DEVELOPING A BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW
(adapted from Nehemiah Institute's
Developing a Biblical Worldview)
Introduction
Overview:
Developing a Biblical Worldview is a discipleship course for aiding Christians in preparing themselves to be leaders in their station of life. It is conducted in accordance with the admonition of Scripture:
2 Timothy 2:2 "And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also."
Joel 1:3 "Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation."
It’s the intent of this course to train people in the ways of God with a focus on the need to train their children that they will in turn train the future generations. The course begins with an assessment of your understanding of the Christian Worldview (Scriptural principles for major areas of life). This is accomplished with a worldview opinion of the test will identify survey called the PEERS Test. The result of the test will identify each person’s worldview philosophy in five primary areas of life.
Politics: How we govern. Isaiah 9:6 "...and the government shall be upon His shoulder..."
Economics: How we prosper. Deut. 8:18 "...it is He that giveth thee power to get wealth."
Education: How we learn. John 8:32 "and the truth shall make you free."
Religion: How we worship. Ex. 34:14 "For thou shalt worship no other god."
Social Issues: How we relate. 1 Peter 1:22 "... love one another with a pure heart fervently."
In each of the five areas your worldview belief will be identified as belonging to one of four major worldview classifications. Biblical Theism, Moderate Christian, Secular Humanism, or Socialism. In subsequent lessons the basic principles of Christian philosophy of each subject category will be covered. The last lesson will focus on what we should do with the information received from the course.
Necessity of Biblical Worldview Thinking:
Although there is clear and ample evidence that our nation was founded and developed on Christian worldview principles, particularly in pre-constitution era, we have abandoned those principle over the past several decades for a more secular view of life. We are more inclined to trust in reason than in revelation from God’s Word for important decisions.
Our society tends to look for meaning and purpose from materialistic concepts such as financial status, social prominence, health, and influence over others rather than from identifying with God and having peace from knowing His will for our lives. Sadly, this appears to be true even in some Christian schools and churches. Christians can no longer assume that Christian schools are teaching traditional, orthodox Christian views.
Necessity of Biblical Worldview Testing:
As Christians, we must be willing to have our views exposed to the light of God’s Word. Remember what Christ said in John 8:32? We should not fear discovering that in some areas of our lives we have adopted views of life inconsistent with Christian philosophy. When we became a Christian, we loved the Lord with all of our heart, but the Bible tells us that as we grow, we should expect to love the Lord with all our mind as well.
Matthew 22:37 & 38 "Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment."
1 Peter 2:2 "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby."
Necessity of Growth:
Having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ begins the new birth experience. By repenting of our sins, asking God for forgiveness, accepting Christ death on the cross as payment for our sins, we receive the Holy Spirit. This is regeneration, this is being "born again", it is new life. From that moment we are to grow as a newborn child and become conformed to Christ in all areas of life. This is sanctification. Through prayer, fellowship, and discipleship, we will become more Christ like and be able to serve him more effectively. A significant part of this growth comes from developing a new mind, a new way of looking at the world. As our mind changes, so too will our life style change, giving testimony to God’s truth for all areas of life.
Romans 12:2 "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
Hebrews 6:1 "Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go unto perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God"
Benefits of the Course:
To receive maximum benefit from this course, it is important that you be honest with your views of life. Also, you must be transparent before God and others in the course and be committed to making changes in your personal views and behaviors as God leads, in doing so, you will:
1) Experience increased confidence in who you are as an individual.
2) Be able to articulate a strong defense of Christian beliefs.
3) Be able to recognize and refute secular worldview beliefs.
4) Have a stronger sense of your career path.
5) Have ability to be at peace in all situations and not controlled by fear.
Our objective in this lesson is to demonstrate that everyone already has a worldview; to explain the basic concepts of the four primary world views of our day; to show why the Biblical worldview is the only valid view for Christians; to learn the definitions of key worldview terms; and to develop the basics of Biblical worldview thinking in five key areas of life.
