It was no surprise that a recent report by the Barna Group confirmed that America’s culture “continues to evolve through new worldviews.” This is clearly evident as our pluralistic society offers a smorgasbord of various philosophies to choose from. Some of the many perspectives on the ‘worldview buffet’ include Naturalistic Atheism, Eastern Pantheism, the New Age Movement, Marxism, Nihilism, Existentialism, and Postmodernism. The influence of these worldviews has been so great that only four percent of Americans today are said to possess a biblical worldview as the basis for their decision making.

 

Not only are more people opting for non-Christian worldviews, but many Christians are adopting all or parts of philosophies that are not Christian. According to Barna, only nine percent of born-again Christians have a biblical worldview. That is why Christian philosophers and apologists of the past like Francis Schaeffer and more recently Charles Colson, James Sire, and Nancy Pearcey, have rightly trumpeted the urgent need for Christians to understand and articulate the Christian worldview and refute non-Christian philosophies.

 

Worldview—The Mental Roadmap for Navigating Reality

So just what is a worldview? As a college professor I find that a lot of students have heard the term “worldview” but very few actually know what it means. So let’s start with a basic definition of “worldview” and then discuss what constitutes a “Christian worldview.”

 

The term “worldview” comes from the German word Weltanschauung which literally means “look onto the world.” In today’s usage, “worldview” refers to the overall perspective from which a person or group both consciously and unconsciously understands and interprets the world. A worldview includes presuppositions and beliefs about issues such as the existence of God, the origin of the human race, our purpose in life, ethics, and life after death. As Nancy Pearcey in her book Total Truth asserts, a worldview is like a “mental map” that, if accurate, “will enable us to navigate reality effectively.” To summarize, we can affirm that a worldview is any philosophy, ideology, religion, or movement that provides an all-encompassing approach to understanding reality.

 

Naturalistic Atheism, for instance, is a worldview that offers a comprehensive understanding of reality. It asserts that our existence is the result of random chance and the evolutionary process. Thus, humans hold no special place in the universe since we are just one random part in a chaotic cosmic community. Our problem is that we rely too much on a mythical God and religion and not enough on human reason and potential. The solution is to throw off Christianity and embrace secular humanism and ethical relativism. Naturalistic Atheism asserts that we have no future beyond the grave since there is no God and no immortal soul.

 

The Christian Worldview

What, though, is a Christian worldview? The Christian worldview is a comprehensive understanding of reality based on the teachings in the Christian scriptures. In particular, the Christian worldview hangs on four strategic events: (1) Creation; (2) Fall; (3) Incarnation; and (4) Restoration. Together these events explain the Christian philosophy of history and offer a blueprint for living.

 

First, the Creation addresses how we got here. A perfect and eternal God created the universe by speaking it into existence without the use of preexisting materials. This God also directly created the human race. This means that this universe is the result of intelligent design; it has meaning and purpose. Creation means people are God’s image bearers and, thus, have dignity and a special role in mediating God’s will over this planet.

 

Second, the Fall explains what went wrong. It explains why there are things like evil, death, suffering, and natural disasters. Through Adam and our participation in his sin, the world is experiencing the results of God’s curse. Things are not as they should be because the human race has separated itself from its creator. The image of God still remains in us but it has been marred and all parts of our being have been tainted with sin.

 

Third, the Incarnation explains the solution. It is God’s Son—Jesus Christ.  By becoming a man and paying for the sins of the human race, the God-man, Jesus, removed the barrier between God and humanity and a relationship with God is possible. 

 

Fourth, Restoration tells us where history is going. It is headed for a New Heavens and New Earth in which righteousness dwells. Sin, death, and evil do not win. The curse will be removed and a perfect world will arise and God will dwell with his people forever.

 

These four events encapsulate the Christian worldview and offer a comprehensive perspective on reality including how we got here, what our problem is, what the solution is, and where we are going. Paul, in his Mars Hill address to the Athenian philosophers presented such a Christian worldview (see Acts 17). He started with an explanation of God’s role as creator and sustainer of the world. He then introduced the issue of sin and the need for repentance in light of the coming judgment.

 

Other essential truths also lie at the heart of a Christian worldview. For example, a Christian worldview includes belief in the inerrancy and authority of Scripture, the Trinity, the deity of Jesus, salvation by grace through faith alone, and a literal second coming of Jesus.

 

How Now Shall We Live?

The Christian worldview has significant implications for how we should live. For example, since God created the world everything we do has significance since we are accountable to him. Also, since all people are God’s image bearers we must treat all with respect including people of different races, the unborn, and the helpless. Understanding the Fall means understanding that we are tainted with sin, have the capacity to do evil, and are in need of a Savior. Understanding the Incarnation means believing in Jesus Christ, for salvation. Understanding restoration means living with the hope that evil, sin, and death will some day be vanquished.

 

As Chuck Colson said in How Now Shall We Live? a Christian worldview is “intensely practical.” It makes a huge difference in how a person lives. While many bemoan that Christians act ‘just like the world,’ research by the Barna Group actually shows that that those who truly hold a biblical worldview evidence a life that is radically different from those who do not. In addition to experiencing the saving grace of God and knowing the essentials of the faith, those with a biblical worldview are much less likely to engage in non-marital sex, use profanity, gamble, view pornography, get drunk, or approve of same sex relations and abortion.

 

Refuting Non-Christian Worldviews

Properly understanding the Christian worldview also means refuting non-Christian worldviews. It means refuting Naturalistic Atheism’s assertion that everything is the product of blind random chance. It means refuting Eastern Pantheism’s views concerning reincarnation and the belief that the main goal in life is to escape all desire and merge with some impersonal Absolute. It means refuting Nihilism’s pessimistic assertion that there is no meaning to life. It means refuting Existentialism’s claim that obtaining certain knowledge is impossible and that all truth is subjective. It means refuting the assumption of Postmodernism that there are no foundations for knowledge.

 

Having a Christian worldview is not just some nice exercise for Christian scholars and seminary professors—it is an absolute necessity for all Christians. Much is at stake. Pearcey points out that other worldviews are “connecting all the dots” and giving people a full explanation of their perspectives on reality. That is why Christians better connect the dots as well. The Barna Group is correct when it asserts that unless the church starts presenting a coherent worldview to our society it “will lose influence” and Christianity will represent “one more option among the numerous worldviews that Americans may choose from.”

 

(Statistics in this article were taken from www.barna.org. See Fragmented Populations Require Diverse Means of Connection, June 23, 2003; and A Biblical Worldview Has a Radical Effect on a Person's Life, December 1, 2003.)