C.S. Lewis on Evolution and Intelligent Design
Saturday, April 27, 2024
Friday, April 26, 2024
Thursday, April 25, 2024
Wednesday, April 24, 2024
Tuesday, April 23, 2024
Monday, April 22, 2024
Mideast Update on Christian Palestinian Persecution
Jacki Scott
Update on Mideast: Of course, you've all probably been following the news--the latest of which is the Iran/Israeli clash. We get local news here that's not broadcast in other parts of the world where you are. And while other war "news" is highlighted abroad there are events that are not mentioned in your country. One of these is the increased persecution of Christians in Palestine--which doesn't make news--but has increased dramatically since the Gaza war. While people are busy watching war news, other important things go unnoticed--and sometimes that's done intentionally so while people are distracted by news that the "powers that be" are feeding everyone, their dirty work goes unnoticed. There has been a vast amount of increased aggression in the West Bank and East Jerusalem (which is on their agenda to take over eventually). Here are 2 clips, to give an example, of Christians being persecuted & their lands being taken in Jerusalem. Please do pray for the Christians in Palestine, their resilience, their faith and protection.
Palestinian Christians
(Religion News Service) Palestinian Christians, a community that dates back to Jesus’ time, have long lived under the threat of extinction. This Easter, however, we bear witness to horrors never imagined. The church in the Holy Land, along with thousands of years of Palestinian culture and heritage, is disintegrating before our eyes. A Pastor in Bethlehem and founder of Dar al-Kalima University, the first and only Palestinian university with a focus on arts, culture and design. Palestinian Christians founded 40% of the aid organizations and other NGOs in the occupied territories. Our schools, hospitals and advocacy organizations serve all Palestinians and represent our third-largest private employer. Church-related organizations run a third of the health services in the West Bank and Gaza. (Christians make up only 2% of the population.) The Pastor states, "Yet, like all Palestinians, we have suffered the indignity of Israeli occupation and the crime of apartheid. Since Israel’s independence in 1948, our (Christian) villages have been razed, our people ethnically cleansed, our lives, lands and stories erased. We have persevered through decades of disenfranchisement, military occupation and injustice alongside our Muslim Palestinian brothers and sisters, witnessing and enduring what the International Court of Justice has found may be plausibly called a genocide." (The "Occupied Territories" are areas where Palestinians live & are supposed to live under their own laws and governance, but the Israelis are actually ruling over them with military force.)5 April 2024. Israel shutting down part of Armenian Church in Jerusalem. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates condemned the attempts by the Israeli occupation police to evacuate the “Goverou Bardez”, also known as the “Cows Garden” which is a property of the Armenian Church in the Old City of occupied Jerusalem. The measures taken by “Israeli” police are considered “null and void and rejected under international law, and as a violation of the historical and legal status quo in occupied Jerusalem,” according to the statement.
Ministry Spokesperson Ambassador stated that the provocative actions against the Christians of occupied Jerusalem and the assaults on Christian religious figures constitute a clear and rejected violation of international law and the historical and legal status quo in Jerusalem and its holy sites, calling on the international community to fulfill its responsibilities and to stop the ongoing and continuous violations of international law by the Israeli occupation.
The Ambassador emphasized that the Armenian Quarter is an integral part of the Old City of Jerusalem and its walls, registered as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1981 at the request of Jordan, and was included in the List of World Heritage in Danger in 1982 due to violations and illegal measures by Tel Aviv in the Old City of Jerusalem. The Ambassador affirmed that all measures taken by the Israeli occupation aimed at changing the character of the holy city and its legal status are void and null, and are a blatant violation of relevant international conventions and resolutions. (End of article.)
The expulsion of Christian families in Jerusalem, and taking their homes and properties, as well as the property of the above Church is something that is going on continually here. It's not just a "once in a decade thing". It's continual and frequent. They are trying to completely wipe out Christians in Palestine & anything Christian--and anything related to Jesus so the Devil can claim it & take it as his own. Eventually the Devil will sit in the Temple in Jerusalem and proclaim himself as God, but first he needs to take over the property & the territory & kick out the Christians. So that's what he's working on. And that's the agenda.--And that's the "news" foretold in the Endtime verses, and that's the truly important news to follow.
Sunday, April 21, 2024
Saturday, April 20, 2024
Friday, April 19, 2024
Thursday, April 18, 2024
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
Digging Deeper into our Worldview
Dennis Edwards and other sources
Truth in Relation to our Worldview
A worldview is the framework from which we view reality and make sense of life and the world around us. “[It’s] 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,” so says David Noebel, author of Understanding the Times.
Dr. Jeff Myers from Summit Ministries writes that, “A worldview is a pattern of ideas, beliefs, convictions, and habits that help us make sense of God, the world, and our relationship to God and the world.”
“A worldview is a conceptual scheme by which we consciously or unconsciously place or fit everything we believe and by which we interpret and judge reality.” “A worldview is, first of all, an explanation and interpretation of the world and second, an application of this view to life.” (Phillips, W. Gary, and Brown, Williams E., Making Sense of Your World from a Biblical Viewpoint, Moody Press, Chicago, p. 29, 1991.)
The Biblical Worldview Institute says a Biblical worldview is an overarching view of the world based on God’s revealed truth found in the Bible, which directs every aspect of our life in this world. A Biblical worldview shapes our beliefs about God, Creation, Humanity, Moral Order, and Purpose. It helps answer the following questions.
1. God – To whom or what do I ultimately answer?
2. Creation – What comprises reality?
3. Humanity – Who am I, and how did I get here?
4. Moral Order – How do I determine right and wrong?
5. Purpose – Is there a reason and purpose for my existence?
Del Tacket from Focus on the Family says, “A Biblical worldview is based on the infallible Word of God. When you believe the Bible is entirely true, then you allow it to be the foundation of everything you say and do.”
Our worldview determines how we interpret the facts of life. It is not facts or evidence that determines our worldview. It’s our worldview that determines how we interprets the facts of life. You don’t pick up a fossil with a date on it. Your worldview will determine how you calculate the date of the fossil. You look at the stars and if your worldview is atheistic, you will say, “Wow, look what random non-directed evolutionary processes can do.” If you have a Biblical worldview, you’d say, “Wow, isn’t our God amazing to be able to create such a magnificent universe.” Your worldview will affect what you think about the beginnings of the universe, the beginnings of life, about the moral issues of abortion, euthanasia, homosexuality.
Our worldview will influence our morality, our ethics (rules of conduct in a particular cultural setting), our behaviour, and how we interpret and interact with the world around us. The Nazis were operating according to their worldview. They were following their ethics, their social construct. To condemn the Nazis, the judges said there was a Higher Power whose laws they, the Nazis, had disobeyed. There was conflict in Worldviews. The social construct of the Nazis was diametrically opposed to the Judeo – Christian worldview. The conflict was a conflict in Worldviews.
An important aspect of our Biblical worldview is the search for truth in any given situation or statement of fact. Truth is part of what God is. Jesus said He was the Truth. Therefore, in a Biblical worldview, we should always look for and follow that which is true. It’s God’s Word that helps us discern truth. (Heb. 4:12.) We look to the Word to confirm what is true. (Ps. 119:105, & 160) Is it contrary to God’s Word? As we study the Bible, we should look for patterns of truth in the stories, and incidents which we read about. Biblical concepts will help us decide what is true or false in any given situation. Jn 5:39, Isa. 8:20, Acts 17:11, Matt. 22:29.
The translators of the Bible into English under King James the 1st wrote the following paragraphs within an eighteen-page introduction to the reading of the Bible. That lengthy explanatory introduction was found in Bible up until the end of the 19th century.
“The Scriptures can make us wise unto salvation (2 Tim. 3:15-17). If we be ignorant, they will instruct us. If we are out of the way, they will bring us home; if we are out of order, they will reform us. If in heaviness, they will comfort us; if dull in spirit, they will quicken us. If cold, they will inflame us. “Take up and read, take up and read the Scriptures,” said the supernatural voice to Saint Augustine who wrote, “Whatsoever is in Scriptures, believe me, is high and divine; there is verily truth, and a doctrine most fit for the refreshing and renewing of men’s minds, and truly so tempered, that every one may draw from thence that which is sufficient for him, if he come and draw with a devout and pious mind, as true religion requires.” (Isaiah 55:1-3). “Love the Scriptures, and wisdom will love thee,” said Saint Jerome.
