What's Your Worldview?

Hello Basilea!

A few weeks ago some of you may remember that Pastor Huey preached about reaching out to the youth in our church, and he mentioned in his sermon that many of his kids asked him some deep theological questions, such as "How do you know the Bible is true?" and "Did the exodus really happen?" That prompted me to write a blog about "worldview". First of all, what is worldview? Well, I tried looking the word up in Webster's online dictionary but there was no formal definition. However, you can guess from breaking down the word that it means your view of the world. In other words, your worldview defines how you look at life; everything from where you think we came from to what happens when we die and everything in between. Whether you realize it or not, we all have a certain worldview that was shaped and influenced by parents, teachers, friends/peers, culture, church, etc.

Now, why is this important? For one thing, many young people (including our own youth group members) are asking very profound questions and are challenging many basic assumptions we have taken for granted in the church, such as the authority of the Bible. Why? Because they are forming their own worldview by asking these questions, and if they are not answered Biblically with apologetics to back them up, then most likely they will turn to other sources outside the church to have their questions answered, such as the public schools, secular friends, and the popular media.

I used to think that I was playing it cool by not being too zealous for God. I wanted the best of both worlds by being neither hot for God nor cold in the world. I wanted God's protection & eternal security, but at the same time enjoy the comforts of living a sinful life. However, when it came to professing my beliefs (worldview) to other people I realized that there was no room to be in the middle...I professed either a Biblical worldview or I didn't. I couldn't say (in my good counscience) that I believed in God and at the same time say that it was okay to be in a sexual relationship with someone as long as you loved them.

So, where am I going with all this? First, as individuals we need to examine what our own worldviews are. Are they Biblical or secular? If they are somewhere in between, chances are they are not Biblical and you need to examine your relationship with Jesus Christ. Secondly, we need to realize that it is never too early to develop a worldview. We have a responsibility to teach the younger ones not only about the Bible but be able to answer WHY we believe in it, and not simply say "Because the Bible says so". Children are not as naive as we may think. Third, we need to recognize that worldview determines behavior. This is true and we see it everyday in our society. Whether someone is shot to death needlessly or a baby is aborted out of convenience, these actions did not happen out of a vacuum; they were influenced by someone's beliefs or worldview.

So, that is my take. What do you think? Is worldview important? Is it our job as Christians to study apologetics and be able to answer people with deep theological questions, or is that job for pastors and evangelists only?

Peace!

p.s. - For those interested in reading more about worldview, I recommend an excellent book written by Chuck Colson entitled "How Now Shall We Live?" It was written almost 10 years ago, but many things he wrote in the book is still relevant today. I have a copy and can lend it to anyone interested.