should be relevant to what we know about the world and ourselves."'
Here is a truth that many students need to connect with: Your experience counts. Sure it is considered subjective, but your experiences in life matter because the knowledge it represents is valuable and pertinent to your life. I am not suggesting that your personal observations are in any sense the exclusive test for developing worldview, but rather is coherence as a whole, where all aspects of reality work together. If your personal experience is your only criteria for developing worldview you are greatly mistaken. I am simply saying that your experience does matter.
The test of practice is how we evaluate our worldview in the circumstances of daily life (i.e., consistency). It is about how we actually live in a practical, down-to-earth way, with the ideas we profess to be true. For example. in an evolutionary worldview, people are merely animals that have no basis in wearing clothes. Yet inconsistently, these evolutionists betray their own worldview by wearing clothes that come from a literal Genesis 3! The question is this: can the ideas and concepts stand up as a real explanation for the way you experience your life, and do they have application beyond your own life?
Please join us next week as we investigate the first of the two main worldviews that are at war for our hearts, minds, and souls - Christianity...
If you have been blessed by this message or have a specific question, prayer request or testimony, please send me a note to: encouragingconcepts@live.com
I love hearing from you. Keep reading Encouraging Concepts!
Blessings on your success!
Shane <><
Lighthouse Publications <><
"Dedicated to the Never Ending Search for the Creator's calling within You" (TM)
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