“Why need we speak of three or four uses of the Scriptures, when whatsoever is to be believed, or practised, or hoped for, is contained in them? Or why should we write three or four sentences from the Church Fathers, since whosoever is worthy of the name of a Father, from Christ’s time downward, has likewise written not only of the riches, but also of the perfection of the Scripture? ‘I adore the fulness of the Scripture,’ says Tertullian against Hermogenes. And again, to Apelles, a heretic of the same stamp, he says, ‘I do not admit that which you bring and conclude of your own head without Scripture.’”
“The Scriptures then being acknowledged to be so full and so perfect, how can we excuse ourselves of negligence, if we do not study them, of curiosity, if we be not content with them?”
Besides reading and trying to follow what is written in God’s revealed Word, the Bible, we should also listen to God’s still small voice of conscience. The inner voice will speak to us and help to discern how to apply God’s Word to our lives. It can help us to discern whether we should accept the ideas and thoughts we are confronted with daily or not. Isaiah 30:21. 1 Kings 19:11-12. Deut. 30:14.
Ultimately, we believe that God is the originator of all truth and is the Ultimate Truth. We are made in His image, as we find in Gen. 1:27. As a result of being made in God’s image, God has placed a moral compass within our hearts to gauge truth and error. All men, even the unregenerated, have the moral compass within them, which we commonly refer to as our conscience. Rom. 2:14-15. But some men suppress the truth of conscience and the truths that are revealed in nature, and their hearts become darkened. Rom 1:18-32. Jn 3:19-21. Isa 5:20-24. 1 Tim 4:1-2. Jer 8:12. 1 Cor 2:14. 2 Thes 2:10-12.
Since God has given us a free-will, as is shown in Genesis 2, we have the choice of whether to follow the still small voice of conscience or not. We have the choice of whether we will listen to what God has said in His written Word and follow its leadings and how it speaks to our heart, or not. Deut. 28:1-2, & 15. Deut. 30:15-20. Remember God’s Word says that His word is not dead, but alive. Hebrews 4:12; John 6:63. God’s Word will speak to us if we take time to listen to it. Luke 16:19-31.
In Genesis 3 we see that Eve was deceived by the serpent, but the Bible says that Adam sinned. God had told Adam specifically not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil before Eve was created. Gen. 2:15-18. Since we don’t see God telling Eve about that commandment, maybe God left it up to Adam to transmit the information. Eve was more susceptible to the Serpents lies as a result. In Romans, Paul explains what Adam has done and what Jesus has done to redeem us.
“When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. Still, everyone died—from the time of Adam to the time of Moses—even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come. But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ. Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous.” Rom 5:12-19. NLT
Jesus broke the curse that was upon mankind through Adam’s sin and reopened the gates of heaven to all those that believe. (Jn 1:12. Jn 3:16. Rom 10:13. Hebrews 9:14-15). That’s our Biblical worldview. It has God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit as the principal and centre of our thinking and acting. God’s Word is the principal filter through which we judge all things to be true or false. We have put on the mind of Christ and are therefore able to judge all things. Jn 7:24. 1 Sam16:7; 1 Cor. 2:15-16. Phil. 2:2-13.
Our Biblical worldview helps us to interpret the world around us. We see and understand the world and all that is in it, and all that occurs through the lens of our Biblical understanding. We have the filter of Romans 8:28 that says that all things that happen in our lives will work together for good because we love and trust God. The filter of 1 Thessalonians 5:18 helps us to be thankful in every situation. We have the lens of 1 Corinthians 13 that admonishes us that love is the highest virtue. John 13 teaches us that the greatest among us must be servant of all. The many other Biblical filters or lenses enable us to face the world and all that confronts us daily with faith and hope and love and joy. It’s our Biblical worldview and the mind of Christ that makes us overcomers and knowledgeable of the truth that nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. We are more than conquerors through Him that loves us. Romans 8:35-39.
In conclusion what is the Christian Biblical worldview? The following definition is offered as a working model from Answers in Genesis:
The Christian worldview sees and understands God the Creator and His creation, that is, man and the world, primarily through the lens of God's special revelation, the Holy Scriptures; and secondarily through the lens of God's natural revelation in creation as interpreted by human reason and reconciled by and with Scripture. The ultimate purpose is to believe and behave in accordance with God's will and, thereby, glorify God with one's mind and life, both now and in eternity.
What essentially distinguishes the Christian worldview from other worldviews? At the heart of the matter, a Christian worldview contrasts with competing worldviews in that it recognizes that God is the unique source of all truth, and relates all truth back to an understanding of God and His purposes for this life and the next.
Professor of Philosophy Arthur Holmes, formerly from Wheaton College, summarizes the unique implications of a Christian worldview when relating absolute truth to God.
1. To say that truth is absolute rather than relative means that it is unchanging and universally the same. (There is no true for you and not true for me.)
2. Truth is absolute not in or of itself, but because it derives ultimately from the one, eternal God. It is grounded in his “metaphysical objectivity,” and that of His creation.
3. Absolute propositional truth, therefore, depends on the absolute personal truth (or fidelity) of God, who can be trusted in all He does and says.
A Christian worldview provides a framework by which we understand the world and all of its reality from God's perspective and, therefore, order our lives accordingly to God's will.
Jeremiah 9:23-24. Thus, says the Lord, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the Lord.
Truth in Relation to our Worldview
A worldview is the framework from which we view reality and make sense of life and the world around us. “[It’s] 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,” so says David Noebel, author of Understanding the Times.
Dr. Jeff Myers from Summit Ministries writes that, “A worldview is a pattern of ideas, beliefs, convictions, and habits that help us make sense of God, the world, and our relationship to God and the world.”
“A worldview is a conceptual scheme by which we consciously or unconsciously place or fit everything we believe and by which we interpret and judge reality.” “A worldview is, first of all, an explanation and interpretation of the world and second, an application of this view to life.” (Phillips, W. Gary, and Brown, Williams E., Making Sense of Your World from a Biblical Viewpoint, Moody Press, Chicago, p. 29, 1991.)
The Biblical Worldview Institute says a Biblical worldview is an overarching view of the world based on God’s revealed truth found in the Bible, which directs every aspect of our life in this world. A Biblical worldview shapes our beliefs about God, Creation, Humanity, Moral Order, and Purpose. It helps answer the following questions.
1. God – To whom or what do I ultimately answer?
2. Creation – What comprises reality?
3. Humanity – Who am I, and how did I get here?
4. Moral Order – How do I determine right and wrong?
5. Purpose – Is there a reason and purpose for my existence?
Del Tacket from Focus on the Family says, “A Biblical worldview is based on the infallible Word of God. When you believe the Bible is entirely true, then you allow it to be the foundation of everything you say and do.”
Our worldview determines how we interpret the facts of life. It is not facts or evidence that determines our worldview. It’s our worldview that determines how we interprets the facts of life. You don’t pick up a fossil with a date on it. Your worldview will determine how you calculate the date of the fossil. You look at the stars and if your worldview is atheistic, you will say, “Wow, look what random non-directed evolutionary processes can do.” If you have a Biblical worldview, you’d say, “Wow, isn’t our God amazing to be able to create such a magnificent universe.” Your worldview will affect what you think about the beginnings of the universe, the beginnings of life, about the moral issues of abortion, euthanasia, homosexuality.
Our worldview will influence our morality, our ethics (rules of conduct in a particular cultural setting), our behaviour, and how we interpret and interact with the world around us. The Nazis were operating according to their worldview. They were following their ethics, their social construct. To condemn the Nazis, the judges said there was a Higher Power whose laws they, the Nazis, had disobeyed. There was conflict in Worldviews. The social construct of the Nazis was diametrically opposed to the Judeo – Christian worldview. The conflict was a conflict in Worldviews.
An important aspect of our Biblical worldview is the search for truth in any given situation or statement of fact. Truth is part of what God is. Jesus said He was the Truth. Therefore, in a Biblical worldview, we should always look for and follow that which is true. It’s God’s Word that helps us discern truth. (Heb. 4:12.) We look to the Word to confirm what is true. (Ps. 119:105, & 160) Is it contrary to God’s Word? As we study the Bible, we should look for patterns of truth in the stories, and incidents which we read about. Biblical concepts will help us decide what is true or false in any given situation. Jn 5:39, Isa. 8:20, Acts 17:11, Matt. 22:29.
