World-view

<<perspective of the world around>>

A world-view is a package of assumptions, beliefs or points of view (held consciously or unconsciously) about the meaning of life and other foundational questions such as: Is there a God to whom we are

What is the foundation of my world-view?

accountable? How did we come to be here? As humanity, do we have any value? With morality – who makes the rules and do they apply to everyone? Why do we exist? What happens when we die? Our worldview determines how we live, and for a Christian should be patterned on God’s perspective – according to God’s will.

There are three main world-views that people hold to, although many people have a syncretistic blend of beliefs:

1/. Animism forms the framework of most tribal cultures, and is the basic element of Hinduism and Buddhism. It is the belief that spirits live in everything, and all life is controlled by these spirits so they must be feared and appeased. It is fatalistic, as ‘karma’ determines the fate of the individual, with death bringing an endless cycle of reincarnation. As a result, these people live in fear, and are at the mercy of circumstances and the spirits. They do not discern the “King of Kings and Lord of Lords”.

2/. Secularism is the humanistic, New Age view of much of western society, believing ‘man’ has evolved from the animals so is the highest form of life and able to control his own destiny. This mindset elevates humans to the position of God and does not allow that we are answerable to a greater being, indeed it questions His existence and interest in humans. It is evolutionary in perspective, with science and the environment being supreme. In spite of all the evidence to the contrary humanity is thought to be inherently good.

Secularists and atheists believe this life is all there is, so are essentially self-centred and selfish. Such people live for themselves, seeking happiness and ease in life, filling it with possessions, while trying to drown out the inner turmoil. Their philosophy of relativism is satisfy your desires now, don’t consider the long term consequences, use and discard, and value people for what they achieve. They make ample provision for this life on earth but none for eternity. The Bible states, “What does it benefit a person if they gain the whole world, but lose their own soul?” (Lk 9:25; Jn 12:25).

3/. Theism is the Judeo-Christian world-view as presented in the Bible. It conceives of God as the supreme power in the universe, above all other forces of good and evil. He is a loving God, who created mankind in His image, and desires a close relational involvement with us. The Bible is viewed as the guidebook of life (2 Tim 3:16,17). The biblical world-view presents humans as tripartite people (having a body, soul and spirit), created by God to live in harmony with Him, with each other and the environment. All men and women are seen as equal before God in dignity and intrinsic worth as individuals regardless of their accomplishments. This life has purpose and beyond it there is an eternal destiny – either in heaven with God or separated from Him, depending on the response to Christ in this life. We are to be stewards, protecting and caring for our environment but not worshipping it. This leads to submitting to and co-operating with God who is in control.

Many Christians do not have a consistent Biblical viewpoint, often because of ignorance of what the Bible actually says – the solution is to read and study it. Others reject its various truths and teachings, or compromise by adopting the world’s values and so are squeezed into it’s mindset, losing the Lord’s perspective (Rom 12:1). The result is they are more concerned with what the world thinks and adopt its lies, having only a lukewarm commitment to Christ. They fail to see the relevance of the Bible for today, and don’t hold to God’s view and His truth, which we will ultimately will be judged by (Ps 96:13; Jn 12:48). Rational thinking, science, and technology are compatiable with a Christian worldview.

Our world-view forms a comprehensive basis for making daily decisions and is both shaped and also distorted by various factors including tradition, culture, our experiences and memories, economic/physical/political influences, interaction with peers, education, authority figures, media, and is always subject to change. However, the only reliable

Does my world-view correlate with that of Scripture?

standard for a Christian world-view is the evidence and truth as found in the Word of God and Jesus Christ. We must use the divine compass of reliable facts to steer by, not the suspect opinions of others or our faulty feelings. This plumb-line is the standard, the reference point, by which all must be compared and judged.

Peter reminds us that we should be able to give clear explanations about what we believe in to those who ask (1 Pet 3:15). The Christian world-view is the foundation of Christian apologetics, with among other views holding to the belief that absolute moral truth exists, that Satan is a real being (not symbolic), that a person cannot earn their way into the Kingdom of God through good works, and God is the supreme creator of all and reigns over the universe today.