2 Corinthians 10:5 "Not boasting of things without measure, that is, of other men’s labors; but having hope, when your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by you according to our rule abundantly."
Galatians 4:9 "But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?"
Everything we believe, all thoughts that come to our mind, should be brought before God. This means that we should have a strong working knowledge of the Scripture such that we are not fooled by the lies and deceitfulness of Satan. This verse shows that there is no neutral ground whereby Christ has no opinion as to what is correct or incorrect regarding our thoughts.
In coming to Christ, knowing God and being known of God, we are to experience a life transformation such that we will realize how our past life was weak and worthless. Through hearing God’s Word, coupled with prayer, fellowship, and Bible study, we should experience increasing freedom to become all that God has intended us to be. We must be informed of God’s ways so as not to give into the desires of the flesh that would only en-slave us to works and lies of Satan.
Psalm 10:4 "The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all their thoughts."
1 Corinthians 2:14 "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."
Prior to our conversion to Christ, we could only have a secular humanism worldview. Though fallen man knows that God exist (Rom. 1:18-20 ... for the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made ...), his or her life is lived as if "there is no God to whom they are accountable." Fallen man does not seek God and does not desire God. This leads to a strong man-centered worldview which must be overcome by prayer and study upon receiving Christ.
Isaiah 55:8&9 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways ... higher ... my thoughts than your thoughts."
In his fallen state, man and God live in mutually exclusive domains. We don’t think the thoughts that God does, and we don’t behave as He would. He is totally righteous, we are totally (in all areas of life) unrighteous. Coming to Christ we should learn to think and behave in new ways, the way God does. In other words, we will need a whole new set of presuppositions for how to live our new life in Christ, a new worldview.
Hosea 10:12&13 Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till He come and rain righteousness upon you. Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity, ye have eaten the fruit of lies: because thou didst trust in thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty men.
Before Christ, we had it all our way. We planned, dreamed, and acted as if we were the determiner of all that we would experience in life. We were the captain of our ship and proud of it. But God says that we only produced wickedness, ate the fruit of lies and consequently reaped the results. Now, in Christ, we are to sow, reap, and seek with an understanding that Christ alone is righteous. All that we do should be done with the intent of bringing glory to Him. How can we do this unless we know His ways? We must have a clear Biblical view of life.
A Godly worldview is a topic of increasing importance to Christians, as our nation witnesses an increasing assault against truth, the demise of moral values, and a breakdown of social order, many are asking, "What has happened to our nation?" As Christians, we must take action to counter the secularization of our culture. For the sake of the Lord’s name, and for the well being of our children, we can no longer allow anti-Christian philosophy to rule over the land.
This course draws on the insights of many Christian scholars who have written extensively on the Biblical worldview in comparison to the other major worldview philosophies of life. In this lesson we will define what a worldview is and why possessing and understanding a Christian worldview is so important; well as a study of four major worldviews and the consequences of false worldviews, define key terms and make some implications for the future.
I. What is a Worldview?
A. The term worldview refers to any ideology, philosophy, theology, movement, or religion that provides an overarching approach to understanding God, the world, and man’s relations to God and the world. Specifically, a worldview should contain a particular perspective regarding each of the following ten disciplines: theology, philosophy, ethics, biology, psychology, sociology, law, politics, economics, and history.
B. In simplest terms, a worldview is a set of beliefs about the most important issues in life.
II. Worldviews in Conflict:
A. It is sadly ironic that the basic features of the naturalistic worldview, which so many people in the formerly Marxist nations are now rejecting, remains attractive to a great number of educated people in the West.
B. One major reason for this, I am convinced, is that few Americans have been taught to think in terms of worldviews. They do not know what a worldview is; they could not spell out the content of their own worldview if their lives depended on it; they are unaware of how various aspects of conflicting worldviews clash logically.
C. During the first several decades of the twentieth century, conflicts in the world of ideas seemed removed from the everyday life of the average Christian. Those battles were usually fought in academic circles - the more prominent colleges and universities and in theological seminaries. Back then, when smaller numbers of Americans attended college, many average Christians tended to give little thought to these issues.