The translators of the Bible into English under King James the 1st wrote the following paragraphs within an eighteen-page introduction to the reading of the Bible. That lengthy explanatory introduction was found in Bible up until the end of the 19th century.
“The Scriptures can make us wise unto salvation (2 Tim. 3:15-17). If we be ignorant, they will instruct us. If we are out of the way, they will bring us home; if we are out of order, they will reform us. If in heaviness, they will comfort us; if dull in spirit, they will quicken us. If cold, they will inflame us. “Take up and read, take up and read the Scriptures,” said the supernatural voice to Saint Augustine who wrote, “Whatsoever is in Scriptures, believe me, is high and divine; there is verily truth, and a doctrine most fit for the refreshing and renewing of men’s minds, and truly so tempered, that every one may draw from thence that which is sufficient for him, if he come and draw with a devout and pious mind, as true religion requires.” (Isaiah 55:1-3). “Love the Scriptures, and wisdom will love thee,” said Saint Jerome.
“Why need we speak of three or four uses of the Scriptures, when whatsoever is to be believed, or practised, or hoped for, is contained in them? Or why should we write three or four sentences from the Church Fathers, since whosoever is worthy of the name of a Father, from Christ’s time downward, has likewise written not only of the riches, but also of the perfection of the Scripture? ‘I adore the fulness of the Scripture,’ says Tertullian against Hermogenes. And again, to Apelles, a heretic of the same stamp, he says, ‘I do not admit that which you bring and conclude of your own head without Scripture.’”
“The Scriptures then being acknowledged to be so full and so perfect, how can we excuse ourselves of negligence, if we do not study them, of curiosity, if we be not content with them?”
Besides reading and trying to follow what is written in God’s revealed Word, the Bible, we should also listen to God’s still small voice of conscience. The inner voice will speak to us and help to discern how to apply God’s Word to our lives. It can help us to discern whether we should accept the ideas and thoughts we are confronted with daily or not. Isaiah 30:21. 1 Kings 19:11-12. Deut. 30:14.
Ultimately, we believe that God is the originator of all truth and is the Ultimate Truth. We are made in His image, as we find in Gen. 1:27. As a result of being made in God’s image, God has placed a moral compass within our hearts to gauge truth and error. All men, even the unregenerated, have the moral compass within them, which we commonly refer to as our conscience. Rom. 2:14-15. But some men suppress the truth of conscience and the truths that are revealed in nature, and their hearts become darkened. Rom 1:18-32. Jn 3:19-21. Isa 5:20-24. 1 Tim 4:1-2. Jer 8:12. 1 Cor 2:14. 2 Thes 2:10-12.
Since God has given us a free-will, as is shown in Genesis 2, we have the choice of whether to follow the still small voice of conscience or not. We have the choice of whether we will listen to what God has said in His written Word and follow its leadings and how it speaks to our heart, or not. Deut. 28:1-2, & 15. Deut. 30:15-20. Remember God’s Word says that His word is not dead, but alive. Hebrews 4:12; John 6:63. God’s Word will speak to us if we take time to listen to it. Luke 16:19-31.
In Genesis 3 we see that Eve was deceived by the serpent, but the Bible says that Adam sinned. God had told Adam specifically not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil before Eve was created. Gen. 2:15-18. Since we don’t see God telling Eve about that commandment, maybe God left it up to Adam to transmit the information. Eve was more susceptible to the Serpents lies as a result. In Romans, Paul explains what Adam has done and what Jesus has done to redeem us.
“When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. Still, everyone died—from the time of Adam to the time of Moses—even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come. But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ. Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous.” Rom 5:12-19. NLT
Jesus broke the curse that was upon mankind through Adam’s sin and reopened the gates of heaven to all those that believe. (Jn 1:12. Jn 3:16. Rom 10:13. Hebrews 9:14-15). That’s our Biblical worldview. It has God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit as the principal and centre of our thinking and acting. God’s Word is the principal filter through which we judge all things to be true or false. We have put on the mind of Christ and are therefore able to judge all things. Jn 7:24. 1 Sam16:7; 1 Cor. 2:15-16. Phil. 2:2-13.
Our Biblical worldview helps us to interpret the world around us. We see and understand the world and all that is in it, and all that occurs through the lens of our Biblical understanding. We have the filter of Romans 8:28 that says that all things that happen in our lives will work together for good because we love and trust God. The filter of 1 Thessalonians 5:18 helps us to be thankful in every situation. We have the lens of 1 Corinthians 13 that admonishes us that love is the highest virtue. John 13 teaches us that the greatest among us must be servant of all. The many other Biblical filters or lenses enable us to face the world and all that confronts us daily with faith and hope and love and joy. It’s our Biblical worldview and the mind of Christ that makes us overcomers and knowledgeable of the truth that nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. We are more than conquerors through Him that loves us. Romans 8:35-39.
In conclusion what is the Christian Biblical worldview? The following definition is offered as a working model from Answers in Genesis:
The Christian worldview sees and understands God the Creator and His creation, that is, man and the world, primarily through the lens of God's special revelation, the Holy Scriptures; and secondarily through the lens of God's natural revelation in creation as interpreted by human reason and reconciled by and with Scripture. The ultimate purpose is to believe and behave in accordance with God's will and, thereby, glorify God with one's mind and life, both now and in eternity.
What essentially distinguishes the Christian worldview from other worldviews? At the heart of the matter, a Christian worldview contrasts with competing worldviews in that it recognizes that God is the unique source of all truth, and relates all truth back to an understanding of God and His purposes for this life and the next.
Professor of Philosophy Arthur Holmes, formerly from Wheaton College, summarizes the unique implications of a Christian worldview when relating absolute truth to God.
1. To say that truth is absolute rather than relative means that it is unchanging and universally the same. (There is no true for you and not true for me.)
2. Truth is absolute not in or of itself, but because it derives ultimately from the one, eternal God. It is grounded in his “metaphysical objectivity,” and that of His creation.
3. Absolute propositional truth, therefore, depends on the absolute personal truth (or fidelity) of God, who can be trusted in all He does and says.
A Christian worldview provides a framework by which we understand the world and all of its reality from God's perspective and, therefore, order our lives accordingly to God's will.
Jeremiah 9:23-24. Thus, says the Lord, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the Lord.
Tuesday, April 16, 2024
Monday, April 15, 2024
Our Biblical Worldview
Dennis Edwards
A Compilation from Various On-line Resources: I usually include the references to the information. Today, I am sorry to say, that I lost the link references.
On the podcast called Wise Disciple, the author was sharing about a recent Barna study which showed that only around 40% of Christian Senior Pastors in America have a Biblical worldview. The study showed that around 13% of the Youth and Children Pastors have a Biblical worldview. Most younger pastors say they have a Synergy worldview where they incorporate different ideas from different worldviews into one melting pot of a worldview. The Catholic Church had the lowest level of leaders with a Biblical worldview with only one out of ten. The highest church denominations with a Biblical worldview were those churches which were not aligned or non-denominational.
What’s a Biblical Worldview?
According to a Google search, we find the following definitions:
The Biblical worldview says there is a God—One who is personal, powerful and caring—who created the world and everything in it. It states unequivocally that man is created in God's image, living in essence as God's co-regent over creation. Mankind—born and unborn, rich and poor, able and disabled—has intrinsic worth.
Christian worldview (also called Biblical worldview) refers to the framework of ideas and beliefs through which a Christian individual, group or culture interprets the world and interacts with it.
A Biblical worldview is a view of the world which seeks to answer life's biggest questions from the teachings of the Bible, with a special focus on the gospel storyline.
According to Baptist Southeastern Bible Seminary a Biblical worldview consists of the following:
1. The belief in absolute moral truths.
2. The belief that absolute moral truths are revealed in and defined by the Bible.
3. The belief that Jesus lived a sinless life.
4. The belief that God is the all-powerful and all-knowing Creator of the universe who sovereignly rules it today.
5. The belief that salvation is a gift from God and cannot be earned.
6. The belief that Satan is real.
7. The belief that a Christian has the responsibility to share his faith in Christ with others.
8. A belief that the Bible is accurate in all its teachings.
- Only 4 % of Americans have a basic Biblical worldview of thinking, according to the Barna poll.
