A Pressing Subject
Throughout my time in writing on this blog I have mentioned the term “worldview” on more than one occasion. Undoubtedly, I will continue to mention it as this term is quite pivotal for us to understand. Dr. Greg Bahnsen described the term worldview in this way:
“Everybody has what can be called a “worldview,” a perspective in terms of which they see everything and understand their perceptions and feelings. A worldview is a network of related presuppositions in terms of which every aspect of man’s knowledge and awareness is interpreted.”1
This topic of worldview is often something I find my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ being confused about in their life. So, this is my humble attempt to provide clarity. When we consider Christianity we must understand it is not just a statement about one or two truths, it is the truth about all reality. Scripture speaks about the doctrine of the atonement and politics. God has revealed what justice is in His Word and has also shown us the true Gospel. My point is that every single area of your life is to be in accordance with a Christian worldview. You must not disconnect your Christianity from your job any more than you should from your attendance in church. We are called to glorify Christ in all things (1 Corinthians 10:31). When defending the sanctity of life against abortion, you and I must be decidedly biblical in our approach. This point is where many individuals are confused.
A Modest Attempt At Deconfusion
Often times pastors, theologians, and apologists will make a pointed statement and say that Christianity is the only worldview which can provide a foundation for truth and morality and everything else. It is the only worldview which can provide a logical, rational, and true explanation for reality. This statement is true. All of the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are in Christ (Colossians 2:3). Paul’s statement to that effect is all-encompassing, he does not say some treasures, but all of them! Consequently, any truth we find is God’s truth and only the Christian worldview can provide a foundation for that fact.
Take the laws of logic as an example. Are Christians the only ones who believe in the laws of logic? Absolutely they are not! Atheists believe in logic, muslims believe in logic, all individuals from various worldviews believe in logic. In fact, I would go so far as to say that every human being regardless of whether or not they will admit it actually believes in the laws of logic. Every person believes in the law of noncontradiction. For example, the statements I am 22 and I am 25 cannot both true about the same person at the same time because there would be a contradiction. We understand this basic principle and it is universally true.
When evaluating worldviews we have to ask the question, “why do the laws of logic exist?” An atheist will profess to believe in the laws of logic, but can they provide a foundation for their existence in their worldview? The clear answer to that question is no! If the universe was pure physical, then why would we have immaterial things such as the laws of logic? So, Mr. Atheist uses the laws of logic but cannot explain why they exist thus proving his worldview to be false. However, the Christian worldview can provide the only foundation for the laws of logic because God exists. Scripture reveals the one true God to us and this logic is grounded in Him.
Now, a good objection to my post at this point would be to say, “ok, so you have shown how logic is grounded in God but why can’t it be the Islamic god or the god of polytheism?” As Dr. Jason Lisle has shown, it is irrational to think that there would be a single set of laws of logic if there is more than one God and the Quaran itself says there is nothing comparable to Allah in human experience thereby showing laws of logic cannot be grounded in him. Christianity is the only worldview which provides a foundation for the laws of logic. It is correct to make that assertion, it would be incorrect to say that only Christians profess belief in laws of logic.
The Application of This Principle
Since Christianity is the only worldview which provides a foundation for reality, we as Christians should seek to understand everything in light of biblical truth. When seeking to grow a garden we should do so according to Christian principles (i.e. steward creation well, work hard, etc.). The way we think about politics should be grounded in the revelation of God in the Bible. Our understanding of family should be rooted in the Scripture. Thus, the application of a Christian worldview is to think biblically about all of life and live for the glory of Christ in every realm. This principle is vital and we must be obedient to it as Christians. We must stand firm upon Christ’s revelation in His Word which is the only truthful worldview. It is our duty to apply biblical truth in all of life for the glory of Christ the Lord.
Sources
1 Greg Bahnsen, Always Ready, p. 119.
Leave a Reply