D. That inattention carried a high price tag, however. Eventually, the anti-Christian ideas that gained dominance in America’s intellectual centers filtered down to many theological seminaries and finally took hold in the religion departments of many church related colleges. It is sad that the process continues today, as many informed observers of self described evangelical colleges and seminaries report.
E. That unbelief also reached the pulpits of a number of formally faithful churches. Because many people in the pews were theological illiterate or indifferent, the fact that some pastors were now preaching a new gospel - one that denied practically every major tenet of New Testament faith went un-noticed.
F. America’s mainline denominations were lost to liberalism and unbelief, because in the century following the American Civil War, the Christian churches lost the battle in the world of ideas.
G. The most important step for Christians is to become informed about the Christian worldview; a comprehensive systematic view of life and the world as a whole.
H. No believer today can be really effective in the arena of ideas until he or she has been trained to think in worldview terms. How does the Christian worldview differ from worldviews of the enemy? What are the weaknesses of competing worldviews? How can we utilize the best arguments against them?
III. Major elements of a worldview:
A well rounded worldview includes beliefs in at least five major areas: God, reality, knowledge, morality, and humankind.
1) God: The most important element of any worldview is what it says or does not say about God.
2) Reality: Is the existence of the universe a brute fact? Is the universe eternal? Did an eternal, personal, omnipotent God create the world? Is there a purpose in the universe? Are miracles possible?
3) Knowledge: Is truth relative, or must truth be the same as the rational beings? What is the relationship between religious faith and reason? Is knowledge about God possible?
4) Ethics: Are there moral laws that govern human conduct? Are these moral laws the same for all human beings? Does it make sense to say that some action may be right for people in one culture and wrong for others?
5) Humankind: Are human beings free? What is the human soul or mind, and how is it related to the body? Does physical death end existence of the human person? Are there rewards and punishments after death?
These questions must be Biblically answered by the Christian to be a credible witness for Christ.
IV. Coalition on Revival Documents: Dr. Jay Grimstead
A. We affirm that the Bible is not only God’s statement to us regarding religion, salvation, eternity, and righteousness, but also the final measurement and depository of certain fundamental facts of reality and basic principles that God wants mankind to know in the sphere of law, government, economics, business, education, arts and communications, medicine, psychology, and science.
B. All theories and practices of these spheres of life are only true, right and realistic to the degree that they agree with the Bible.
C. The Bible furnishes mankind with the only logical and verbal connection between time and eternity, religion and science, the visible and invisible worlds.
D. We affirm that the Bible presents God’s own worldview, which is consistent and practical and answers all of the basic life questions of man.
E. To function properly in the church and in the world, Christians must seek to understand, to the best of their ability, the full theological worldview presented in the Bible.
F. They must be willing to measure all points of their own theology by the Bible and in submission to God, to make whatever changes are called for in their own theology.
IV. Why is Possessing and Understanding a Christian Worldview So Important?
A. God demands it
Deut. 26:16 God...commanded... do these statutes...do them with all thine heart
Isa. 55:8&9 ...My thoughts are not your thoughts...
Hosea 10:12&13 Sow to yourself in righteousness...
2 Cor. 10:5 ...bringing into captivity every thought...
Point: Man was created in the image of God. It is therefore logical that man should reflect God’s character and nature in his or her day-to-day living. However, due to the fall of man, and the resulting sinful nature carried by them, they are unable to know God and cannot desire to be like Him. However, out of graciousness, God provided written instructions (the law) which enabled men to know the right thing to do in all circumstances. Apart from a new birth relationship with God through Jesus Christ, the Law only makes us aware of our sinfulness. The Law is a constant reminder that we are wholly incapable of pleasing God on our own, and that His wrath rest upon us. However for those who place their trust in Jesus Christ’s death on the cross as the atonement for their sins, the Holy Spirit reveals God’s Law to them and empowers them to live according to its requirements. This pleases God. He bestows His favor on believers, resulting in their sanctification.