- Only 9 % of those who claim to be born again have a Biblical worldview.
From another site we find the following: “Worldview matters because it is the lens through which people see the world. Your worldview is an invisible, but very real filter that you use to understand why things are the way they are. Understanding your own worldview is just as important as understanding the worldviews of the people around you. In the last couple of centuries, the Christian worldview has lost its dominance, and competing worldviews have become far more prominent. These non-Christian worldviews include:
1. Naturalism: there is no God; humans are just highly evolved animals; the universe is a closed physical system.
2. Postmodernism: there are no objective truths and moral standards; “reality” is ultimately a human social construction.
3. Pantheism: God is the totality of reality; thus, we are all divine by nature.
4. Pluralism: the different world religions represent equally valid perspectives on the ultimate reality; there are many valid paths to salvation.
5. Islam: there is only one God, and He has no son; God has revealed His will for all people through His final prophet, Muhammad, and His eternal word, the Qur’an.
6. Moralistic therapeutic deism: God just wants us to be happy and nice to other people; He intervenes in our affairs only when we call on Him to help us out.”
“Of the millennial generation, just 4% qualified to have a Biblical worldview—a paltry 4% of those who will be the next generation of pastors, Sunday School teachers, elders, deacons, Christian school and college teachers, and parents! Looking at other age groups, the following hold a biblical worldview:
· 7% of 30–49-year-olds
· 15% of 50–64-year-olds
· 17% of 65+
According to a recent survey commissioned by the BBC,‘A quarter of people who describe themselves as Christians in Great Britain do not believe in the resurrection of Jesus” and “31% said they did not believe in life after death.’”
The world is definitely going through a major change in its world view. The Christian world-view has been over-taken by these other Antichrist views. The Bible said this would happen.
The Biblical worldview says there is a God—One who is personal, powerful and caring—who created the world and everything in it. It states unequivocally that man is created in God's image, living in essence as God's co-regent over creation. Mankind—born and unborn, rich and poor, able and disabled—has intrinsic worth.
Christian worldview (also called Biblical worldview) refers to the framework of ideas and beliefs through which a Christian individual, group or culture interprets the world and interacts with it.
A Biblical worldview is a view of the world which seeks to answer life's biggest questions from the teachings of the Bible, with a special focus on the gospel storyline.
According to Baptist Southeastern Bible Seminary a Biblical worldview consists of the following:
1. The belief in absolute moral truths.
2. The belief that absolute moral truths are revealed in and defined by the Bible.
3. The belief that Jesus lived a sinless life.
4. The belief that God is the all-powerful and all-knowing Creator of the universe who sovereignly rules it today.
5. The belief that salvation is a gift from God and cannot be earned.
6. The belief that Satan is real.
7. The belief that a Christian has the responsibility to share his faith in Christ with others.
8. A belief that the Bible is accurate in all its teachings.
- Only 4 % of Americans have a basic Biblical worldview of thinking, according to the Barna poll.
- Only 9 % of those who claim to be born again have a Biblical worldview.
From another site we find the following: “Worldview matters because it is the lens through which people see the world. Your worldview is an invisible, but very real filter that you use to understand why things are the way they are. Understanding your own worldview is just as important as understanding the worldviews of the people around you. In the last couple of centuries, the Christian worldview has lost its dominance, and competing worldviews have become far more prominent. These non-Christian worldviews include:
1. Naturalism: there is no God; humans are just highly evolved animals; the universe is a closed physical system.
2. Postmodernism: there are no objective truths and moral standards; “reality” is ultimately a human social construction.
3. Pantheism: God is the totality of reality; thus, we are all divine by nature.
4. Pluralism: the different world religions represent equally valid perspectives on the ultimate reality; there are many valid paths to salvation.
5. Islam: there is only one God, and He has no son; God has revealed His will for all people through His final prophet, Muhammad, and His eternal word, the Qur’an.
6. Moralistic therapeutic deism: God just wants us to be happy and nice to other people; He intervenes in our affairs only when we call on Him to help us out.”
“Of the millennial generation, just 4% qualified to have a Biblical worldview—a paltry 4% of those who will be the next generation of pastors, Sunday School teachers, elders, deacons, Christian school and college teachers, and parents! Looking at other age groups, the following hold a biblical worldview:
· 7% of 30–49-year-olds
· 15% of 50–64-year-olds
· 17% of 65+
According to a recent survey commissioned by the BBC,‘A quarter of people who describe themselves as Christians in Great Britain do not believe in the resurrection of Jesus” and “31% said they did not believe in life after death.’”
The world is definitely going through a major change in its world view. The Christian world-view has been over-taken by these other Antichrist views. The Bible said this would happen.
Matthew 24:5,11,24
For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
1 John 2:18
Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
Luke 18:8
Nevertheless when the Son of Man comes, shall he find faith on the earth?
2 Thessalonians 2:3
Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.
What Does Our Biblical Worldview Look Like to Us?
A Biblical worldview is a view that holds the Bible is true in all its teachings, therefore, one should follow what the Bible says. A person who holds a Biblical worldview believes the Bible is a reliable collection of ancient historical documents written by eye-witnesses in the lifetime of other eye-witnesses who recorded supernatural events and said their writings are of Divine rather than human origin.
A Biblical worldview would hold to the idea of “Solo Scriptura,” or Only Scripture as the source of Truth, rather than the Catholic doctrine of tradition over Scripture. In the Biblical worldview truth is derived from God, God’s Word, and God’s Holy Spirit; and also, from God’s revelation through His natural creation.
1. We believe in God: Genesis 1:1; Deuteronomy 6:4-8; Proverbs 1:7; Ecclesiastes 12:13-14.
2. We believe in God’s Word/and Son: John 8:31-32; John 14:6; John 17:17; Psalm 119:160; John 1:1,14,18. Colossians 1:15. 2:3, 2:9 show us that Jesus is the image of the invisible God in whom is hid all the treasure of wisdom and knowledge.
3. We believe in the Holy Spirit: John 16:13. Acts 5:32. 1 Corinthians 2:9-10.
4. We believe that God created and that Creations speaks: Job 12:7-10; Romans 1:20; Psalms 19:1-3.
It is God’s Word that gives us discernment. Hebrews 4:12
Having a Biblical worldview is the acknowledgement of God in our lives, which the Bible calls, “the fear of the Lord.” That acknowledgement gives us the right perspective on life. That’s why Saint Augustine said, “Seek not to understand that you might believe, but rather seek to believe that you might understand.” Proverbs 1:7; Proverbs 7:1-5. Paul talks about the Omnipresent God in his witness to the Greeks. Acts 17:23-28.
However, the enemy wants to destroy our Biblical worldview, therefore we are in constant warfare mentally. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5; 1 Peter 5:8-9; James 4:7;1 Tim. 1:18; 2 Tim. 2:3-4, 1 Pet. 2:11. 1 John 4:1; Ephesians 6:10-18. 1 John 4:4.
Satan tempted Eve to doubt her Biblical worldview. Genesis 3:1 & 4-5. Satan tempted Jesus to doubt His Biblical worldview in the wilderness. Matthew 4:1-11. We face these same temptations today: 1 John 2:15-17. Paul warns us 2 Corinthians 11:3 to be on guard and not carried about by every current fashion of doctrine. Ephesians 4:14. But to be steadfast, 1 Corinthians 15:57-58, and transformed, Romans 12:1-2.
It’s God’s Word that reinforces a Biblical worldview. Psalm 119:105 & 11, John 17:17.
War Against Our Worldview
Everyone has a worldview! Former president of Union University, David Dockery wrote an article entitled “Shaping a Christian Worldview.” He stated the following: "Immersed in our environment, we have failed to take seriously the ramifications of a secular worldview. Sociologist and social watchdog Daniel Yankelovich defines culture as an effort to provide a coherent set of answers to the existential situations that confront human beings in the passage of their lives. A genuine cultural shift is one that makes a decisive break with the shared meaning of the past. The break particularly affects those meanings that relate to the deepest questions of the purpose and nature of human life."
