BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW
I recently have been challenged by this idea of our perception of reality and how we as Christians define this reality. For so many of us this reality is defined by our culture, family, friends, and of course church. The lens in which we see our world is obstructed by all these streams that come filtering through our understanding of reality. Although not all bad they do affect our understanding of the world around us.
NT Wright states “Worldviews are the basic stuff of human existence, the lens through which the world is seen, the blueprint for how one should live in it, and above all the sense of identity and place which enable human beings to be what they are.”1
We see how intricate worldview is in our understanding of how we interpret and therefore act in life. As Christians we should ask what is defining and molding our worldview and what are the implications of that worldview in our life?
I have been humbled to realize that for so many of us the Word of God is not at the center of our perception of the world around us. The sad statistics are that only 5% of Adults have a Biblical Worldview.2 The sorrow that comes with that statistic and the reality that our actions and the way we live are not based off of a Biblical Standard. If they are not based off of God and how he defines our reality what is the root of the way we live. Barna Group did another study showing that only 16% of adults claim to make moral decisions based off of the Bible.3
What is the compass that guides us anymore?
As I began to study the connection between worldview, one thing became apparent is that our theology or in simpler terms our understanding of who God is defines the reality of the world we perceive. What we believe will affect the way we live.
But are we as Christians having a Biblical Worldview and if not who or what are we allowing to define our reality of the world?
I have come across this as we have been teaching in the School of Biblical Studies and as I myself have been challenged with some of the hard concepts of the Bible is that it is sometimes easier to change God than to change my beliefs. And why do we as creation always have this desire to define the Creator? How does the lesser define the greater?
Are we as the body of Christ willing to lay down our own philosophies or what makes us as people feel safe or comforted or how we define what is good and just and allow God to define those things? Or are we all to willing to change the God of the Bible to the reality that fits us?
I am challenged as I write this in my understanding of so many things when it comes to who God is and how my understanding of Him affects the way I live because I know that each day I fall and each day He teaches me His goodness and faithfulness in my weakness.
I want us as Christians though to have a worldview that continues to be sanctified by the Word and that our reality is not molded by emotion or culture but rather by the One who made this world. Are we willing to look at the implication of our beliefs and how they have influence and bear fruit in the world around us?
1 N.T. Wright. “The New Testament and the People of God.”
2 "Most Adults Feel Accepted by God, But Lack a Biblical Worldview." The Barna Group - Barna Update. Barna Group, 9 Aug. 2009. Web. 12 Jan. 2012. <http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/5-barna-update/174-most-adults-feel-accepted-by-god-but- lack-a-biblical-worldview?q=bible>.
3 "Most Adults Feel Accepted by God, But Lack a Biblical Worldview." The Barna Group - Barna Update. Barna Group, 9 Aug. 2009. Web. 12 Jan. 2012. <http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/5-barna-update/174-most-adults-feel-accepted-by-god-but- lack-a-biblical-worldview?q=bible>.
