Christian Worldview

[civic]

A “worldview” refers to a comprehensive conception of the world from a specific standpoint. A “Christian worldview,” then, is a comprehensive conception of the world from a Christian standpoint. An individual’s worldview is his “big picture,” a harmony of all his beliefs about the world. It is his way of understanding reality. One’s worldview is the basis for making daily decisions and is therefore extremely important.

An apple sitting on a table is seen by several people. A botanist looking at the apple classifies it. An artist sees a still-life and draws it. A grocer sees an asset and inventories it. A child sees lunch and eats it. How we look at any situation is influenced by how we look at the world at large. Every worldview, Christian and non-Christian, deals with at least these three questions:

1) Where did we come from? (and why are we here?)
2) What is wrong with the world?
3) How can we fix it?

A prevalent worldview today is naturalism, which answers the three questions like this: 1) We are the product of random acts of nature with no real purpose. 2) We do not respect nature as we should. 3) We can save the world through ecology and conservation. A naturalistic worldview generates many related philosophies such as moral relativism, existentialism, pragmatism, and utopianism.

A Christian worldview, on the other hand, answers the three questions biblically: 1) We are God’s creation, designed to govern the world and fellowship with Him (Genesis 1:27-28; 2:15). 2) We sinned against God and subjected the whole world to a curse (Genesis 3). 3) God Himself has redeemed the world through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ (Genesis 3:15; Luke 19:10), and will one day restore creation to its former perfect state (Isaiah 65:17-25). A Christian worldview leads us to believe in moral absolutes, miracles, human dignity, and the possibility of redemption.

It is important to remember that a worldview is comprehensive. It affects every area of life, from money to morality, from politics to art. True Christianity is more than a set of ideas to use at church. Christianity as taught in the Bible is itself a worldview. The Bible never distinguishes between a “religious” and a “secular” life; the Christian life is the only life there is. Jesus proclaimed Himself “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6) and, in doing so, became our worldview. Got?

hope this helps !!!

 

[Aeliana]

Here is one worldview that I found rather interesting. I plan on staying as far away from this as possible.

New Spirituality

Eckhart Tolle is one of the bestselling authors of our time. His books and multiple appearances on widely viewed programs such as The Oprah Winfrey Show have turned him into a spiritual phenomenon. A small, unassuming man, Tolle startles his audience by spending the first several minutes of his presentation looking around the room, not saying a word. He calls this “practicing presence.” By this he means contemplating his oneness with the audience and ridding himself of ego.

To Tolle, the central problem with humanity is thinking we are separate individuals. Instead, we are—all together—one collective soul. The sooner we recognize this, the sooner we will find meaning in life. Although some worldviews say we gain meaning by focusing on ourselves, the new spirituality worldview leads followers in the opposite direction. Based on the Buddhist tradition, it denies the self altogether. The idea of the “soul or self,” said the Dalai Lama, the Buddhist spiritual leader of Tibet, is “the source of all our misery.”

Only when we rid ourselves of ego and become one with the universe can we be set free from meaninglessness. New-spiritualist author Ken Carey said, “Everyone anywhere who tunes into the Higher Self becomes part of the transformation. Their lives then become orchestrated from other realms.” All you have to do is give up your individual identity.

Jeff Myers, The Secret Battle of Ideas about God: Overcoming the Outbreak of Five Fatal Worldviews

 

[Maurice]

The Christian worldview says reality opens up to those who will see Christ in all and over all. There is not one square inch of the entire creation that Jesus spoken to existence that does not cry out, ‘This is mine! This belongs to me!’” All authority belongs to Jesus.

18 Jesus approached and, breaking the silence, said to them, All authority (all power of rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.
Matt. 28:18

Not only that, but we are also made for great things.

You formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
Psalm 139:13–14

God designed us to be like him, to bear the imago Dei, the “image of God.” In the time of the Bible’s writing, kings often displayed their authority by erecting statues of themselves. God didn’t make statues; instead, he formed living, breathing humans to display his glory.

As image bearers, we don’t possess God’s glory; rather, we reflect it. When we move in the direction God has for us, we reflect his glory more brightly, like polished mirrors.

God’s image is our glory; reflecting his purposes is the key to our own purposes. The Bible refers to this as a calling. Romans 8:28 says, “We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”