As Christians, we should live with a Biblical worldview, but we also should not be surprised when others do not hold to such a view. In a post Christian culture, many believers in the United States are struggling with a culture that has rapidly dismissed any semblance of Biblical values or morality. Yet, we should not be shocked or discouraged. We have been warned in scripture:
2 Timothy 3:1-5
But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revellers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.
1 Timothy 4:1-2 (NASB95)
But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons. ‘Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron.’ (KJV)
Matthew 24:10-12 (NASB95)
At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold.
2 Timothy 4:3-4 KJV
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears, (or doctrines that appeal to their own desires and wants rather than those that follow the teaching of Jesus Christ); and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
Acts 20:28-31
Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost has made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he has purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also, of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.
Avery Foley speaker at Answers in Genesis writes, "Despite the growing number of religiously unaffiliated people, over 70% of Americans still claim to be Christians. Yet only 46% of US adults would say they have a biblical worldview. But do almost half of Americans really possess a biblical framework through which they view the world?"
Which ones of these statements are in agreement with a Biblical worldview and which ones are not?
· “The Bible is totally accurate in all of the life principles it teaches.”
· “You have a personal responsibility to share your religious beliefs with people who believe differently.”
· “A person who is generally good, or does enough good things for others, will earn a place in Heaven.”
· “When He lived on earth, Jesus Christ was fully human and therefore committed sins, like other people.”
· “Satan does not exist; he is just a symbol of evil.”
· “The Holy Spirit is not a living entity but is a symbol of God’s presence or purity.”
One hundred and twelve million Americans (46%) say they have a biblical worldview. But according to the Barna study, one of the first of its kind, a mere 24 million American adults actually have a Biblical worldview. In other words, only 10% of Americans think and act according to the most basic Biblical principles.
George Barna, the director of the study, writes, “Our research collected information about attitudes and behaviours related to practical matters like lying, cheating, stealing, pornography, the nature of God, and the consequences of unresolved sin. It’s what some might describe as “Christianity 101” substance. That’s what makes the discrepancy between the percentage of people who consider themselves to be Christians—more than seven out of every ten—and those who have a Biblical worldview—just one out of every ten—so alarming.”
As we attempt to engage a lost world, it is imperative that we understand the times in which we live and how worldviews have been changing. 1 Chronicles 12:32 tells us that the sons of Issachar were men who understood the times, and had a knowledge of what Israel ought to do. We, too, need to understand the signs of the times to be better able “to give an answer to everyone that asks us of the hope that is within us with meekness and fear,” (1 Peter 3:15), and to “warn the wicked from his wicked way.” (Ezekiel 3:17-19)
Reviewing a Biblical Worldview
Do you have a Biblical worldview? Answer the following questions, based on claims found in the Bible and which George Barna used in his survey:
· Do absolute moral truths exist?
· Is absolute truth defined by the Bible?
· Did Jesus Christ live a sinless life?
· Is God the all-powerful and all-knowing Creator of the universe, and does He still rule it today?
· Is salvation a gift from God that cannot be earned?
· Is Satan real?
· Does a Christian have a responsibility to share his or her faith in Christ with other people?
· Is the Bible accurate in all of its teachings?
Did you answer yes to these? You should have, if you have a Biblical worldview. Only 9 percent of “born- again” believers did so. Over 60% of those that claim to have a Biblical worldview actually don't.
What Does Our Biblical Worldview Look Like to Us?
A Biblical worldview is a view that holds the Bible is true in all its teachings, therefore, one should follow what the Bible says. A person who holds a Biblical worldview believes the Bible is a reliable collection of ancient historical documents written by eye-witnesses in the lifetime of other eye-witnesses who recorded supernatural events and said their writings are of Divine rather than human origin.
A Biblical worldview would hold to the idea of “Solo Scriptura,” or Only Scripture as the source of Truth, rather than the Catholic doctrine of tradition over Scripture. In the Biblical worldview truth is derived from God, God’s Word, and God’s Holy Spirit; and also, from God’s revelation through His natural creation.
1. We believe in God: Genesis 1:1; Deuteronomy 6:4-8; Proverbs 1:7; Ecclesiastes 12:13-14.
2. We believe in God’s Word/and Son: John 8:31-32; John 14:6; John 17:17; Psalm 119:160; John 1:1,14,18. Colossians 1:15. 2:3, 2:9 show us that Jesus is the image of the invisible God in whom is hid all the treasure of wisdom and knowledge.
3. We believe in the Holy Spirit: John 16:13. Acts 5:32. 1 Corinthians 2:9-10.
4. We believe that God created and that Creations speaks: Job 12:7-10; Romans 1:20; Psalms 19:1-3.
It is God’s Word that gives us discernment. Hebrews 4:12
Having a Biblical worldview is the acknowledgement of God in our lives, which the Bible calls, “the fear of the Lord.” That acknowledgement gives us the right perspective on life. That’s why Saint Augustine said, “Seek not to understand that you might believe, but rather seek to believe that you might understand.” Proverbs 1:7; Proverbs 7:1-5. Paul talks about the Omnipresent God in his witness to the Greeks. Acts 17:23-28.
However, the enemy wants to destroy our Biblical worldview, therefore we are in constant warfare mentally. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5; 1 Peter 5:8-9; James 4:7;1 Tim. 1:18; 2 Tim. 2:3-4, 1 Pet. 2:11. 1 John 4:1; Ephesians 6:10-18. 1 John 4:4.
Satan tempted Eve to doubt her Biblical worldview. Genesis 3:1 & 4-5. Satan tempted Jesus to doubt His Biblical worldview in the wilderness. Matthew 4:1-11. We face these same temptations today: 1 John 2:15-17. Paul warns us 2 Corinthians 11:3 to be on guard and not carried about by every current fashion of doctrine. Ephesians 4:14. But to be steadfast, 1 Corinthians 15:57-58, and transformed, Romans 12:1-2.
It’s God’s Word that reinforces a Biblical worldview. Psalm 119:105 & 11, John 17:17.
War Against Our Worldview
Everyone has a worldview! Former president of Union University, David Dockery wrote an article entitled “Shaping a Christian Worldview.” He stated the following: "Immersed in our environment, we have failed to take seriously the ramifications of a secular worldview. Sociologist and social watchdog Daniel Yankelovich defines culture as an effort to provide a coherent set of answers to the existential situations that confront human beings in the passage of their lives. A genuine cultural shift is one that makes a decisive break with the shared meaning of the past. The break particularly affects those meanings that relate to the deepest questions of the purpose and nature of human life."
As Christians, we should live with a Biblical worldview, but we also should not be surprised when others do not hold to such a view. In a post Christian culture, many believers in the United States are struggling with a culture that has rapidly dismissed any semblance of Biblical values or morality. Yet, we should not be shocked or discouraged. We have been warned in scripture:
2 Timothy 3:1-5
But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revellers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.
1 Timothy 4:1-2 (NASB95)
But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons. ‘Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron.’ (KJV)
Matthew 24:10-12 (NASB95)
At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold.
2 Timothy 4:3-4 KJV
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears, (or doctrines that appeal to their own desires and wants rather than those that follow the teaching of Jesus Christ); and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
Acts 20:28-31
Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost has made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he has purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also, of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.
Avery Foley speaker at Answers in Genesis writes, "Despite the growing number of religiously unaffiliated people, over 70% of Americans still claim to be Christians. Yet only 46% of US adults would say they have a biblical worldview. But do almost half of Americans really possess a biblical framework through which they view the world?"
Which ones of these statements are in agreement with a Biblical worldview and which ones are not?
· “The Bible is totally accurate in all of the life principles it teaches.”
· “You have a personal responsibility to share your religious beliefs with people who believe differently.”
· “A person who is generally good, or does enough good things for others, will earn a place in Heaven.”
· “When He lived on earth, Jesus Christ was fully human and therefore committed sins, like other people.”
· “Satan does not exist; he is just a symbol of evil.”
· “The Holy Spirit is not a living entity but is a symbol of God’s presence or purity.”
One hundred and twelve million Americans (46%) say they have a biblical worldview. But according to the Barna study, one of the first of its kind, a mere 24 million American adults actually have a Biblical worldview. In other words, only 10% of Americans think and act according to the most basic Biblical principles.