B. Society Needs It:
1) Turning Point: A Christian Worldview Declaration
a) American Christianity is at a turning point. We face perhaps the greatest challenges and the greatest opportunity since the forming of our country. The challenge we face in the tidal wave of militant anti-Christian beliefs engulfing society and the chaos it leaves in its wake: the AIDS epidemic; the dissolution of the family, the abortion holocaust, growing economic weakness, the crisis of judge made laws, teen pregnancy, widespread financial fraud.
b) These difficult problems and many others are largely the by product of the humanist idea that man is the measure of all things and that all ethical standards are relative. Frequently proposed solutions (For example, "safe sex" and school based clinics) and ideological fixes (liberal statism, atheistic libertarianism, radical feminism ...) Are proven failures or disasters waiting to happen.
c) It is becoming painfully apparent that anti Christian humanism, the guiding force of our society for the last four decades, does not work. The world is in crisis and people want answers. Christianity which is not an ideology, but truth about God, man, and the world, provides the answers people want and need.
d) "Nothing short of a great Civil War of Values rages today throughout North America", says James Dobson and Gary Bauer. "Two sides with vastly differing and incompatible worldviews are locked in a bitter conflict that permeates every level of our society.
e) To be more precise, it is a battle between worldviews. On one side is the Christian worldview. On the other is the Humanist worldview divided into three easily definable branches: Secular Humanism; Marxism/Leninism and Cosmic Humanism (or the New Age Movement).
f) Someday soon, says Dobson and Bauer, "a winner in the battle for our children’s heart and minds will emerge and the loser will fade away from memory. For now, the out come is very much in doubt. In order to emerge victorious, Christians must quickly arrive at an understanding of the times and take action." 1 Chronicles 12:32 "...which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what ... ought to do..."
VI. Four Major Worldviews:
A. Secular Humanism
The belief that self proclaimed, autonomous man can begin from himself and create his own world of truth, meaning, and value out his own reason and experience without any reliance upon divine revelation.
B. Marxist / Leninist
A state system denying personal importance in both property and thought. This state is supreme with control and ownership of all assets with extreme limited freedom to individuals, families, churches, and businesses. All human personality must become subject to the state. All rule is by power of brute force; liberty of conscience is an enemy of the state.
C. Cosmic Humanism / New Age Movement
A worldview based in mysticism and monism that is all is one and a common vision of the coming new age with peace and mass enlightenment. A second assumption that ultimate reality is ‘being’. It is a belief of bliss and awareness that an impersonal, infinite, consciousness, rules all that exists. All that is can form itself into individual droplets of consciousness. Because you are part of all that is, you have literally always been, yet there was the instant when that individual energy current that is you formed (Ocean/cup theory).
Key Quotes:
"The New Age movement ... is an extremely large, loosely structured network or organizations and individuals bound together by common values (based in mysticism and monism-the world view that all is one) and a common vision (a coming ‘new age’ of peace and mass enlightenment, the ‘Age of Aquarius’). All new agers believe that ‘all is one’ - everything that exist consist of one and the same essence or reality. A second assumption is that this ‘Ultimate Reality’ is neither dead matter nor unconscious energy. It is Being, Awareness, and Bliss (which is to say, a Hindu conception of God as an impersonal, infinite consciousness and force). The first two assumptions imply two more: all that is, is God (which is patheism); and man, a part of ‘all that is’, is likewise divine ...." Elliot Miller, A Crash Course on the New Age movement, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1989), pp 15,16.
"All that is can form itself into individual droplets of consciousness. Because you are a part of all that is, you have literally always been, yet there was the instant when that individual energy current that is you was formed. Consider that the ocean is God. It has always been. Now reach in and grab a cup of water full of water. In that instant, the cup becomes individual, but it has always been, has it not? This is the case of your soul. There was an instant when you became a cup of energy, but it was of an immortal original Being. You have always been because what it is that you are is God, or Divine Intelligence, but God takes individual form ... As that little form grows in power, in selfhood, in its own consciousness of self, it became larger and more Godlike. Then it becomes God." Gary Zukav (a New Ager), The Seat of the Soul, (New York: Fireside, 1989), pp 185-86.
