What exactly is a worldview?
Your worldview is a large part of your culture. (Beliefs,
Customs, Norms and Values for a given group of people… essentially it is the
reason why they do what they do.)
From the time you were an infant you have been
trained in your cultures norms and values. You are trained to process
information, interpret events, and even make choices in life that correlate
with your worldview. As a result, your worldview is, literally, how you view
the world. More specifically, it is like a filter that you view the world
through. Because of this training, you will respond to any given event in a
manner that matches your worldview. Even how you think about certain issues will
match that worldview.
This is why having the right worldview is important
for the Christian. We are surrounded by influences that conflict with a
Christian worldview; Humanism, Hedonism, false religion… anything that teaches
that man should lift himself above God, when the clear command is “Casting
down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge
of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ…”
(II Corinthians 10:5)
If we view things in the world through the world’s
definitions, then they become our normal, but if we view them through God’s
definitions, found in His Word… THAT is our normal.
Consider “success” and how it is viewed by the
world; usually based on the attainment of wealth, position, and things of that
nature. How is success viewed by God? “…whosoever will be great among you,
let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be
your servant…” (Matthew 20:26-27) Pretty well the exact opposite.
My point is this: we must work to cultivate a
Christian worldview in ourselves and our children. Consider some of the hot
topics in the news of today: Marriage, Divorce, Abortion, Drugs, Homosexuality,
or even Welfare. Why do we see a leaning away from Biblical principles in these
areas? Simply because the people that are deciding how our society should
handle these things are looking at them through the lens of a Humanist
worldview.
Ask yourself, how are YOU looking at these issues?
Are you looking at them through the lens of the Bible? Through a Christian
worldview? Or are ignoring or excusing away the Word of God and looking at these
issues like everyone else?