George Barna, the director of the study, writes, “Our research collected information about attitudes and behaviours related to practical matters like lying, cheating, stealing, pornography, the nature of God, and the consequences of unresolved sin. It’s what some might describe as “Christianity 101” substance. That’s what makes the discrepancy between the percentage of people who consider themselves to be Christians—more than seven out of every ten—and those who have a Biblical worldview—just one out of every ten—so alarming.”
As we attempt to engage a lost world, it is imperative that we understand the times in which we live and how worldviews have been changing. 1 Chronicles 12:32 tells us that the sons of Issachar were men who understood the times, and had a knowledge of what Israel ought to do. We, too, need to understand the signs of the times to be better able “to give an answer to everyone that asks us of the hope that is within us with meekness and fear,” (1 Peter 3:15), and to “warn the wicked from his wicked way.” (Ezekiel 3:17-19)
Reviewing a Biblical Worldview
Do you have a Biblical worldview? Answer the following questions, based on claims found in the Bible and which George Barna used in his survey:
· Do absolute moral truths exist?
· Is absolute truth defined by the Bible?
· Did Jesus Christ live a sinless life?
· Is God the all-powerful and all-knowing Creator of the universe, and does He still rule it today?
· Is salvation a gift from God that cannot be earned?
· Is Satan real?
· Does a Christian have a responsibility to share his or her faith in Christ with other people?
· Is the Bible accurate in all of its teachings?
Did you answer yes to these? You should have, if you have a Biblical worldview. Only 9 percent of “born- again” believers did so. Over 60% of those that claim to have a Biblical worldview actually don't.
What is a Worldview: Jeff Myers at Summit Ministries
WORLDVIEW https://www.summit.org/worldview/
What is a worldview?
According to Dr. Jeff Myers, a worldview is “a pattern of ideas, beliefs, convictions, and habits that help us make sense of God, the world, and our relationship to God and the world.”
There are hundreds of worldviews in operation in the world today. At Summit, we study the worldviews of people because it helps us to understand what they believe and, more importantly, why they believe what they believe. This gives us insight into how we can have conversations with them about the Christian worldview.
Why Does Worldview Matter?
Worldview matters because it is the lens through which people see the world. Your worldview is an invisible, but very real, filter that you use to understand why things are the way they are. Understanding your own worldview is just as important as understanding the worldviews of the people around you.
What are My Assumptions?
We all make assumptions about things we don’t fully understand. We assume people’s intentions and motivations. All of these assumptions come from our worldview or our understanding of other people’s worldviews.
What are the Big Stories?
We all tell stories about the world that explain why things are the way they are. These big stories (also known as meta-narratives) are at the heart of our worldview. The characters and narrative flow of these big stories shape the way we think and act—they’re a huge part of our worldview.
How Do I Navigate the World?
Another reason worldview matters is because it is what helps us to navigate everyday life. The way we interact with each other, the decisions we make, and the values we hold all flow from our worldview.
Understanding the Christian Worldview
More than 2 billion people in the world claim to be Christians, nearly a third of the world’s population. What they mean by “Christian,” of course, varies widely—some people claim to hold a Christian worldview because their parents were Christian or because they live in a predominantly Christian country.
Still, no one doubts that Christianity is a dominant influence in the world. The Christian worldview is built on the teachings of Jesus Christ, the Messiah prophesied for centuries among the Israelites in the Jewish Scriptures. Christians believe that God has revealed himself in the Bible as well as in nature, but especially in the person of Jesus Christ. Because Jesus Christ was God incarnated as a human being, his life is the center of the human story.
We Were Created by God
One of the first things to know about the Christian worldview is that it states that we were created by God. We were made in His image, to bear His likeness in the world. This is a fundamental aspect of this worldview.
We Have Forgotten Who We Are
In the Christian worldview, it is clear that there are gaps between the way God made us and the world and the way things currently are. One of those gaps is between how we were created to live and how we actually live. Our worldview says that, in some ways, we have forgotten who we are and therefore need to be brought back to the relationship we were created for—a relationship with God.
Jesus Came to Bring Us Back
Jesus came into the world to bring us back to God—back to His way of living and back to His way of relating. This is foundational to our worldview. Jesus is the only way for us to get back to the life we were created to live. He showed us what it means to live from this worldview and made the way for each of us to step into this different kind of life.
Inviting Others to See How We See
A big part of the Christian worldview involves inviting others to see the world in the way we see it. It involves helping others to see, the best we can, that God created them and wants them to live in a relationship with Him. That worldview has changed billions of people’s lives throughout the centuries and that worldview is still changing lives today.
For more information about Christian worldview, visit the free resources section of our website.
Competing Worldviews
Researchers have cited that only a minority of believers possess a proper biblical worldview. And the faithful would be well advised to know the precepts of the other five major worldviews at odds with Christianity. This is the breakdown that Dr. Jeff Myers explains in his book The Secret Battle of Ideas about God.
Secularism. Life is about control. We can use our intelligence to harness evolution and make life turn out the way we want. Secularists don’t ask what God wants or what history requires of us but instead what we think best serves us during our lifetimes.
Marxism. Life is about capital. Marxism demands a forcible overthrow of all existing social structures: government, the economy, religion, and family.
Postmodernism. Life is about context. “Capital T” truth cannot be known to exist; we create only “lowercase t” truths for ourselves. We need to be “post”-modern, this worldview argues, investing our time uncovering the ways religious and scientific people try to trick us into thinking they’re right.
New Spirituality. Life is about consciousness. With new spirituality, higher consciousness is at the core of reality, a force some people call “god.” Spirituality isn’t just a thing; it is the only thing.
Islam. Life is about conquering. A sixth-century nomad named Muhammad claimed that an angel revealed humanity’s need to unite around sincere worship of one God: Allah, in Arabic. Considering itself to be the one true religion, Islam teaches that we all are born Muslim (“those who submit”). Disbelief must be conquered through jihad
For more resources on understanding worldviews and their effects on the way we live out our faith, download this eBook and Summit’s Worldview Chart.
Who is Summit Ministries?
Summit Ministries exists to cultivate rising generations to resolutely champion a biblical worldview. We accomplish this in several ways.
Developing Free Worldview Resources
Hosting Student Conferences
Providing Curriculum for both Christian Schools and Homeschoolers
Developing Free Worldview Resources
We have a huge archive of worldview resources in the form of videos and articles. These are all developed from the standpoint of apologetics—providing a defense for the Christian faith and a biblical worldview.
Hosting Student Conferences
Every summer, hundreds of students attend one of our Student Conferences in Colorado, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee. During these conferences, students hear from some of the foremost minds in Christianity, as they learn to defend their faith and prepare for college. The result is hundreds of students who have taken ownership of their faith and know why they believe what they believe.
Providing Christian School and Homeschool Curriculum
Another way we encourage rising generations to stand strong in a biblical worldview is through providing bible curriculum for Christian Schools and Homeschools. Thousands of kids are using these tools to understand their faith (at an age-appropriate level) and then be ready with a defense of why they believe what they believe. The study of apologetics can begin at a young age, even though it will look differently than it does later on in life.
The Focus of Summit Ministries
We are focused on helping people approach and understand life from a Christian, biblical worldview. In our culture today, there are many competing worldviews that offer an explanation for the big questions in life. Through the study and application of apologetics, we provide a solid foundation for people to feel confident in a biblical worldview.
What Areas Does Summit Ministries study?
Answers for the biggest questions in life are being offered all around us. How do we sort through this barrage of assumptions and assertions? We have identified ten areas where the biblical worldview can guide our thinking and our behavior. These areas are woven into our homeschool curriculum right from the start, in ways that are age-appropriate.
Theology
Philosophy
Ethics
Biology
Psychology
Sociology
Law
Politics
Economics
History
These 10 areas provide a comprehensive worldview that is based on biblical principles. Through the consistent application of apologetics to these 10 topics, we teach people how to defend their faith with confidence.
Philosophy
Ethics
Biology
Psychology
Sociology
Law
Politics
Economics
History
These 10 areas provide a comprehensive worldview that is based on biblical principles. Through the consistent application of apologetics to these 10 topics, we teach people how to defend their faith with confidence.