"There are two fundamental problems with the doctrine of theological monism. First, it is not really theology. We have always known that the universe exists; to simply change it's name from 'universe' to 'God' is a meaningless tautology and does not answer the real questions of origin and purpose of the world or the nature of God. Second, the 'God' of monism is fatally flawed. Since he (or 'it' which is more accurate) is the one essence with creation and consciousness, God is thus the origin of the imperfection and evil in our world; the foulest deeds and thoughts of humanity literally beome attributes of God." Mark C. Albrecht, Reincarnation: A Christian Critique of the New Age Doctrine, (Downers Grove, IL. Inter Varsity Press, 1982), p. 106.
D. Biblical Christianity
God, a personal, infinite, Supreme Being, perfect in all ways, creating the world from nothing, imputing value to creatures according to His good pleasure, demands worship, sacrifice, and obedience to Himself alone. God providentially created, rules, judges, and redeems His creation totally and strictly according to His pleasure, for the sole purpose of bringing glory to Himself.
God chose to reveal Himself in three primary ways:
1) Generally, in creation (the world)
Psalm 19:1&2 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showth His handywork ...
Romans 1:20 For the invisible things of Him from creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so they are without excuse
2) Specifically, in His Word (the Bible)
1 Sam. 3:21 "...for the Lord revealed Himself...by the Word of the Lord"
Romans 15:4 "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope"
3) Redemptively, in the flesh (Jesus Christ)
2 Timothy 1:9 "Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, nut according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began"
Key Quotes:
"I now believe that the balance of reasoned considerations tells heavily in favor of the religious, even of the Christian view of the world..." C.E.M. Joad, Recovery of Belief, (London: Faber and Faber, 1955), p. 22.
"The Christian belief system, which the Christian knows to be grounded in divine revelation, is relevant to all life" Carl F.H. Henry, Toward a Recovery of Christian belief, Westchester, IL: Crossway Books, 1990, p. 113.
"The basic problem of the Christians in this country in the last eighty years or so, in regard to society and in regard to government, is that they have seen things in bits and pieces instead of totals." Francis A. Schaeffer, A Christian Manifesto, Westchester, IL. Crossway, 1981, p. 17.
"(Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and first born from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy."
"For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. In Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine sounding arguments." Colossians 1:15-20; 2:3,4
VII. Consequences Of False Worldviews
A. No Morality Judges 21:25 "... every man did that which was right in his own eyes."
B. No Science
1) Greeks: Looked upon the natural world largely as an exercise for the magnificent Greek reason - The world was not to be changed simply to be understood.
2) Muslims: Everything is fatalistically determined, obviously there is no point in trying to manipulate the natural world to change anything because all things are unchangeable.
3) Africans: Animist (that nature has a soul) would never have begun to experiment on the natural world since everything - whether stone or trees or animals or anything else - contained within it living spirits of various gods or ancestors.
4) Hindus: Both Hinduism and Buddhism teach that the physical Buddhist world is unreal, and that reality is that of the world’s soul, and that the greatest things anyone has to learn is that the physical world is not real.
Science could not have developed out of these worldviews because of their irrational concept of God and the universe. James Kennedy said, "It waited for Christianity to come and take several of the different strains and weave them together to produce in the sixteenth century the phenomenon we know as modern science." It was because of a number of basic teachings in Christianity. First of all is the fact that there is a rational God who is the source of all truth, and that this world is a rational world. This gave rise to the possibility of scientific laws.
C. No Redemption:
Psalm 14:6 ...for with the Lord there is mercy...
Luke 1:68 ...the Lord God ... redeemed His people
John 14:6 I am the way the truth, and the life: no man comes unto the Father, but by me.
D. No Peace, Ever!
Jeremiah 23:36-40 ...ye have perverted the words of the living God ... I will utterly forget you, and forsake you ... I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you ...
Matthew 25:41 Then shall He say unto him on the left hand, Depart from me, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.
