Can you be a Christian and not have a Christian worldview?
“Christian” is a position, a state of being saved through acknowledgement of our sinful state and separation from God, acceptance of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross to reconcile us with God, and subsequent resurrection with him into a new life. It is the crossing from the old life into the new. It is both an instantaneous thing and a daily submission.
“Christian worldview” is a set of beliefs about reality, based on knowledge of the Bible, which is God’s instruction to his people about who He is and how we should live. It is the lens through which we view and interpret the world, its people and events. It is developed over time and with training and study.
Not all Christians have a Christian worldview, and it shows.
This is a major problem in the church today and the cause of much of the division we see among Christians, the reason many young people leave the faith, and the source of much pain and confusion.
For several generations now, the majority of children have been educated in the public education system, which has become increasingly – now aggressively – secular, impressing that mindset on its students. Children are forced to toe the line and regurgitate ideas and theories masquerading as facts, often in blatant opposition to the beliefs of their parents and faith communities.
Unless a Christian family, hand in hand with the church, deliberately takes the time and effort to counter that influence with Christian worldview teaching and training, then the secular mindset is absorbed, and the Christian message and witness becomes diluted.
What is a Christian (also called Biblical) worldview?
It is a framework of beliefs about what is true, good, right, and just, through which we view and interpret the world. For instance, a Christian worldview begins with the belief that God is real and personal; Jesus, who is God the Son, is also real and he bridges the divide between God and man that is caused by sin; and the Bible is God’s message to his us. Other things flow from that – all people are created in the image of God and therefore are inherently valuable. Each of us is created for a purpose. There is objective truth that is true for all people in all times. Morality comes from God, not the whim of man. And so on.
Many Christians are being swept into a secular way of thinking because they don’t have solid knowledge of the Bible through which to filter the information they are bombarded with. It is also true that some Christians will choose to discard their Biblical worldview and replace it with another. That comes along with free will; it also comes at great cost.
There are some excellent Christian Worldview materials and resources available. I can suggest sources that I have used. I hope more Christians will feel compelled to grow in this area, and to truly be a light in the darkness of this world.
WORLD Newsgroup (WORLD Magazine, WORLD Teen, WORLD Kids, God’s Big World)
The Colson Center for Worldview Studies / Breakpoint
Thanks for reading today. I hope you’ll come back soon.
Seek Truth.
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John 8:31-32 Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