The History of Summit Ministries
An alarming number of Christians stumble while in college and around half will renounce their faith because they simply do not have a defense for what they believe. David Noebel, our founder and former president, almost joined those statistics while he was a philosophy student at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Dr. Noebel founded Summit Ministries in 1962 to help ground Christians in their faith, thereby enabling them to face the barrage of challenges on college campuses.
Our home is a turn-of- the-century hotel (formerly known as The Grandview), luxurious by early 20th century standards. Around this hotel, we have built our home in a complex of buildings dubbed the Summit Village. This, our home base, is located in Manitou Springs, CO at the foot of Pike’s Peak.
From 1962 until 1988, we were a small series of camp-style conferences, hosting an average of 350 students each year. After sending his own son Ryan through our program, Dr. James Dobson featured Summit Ministries on the Focus on the Family radio program in 1989, which quickly grew our attendance exponentially.
Today, with our world-renowned faculty and under the direction of President Dr. Jeff Myers, we are viewed as one of the foremost leaders in training Christians in apologetics, worldview analysis, and social engagement.
A Biblical Worldview Has a Radical Effect on a Person’s Life
https://www.barna.com/research/a-biblical-worldview-has-a-radical-effect-on-a-persons-life/
December 2003
Any objective social analyst would conclude that the United States faces its fair share of moral and spiritual problems. A new research study from Barna Group suggests that a large share of the nation’s moral and spiritual challenges is directly attributable to the absence of a biblical worldview among Americans. Citing the findings from a just-completed national survey of 2033 adults that showed only 4% of adults have a biblical worldview as the basis of their decision-making, researcher George Barna described the outcome. “If Jesus Christ came to this planet as a model of how we ought to live, then our goal should be to act like Jesus. Sadly, few people consistently demonstrate the love, obedience and priorities of Jesus. The primary reason that people do not act like Jesus is because they do not think like Jesus. Behavior stems from what we think – our attitudes, beliefs, values and opinions. Although most people own a Bible and know some of its content, our research found that most Americans have little idea how to integrate core biblical principles to form a unified and meaningful response to the challenges and opportunities of life. We’re often more concerned with survival amidst chaos than with experiencing truth and significance.”
Not Just Any Worldview
The research indicated that everyone has a worldview, but relatively few people have a biblical worldview – even among devoutly religious people. The survey discovered that only 9% of born again Christians have such a perspective on life. The numbers were even lower among other religious classifications: Protestants (7%), adults who attend mainline Protestant churches (2%) and Catholics (less than one-half of 1%). The denominations that produced the highest proportions of adults with a biblical worldview were non-denominational Protestant churches (13%), Pentecostal churches (10%) and Baptist churches (8%).
Among the most prevalent alternative worldviews was postmodernism, which seemed to be the dominant perspective among the two youngest generations (i.e., the Busters and Mosaics).
For the purposes of the research, a biblical worldview was defined as believing that absolute moral truths exist; that such truth is defined by the Bible; and firm belief in six specific religious views. Those views were that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life; God is the all-powerful and all-knowing Creator of the universe and He stills rules it today; salvation is a gift from God and cannot be earned; Satan is real; a Christian has a responsibility to share their faith in Christ with other people; and the Bible is accurate in all of its teachings.
The Difference a Biblical Worldview Makes
One of the most striking insights from the research was the influence of such a way of thinking upon people’s behavior. Adults with a biblical worldview possessed radically different views on morality, held divergent religious beliefs, and demonstrated vastly different lifestyle choices.
People’s views on morally acceptable behavior are deeply impacted by their worldview. Upon comparing the perspectives of those who have a biblical worldview with those who do not, the former group were 31 times less likely to accept cohabitation (2% versus 62%, respectively); 18 times less likely to endorse drunkenness (2% versus 36%); 15 times less likely to condone gay sex (2% versus 31%); 12 times less likely to accept profanity 3% versus 37%); and 11 times less likely to describe adultery as morally acceptable (4% versus 44%). In addition, less than one-half of one percent of those with a biblical worldview said voluntary exposure to pornography was morally acceptable (compared to 39% of other adults), and a similarly miniscule proportion endorsed abortion (compared to 46% of adults who lack a biblical worldview).
Among the more intriguing lifestyle differences were the lesser propensity for those with a biblical worldview to gamble (they were eight times less likely to buy lottery tickets and 17 times less likely to place bets); to get drunk (three times less likely); and to view pornography (two times less common). They were also twice as likely to have discussed spiritual matters with other people in the past month and twice as likely to have fasted for religious reasons during the preceding month. While one out of every eight adults who lack a biblical worldview had sexual relations with someone other than their spouse during the prior month, less than one out of every 100 individuals who have such a worldview had done so.
Some Groups Are More Likely to Have a Biblical Worldview
Adults who have a biblical worldview possessed a somewhat different demographic profile than those who did not. For instance, individuals who attended college were much more likely than those who did not to have this perspective (6% versus 2%, respectively). Married adults were more than twice as likely as adults who had never been wed to hold such a worldview (5% versus 2%). Whites (5%) were slightly more likely than either blacks (3%) or Hispanics (3%) to hold this ideology. One of the largest gaps was between Republicans (10% of whom had a biblical worldview), Independents (2%) and Democrats (1%).
Residents of Texas and North Carolina were more likely than people in other states to have a biblical worldview. Among the states in which such a worldview was least common were Louisiana and the six states in New England. The nation’s largest state – California – was average (i.e., 4% of its residents had a biblical worldview).
Attributes such as gender, age and household income showed no statistical relationship to the possession of a biblical worldview.
Some Churches Are Helping People
The research found that one of the most effective methods of enabling people to develop a biblical worldview is by addressing seven critical questions that consistently lead to beliefs and behaviors that are in tune with biblical teaching. Outlining that process in a new book he has written as an outgrowth of the research, entitled Think Like Jesus, Barna also noted that many churches are already helping their congregants to implement such a way of addressing daily challenges and opportunities.
“The emphasis of these churches is to not only teach biblical perspectives,” according to Barna, “but also to help people connect the dots of the core principles taught. Rather than simply provide people with good material and hope they figure out what to do with it, these are churches whose services, programs, events and relationships are geared to weaving a limited number of foundational biblical principles into a way of responding to every life situation. The goal is to facilitate a means of interpreting and responding to every life situation that is consistent with God’s expectations. These are not perfect people, but once they catch on to the critical principles found in the Bible and train their minds to incorporate those views into their thinking, their behavior varies noticeably from the norm.”
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Getting Through Tough Times—Rediscovering Joy
By Peter Amsterdam
Audio length: 20:02
Download Audio (18.3MB)
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Over the years we each face seasons where the struggles of life can seem overwhelming, and the end of that cycle doesn’t appear to be anywhere in sight. We can feel like we’re stuck, and a sense of boredom or tediousness can set in, or a lack of joy. Someone I communicate with described it like this:
Sometimes it can feel as if the joy has been sucked out of your life and you’re now on autopilot, just going through the humdrum motions, day after day. You know what you need to do, but you don’t want to do it. You’re not in the mood. You’re in a funk. You don’t have the motivation to move forward. You feel grumpy and negative about yourself, and you wonder if you’ll ever get your motivation and joy back.
I realized recently that being bored can become a habit. You get used to it and kind of resign yourself to a boring existence. Then you stop trying. Your flame of enthusiasm becomes a little ember that’s just flickering. You kind of die inside.
When you’re feeling this way, it’s easy to default to available, comfortable, feel-good pastimes, such as binge watching, gaming, drinking, etc. You may find yourself spending more and more time in these activities, but still not feeling much better.
Maybe you can relate somewhat to that description, or maybe not. Such feelings are understandable, but the good news is that no matter what our circumstances and what losses we have sustained or what season of life we find ourselves in, we can rediscover our joy!
It’s important to remind ourselves that Jesus is the source of our joy. Knowing Him, staying close to Him and His Word, being filled with the Holy Spirit, and walking in obedience to our calling can infuse our lives with joy that is not dependent on physical circumstances.
We read this in Psalm 43:3, “Send out your light and your truth; let them guide me. Let them lead me to your holy mountain, to the place where you live.” [The psalmist] sought after God, then committed to praise and trust Him no matter what, which is what we read in the next verse, “There I will go to the altar of God, to God—the source of all my joy. I will praise you with my harp, O God, my God!” (Psalm 43:4).