VIII. Definitions of Key Terms
Worldview: The overall perspective from which one sees and interprets the world; a collection of beliefs about life and the universe held by an individual or a group; Any ideology, philosophy, theology, movement, or religion that provides and overarching approach to understanding God and His world; or 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 make-up of our world.
Theism: The belief or acknowledgment of the existence of a God, as opposed to atheism. Theism differs from deism, for although deism is the belief in the existence of a God, yet it signifies in modern usage a denial of revelation, which theism holds.
Philosophy: Literally, the love of wisdom. Today, philosophy is a general term meaning an explanation of the reason of things; or an investigation of the cause of all things or their phenomena; to enlarge our views of God and His works and to render our knowledge of both practically useful and subservient (of secondary importance) to human happiness. True religion and true philosophy must ultimately arrive at the same principle.
Theology: Divinity; the science of God and divine things; or the science which teaches the existence, character; and attributes of God, His laws and government, the doctrines we are to believe, and the duties we are to practice. Theology consist of two branches, natural and revealed. Natural theology is the knowledge we have of God from His works, by the light of nature and reason. Revealed theology is that which is to be learned only from revelation.
Conservatism: An attitude or philosophy that places great emphasis on tradition. Conservatism promotes conserving (saving) traditional institutions, values, and ideas. Conservatives seek progress by keeping with proven values from the past. Political conservatives today believe in the concept of limited government, with government primary purpose being the provision of defense of the citizens and protection of individual freedoms.
Conservatives believe, however, that most political and economic problems are basically moral problems and must be addressed first by emphasizing the personal responsibility of those involved rather than by legislating corrective action on the masses. Moral standards are seen as objective rather than subjective, typically from Judeo-Christian tradition. Conservatives see value connection between things such as freedom and private property, free enterprise and the gifting of individuals, self government and small, low financed state and federal governments, and surrendering of a limited number of individuals liberties for the benefits of the masses.
Liberalism: A political or economic philosophy emphasizing freedom and equality; based on an understanding of things most important to each generation; belief in the principles that "men are basically good" and that most problems are the result of one’s environment rather than being caused by any innate evil desires; places strong emphasis on social responsibility. Liberals see the need for frequent and widespread government action to provide the conditions under which individuals can realize their human potential. This includes action in areas such as anti-poverty measures and environmentalism. Liberals on the whole believe that moral standards are highly personal and come from the natural evolution of humans into "higher beings"; that moral standards must necessarily change with time. Rights of the individuals are generally viewed as most important, even requiring the sacrifices of the masses.
Anti-Christian Philosophies:
Atheism: The disbelief of the existence of God, deities, or supreme intelligent being. Atheism is a ferocious (savage) system that leaves nothing above us to excite awe, nor around us to awaken tenderness. In essence: God You Just Don’t exist.
Deism: The doctrine or creed; the belief or system or religious opinions of those who hold a belief in God based on reason rather than revelation; or a natural religion only; or those truths, in doctrine and practice which man is to discover by the light of reason, independent and exclusive of any revelation from God. That God has set the universe in motion but does not interfere with how it runs - Hence deism implies a disbelief in the divine origin of the Scriptures. In essence: God thank you for leaving us alone.
Existentialism: A philosophy that emphasizes the uniqueness and isolation of the individual experience in a hostile or indifferent universe, regards human existence as unexplainable, and stresses freedom of choice and responsibility for the consequences of one’s acts. In essence: Capture the moment; all you have is now.
Hedonism: Pursuit of or devotion to pleasure, especially to the pleasure of senses. The ethical doctrine holding that only what is pleasant or has pleasant consequences is intrinsically good. The doctrine holding that behavior is motivated by the desire for pleasure and the avoidance of pain. In essence: "If it feels good, do it, life is short, get all the gusto you can"
Secularism: Pertaining to this present world, or to things not spiritual or holy; relating to things not immediately or primarily respecting the soul, but the body; worldliness. The secular concerns of life respect making provision for the support of life, the preservation of health, the temporal prosperity of men and of states. Secular power is that which superintends and governs the temporal affairs of men, the civil or political power; and is different from spiritual or ecclesiastical power. In essence: "Be all you can be."
Marism: The political and economic ideas of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels (Encarta Dictionary has as a member of Roman Catholic Order) A system based on the atheistic assumption that all human experience, behavior, and history are the product of purely material forces acting upon the individual and should be planned and controlled by the state to achieve eventually a classless society with total equal goods. In essence: "A chicken in every pot, guaranteed"
Materialism: The doctrine of materialists; who maintain that the soul of man is not a spiritual substance distinct from matter, but that it is the result or effect or the organization of matter in the body. A materialist is one who denies the existence of spiritual substances and maintains that the soul of man is the result of a particular organization of matter in the body. The theory or doctrine that physical well being and worldly possessions constitutes the greatest good and highest value of life. (Matter is the only reality and that the psychological state such as emotion, reason, thought, and desire will eventually be explained as physical functions - devotion to material wealth and possessions at the expense of spiritual or intellectual value are the aim) In essence: "The one who dies with the most toys wins."
Nihilism: An extreme form of skepticism that denies all existence. A doctrine of holding that all values are baseless (total rejection of social mores) and that nothing can be known or communicated. Rejection of all distinctions in moral or religious value and a willingness to repudiate all previous theories of morality or religious belief. The belief that destruction of existing political or social institutions is necessary for future improvement. In essence: "I’m not here, your not here. Our nothingness is all that is important."
Pantheism: The doctrine that the universe is God, or system of theology in which it is maintained that the universe is the supreme God. A pantheist is one that believes the universe to be God; a name given to followers of Spinosa. The earliest Grecian pantheist of whom we read is Orpheus. In essence: "God is in everything; I’m God, you’re God, all is God.
Panentheism: This view claims that God is in everything and that everything is God; but unlike pantheism it holds that God is more than the universe. God is thought of as developing and changing along with the world. Panentheism is encountered in modern process theology which suggest that the whole world and God are both in process, or flux - god is seen not as perfect, but as being in the process of perfection. In essence: "Hang in there God, you can do it."
Pragmatism: A movement consisting of varying but associated theories, originally developed by Charles S. Pierce and William James and distinguished by the doctrine that the meaning of an idea or a proposition lies in its observable practical consequences. A practical matter-of-fact way of approaching or assessing situations or of solving problems. In essence:"If it works, do it; the end justifies the means."
Polytheism: The doctrine of a plurality of gods or invisible beings superior to man, and having an agency in the government of the world. In essence: "I have a god, do you?"
IX. Implications for the Future
Throughout history, the philosophy for how mankind should live was usually developed and promoted by a few key individuals. Their ‘worldview’ shaped the principles for government, economics, education, religion, and all other main spheres of life. When the views of these leaders came from the Word of God, the people were blessed and societies progressed, particularly in the 1st - 4th centuries and in the 16th - 18th centuries. When the views came from philosophies and leaders trusting in their own wisdom, the people suffered severe hardships, even the annihilation of complete civilizations. Hardships were particularly evident in the 12th -15th centuries and again in modern day times. The 20th century is considered by many to be bloodiest century of mankind.
The future of this nation is hanging in the balance. The Christian worldview that shaped the birth of our nation and guided her for many decades is now being replaced with other anti-Christian worldviews. Unless a new generation rises up and reclaims the Christian heritage of this land, the next several generations (your children and grandchildren) are likely to suffer severe consequences of ‘sins of their fathers’ on a national level. I implore you to take very seriously the content of this course and to seek God in how He may use you to re-focus our people on the Biblical view of life.
X. Quiz (True or False)
Q. ‘Worldview’ philosophy is something held only by theologians.
A. False
Q. God never intended for all people, in all places, to have the same views about life (God, man, universe, etc.)
A. False
Q. All worldviews have an opinion or an idea about God.
A. True
Q. The Bible is God’s best expressions of His Worldview.
A. True
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Developing A Biblical Worldview