Despite his heartache and overwhelming emotions, the psalmist remembered God truly was his only help and that GOD was always there, never forsaking him even when it felt like it.
If you’re feeling forgotten, by others or by God, let your hope swell and your joy return by intentionally believing that God will never leave you and is always by your side. Make a commitment to focus on God’s presence and the blessings He has given you, and let God be the source of your joy.—Tracie Miles1
And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.—Acts 13:52
The joy of the Lord is your strength.—Nehemiah 8:10
The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.—Psalm 126:3
Besides centering our lives on the Lord and His Word, and seeking to be filled with His Spirit, there are also practical “joy boosters”; that is, practical approaches that we can implement to enhance or recapture our joy. Let’s look at some ways in which we might do that. I’ll note a few ideas here, but this is by no means a complete list. If you’ll take some time to think and pray about this, the Lord can give you ideas that will work well for you personally.
Notice the little things. Try to pay attention to even brief moments that bring joy; these could be the result of little things. Take a moment to intentionally thank and praise the Lord for the little wonders that inspire you. Once you are aware of the things that produce joy, think about how you can intentionally build more of those moments into your life.
It could be such things as hearing a baby laugh, seeing a beautiful butterfly or playful puppy, laughing at a joke, eating a delicious dessert, hearing a beautiful song, or feeling invigorated after a walk or exercise session, creating or appreciating a work of art, and so on. Let small things bring you joy!
Many people are so disconnected from joy that they aren’t even really familiar with what joy feels like in their body or what types of things bring them joy. A joy journal is a good place to start: Pay attention for a week or two to all the moments when you find yourself smiling or laughing or feeling a sense of joy wash over you. Notice where you are, whom you’re with, and what you’re doing—those can all be clues to the kinds of things that might bring you more joy. ... The goal is to notice them, and once you notice what is causing them, you can re-create those conditions in your life.2
Allow time to do what brings you joy. Maybe some of the things you enjoy doing don’t seem important enough to take the time; it’s not a priority. Perhaps it feels like a self-indulgent waste of time or a distraction to your more important goals. But it is important to consciously make time and space to enjoy life as you are able.
Take a minute to remember what you used to love to do and find a way to pick it up again. If things are different now and that activity is not possible, or you find that it doesn’t “bring you joy” now, try something else. Just try! When you’re in a blah state of mind, you often can’t think of anything that would make you feel better, but don’t resign yourself to that mindset. Stir yourself up, give yourself some time, find something you like to do and enjoy it!
Make a difference. No matter how limited your circumstances, there is always something you can do to make things better. And making things better can give you a sense of fulfilment and enjoyment. Doing something for someone else, even something small, can bring you both joy. One of you shared the following, which I think illustrates this point well. She wrote:
I had just read “Willie and the Five-Minute Favor” by Iris Richard (in Kenya) in the July 2021 Activated mag.3 In the testimony Iris said:
We were just finishing up the distribution of 50 ten-kilo care packages to poor people … at the edge of one of the largest slums in East Africa.
Happy to have completed the project, I turned to leave when my colleague Sally held up the last package, saying, “Before we close, let’s quickly deliver this one to Willie up the hill. He isn’t able to walk down here.”
I was tired and sweaty, and my back ached. … I was about to postpone this task for another time when I remembered my new resolution of “five-minute favors,” which was inspired by something I read online:
“Want to make the world a better place? … Enter the five-minute favor concept that is no more complicated than its name alludes: take five minutes out of your day to do something that’ll benefit another person. … It doesn’t cost you much, but it can make a big difference in somebody’s life.”
Iris went on to explain how she decided to make the climb to deliver the care package to this needy man. He was alone in a one-room shack. His house had been destroyed in a flood, he had lost his leg in a hit-and-run accident, and consequently, he had lost his job.
She wrote: “Willie received our care package with a big smile. ‘God sent you!’ he said, and a tear ran down his cheek. … ‘I found new hope and purpose because of you,’ Willie said, when donated items for his new little roadside business were delivered by well-wishers.”
I was so touched by that testimony that I decided that I would also incorporate the idea of the “five-minute favor” in my life. I don’t live in Africa or have a ministry with the very poor, but I figured I’d give it a shot. I needed a new challenge, I was bored.
Soon after this commitment, I went to the grocery store. To give a bit of the back story: In a previous visit to this store a week or two earlier I had been trying to make a return at the customer service desk. I was having trouble with the transaction as I didn’t have my glasses and I kept entering the credit card number incorrectly. I noticed I was being attended to by the store manager. The store was busy. While helping me, the manager was constantly approached by all kinds of people—customers, employees, suppliers, etc., and he was kind and polite with each one. He kept smiling as he’d turn to me and with a kind voice say, “Shall we try it again?” He never once lost his composure or seemed bothered at all.
While at the store on this recent occasion, I walked by the manager, and I thought, “Ah, here’s an opportunity for a five-minute favor.” But I quickly started to talk myself out of it. “I’m in a hurry. And besides, he’s busy.”
But no! I turned around and walked up to him and asked, “Are you the manager?” His serene expression quickly changed, and he got a concerned look on his face that seemed to say, “Oh no, what’s wrong now?!”
I reminded him of our previous encounter. He immediately looked relieved. Then I said, “I just want to compliment you on your kindness. You make a difference in people’s lives every day with the patience and consideration you show and with that constant smile of yours.”
He was literally speechless! After a few seconds, all he could say was, “Oh wow! Thank you for telling me.”
That was it. This just took a couple of minutes, but it made a difference not only for him but for me, too. I felt a sense of joy. I felt like that tiny thing meant something! I enthusiastically told my friends about this. The “five-minute favor”—I highly recommend it!
Take inventory of what saps your joy. Happiness can be circumstantial and fleeting, but joy is a gift from God, and we can have joy even in difficult circumstances. “The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). But it’s important to realize that there may be things in our lives that steal our joy. Those are sometimes referred to as “killjoys.” Here is an excerpt of a helpful article:
Life, even for the best of us, has its ups and downs. That is not going to change, but there is a way to make the “ups” far more common than the “downs.” The key is to strive for joy rather than happiness.
The difference between the two is significant. Happiness is based on circumstances. If things are going well, we are happy; if they’re not, we are unhappy. Unfortunately, circumstances in today’s world are usually poor, so happiness is becoming more and more elusive.
Joy, on the other hand, is not tied to circumstances. Rather, it is the positive confidence one feels from knowing and trusting God regardless of circumstances. Joy is a key component of what Galatians 5 calls the “fruit of the Spirit.” It is a gift from God, but we must prepare our hearts to receive it by first identifying and eliminating those things that are robbing us of joy. There are three primary killjoys: selfishness, resentment, and fear.4
As we walk through life, we will deepen our relationship with the Lord through the suffering and difficulties we endured. By God’s grace, we will be more mindful of our blessings and more appreciative of our family and friends and God’s abundant grace and supply.
It is important that we not allow any negative emotions, thoughts, or moods to take hold in our lives. The killjoys mentioned—selfishness, resentment, and fear—can grow with time and become habits or automatic reactions. If you have allowed any of these killjoys to take root in your life, it’s important to take the time to seek the Lord, study the Word, and ask for His forgiveness. You can have a fresh start beginning today! The Lord can cleanse your mind and spirit and fill you with His joy.
When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.—Psalm 94:19
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.—Romans 15:13
Trials and tribulations can be a Beauty for Ashes experience that can cause us to reevaluate our lives and priorities. Painful times can prompt us to open our hearts to the Lord, helping us to discover valuable truths that we might have missed otherwise. It’s a great time to ask yourself and seek the Lord, “Is there any area I need to change in? Or is any course correction needed in my life?”
Remember that the source of our joy is Jesus. In the world, happiness is often associated with appearance, wealth, relationships, possessions, etc. The message the world is sending is that happiness comes from outside ourselves. We’re bombarded with messages that circumstances control our sense of joy. But in reality, our joy comes from Jesus. Love, joy, and peace are all fruits of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the source of our joy! As we seek the Lord and allow the Holy Spirit to reign in our lives, we can rediscover our joy. Praise the Lord!
Yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.—Habakkuk 3:18
They lift up their voice; together they sing for joy; for eye to eye they see the return of the Lord to Zion.—Isaiah 52:8
Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.—1 Peter 1:8–9
Read by John Laurence.
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