Mar 15, 2011
The Importance of Our Christian Worldview
“You are a king, then!” said Pilate.
Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
“What is truth?” retorted Pilate. ~ John 18: 37 – 38a NIV
The Roman governor looked at the condemned prisoner standing before him and asked, “What is truth?” Jesus had just told Pilate that He had come into the world to bear witness to the truth. What Pilate did not realize was that standing before him was the very Author of truth Himself.
In John 14:6 Jesus declared “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” How you and I view this statement and others in the Scriptures impacts our lives, our relationship with God and our eternal destiny.
Recently, Sus took a graduate-level course, “Christian Worldview,” through Campus Crusade’s Institute of Biblical Studies; all our staff, both field and headquarters, are now required to complete eleven courses in advanced Biblical studies to equip them for ministry in today’s world. During the worldview class Sus learned that everyone essentially has a worldview (whether they know it or not) which determines what they believe about God, truth, eternal life, the nature of Man, who is Christ, and much more. Their worldview is the foundation explaining the “why” behind what you may see that person (or a group of people) doing.
Perhaps you have heard the term “postmodern.” This is a philosophy that has run rampant on our college campuses and in our culture for a number of years. Postmodernists do not believe in absolute truth; rather they believe truth can be defined by each individual. They would view Jesus’ statement in John 14:6 either as intolerant or only meaningful for those who chose to believe in Christ.
Christians need to know their worldview. We need to be aware of and acknowledge the power of God in the spiritual realm. We need to have a natural history that honors God as Creator as an alternative to the secularism of our American culture. Finally, we also need to know and share God’s overarching plan revealed to us through the Bible and throughout history with believers and nonbelievers. Mike’s office team just completed The Truth Project (at thetruthproject.org) and recommends this video series for learning a Christian worldview.
During this course, Sus was able to learn about different religious and philosophical trends that form the majority of worldviews today. She also learned some practical tools to help discern a person’s worldview, which affects how to approach them with the gospel. In our next newsletter we will share how she used this approach with three young adult nonbelievers. She was also encouraged that her blogging, as an evangelistic storyteller, is a culturally relevant way to connect the reader’s needs to God’s story.
Thank you so much for your prayers for us. We thank God for you and for the role you play in our ministry!
Follow
Visit
Mar 16, 2011 @ 05:44:45
We are just finishing up a Sunday school class on Chuck Colson’s new book about a Christian worldview. I do believe it is one of the big factors in determining how effective we are for Him. If we can’t articulate or know what our worldview is then we can’t effectively communicate it to anyone!
Mar 16, 2011 @ 06:10:41
Hi, Kathy,
Thanks for commenting! I agree and Chuck Colson is a good source. Mike regularly reads articles from Breakpoint. (http://www.breakpoint.org/tp-home)
I also learned in the class how important it is to know the worldview of the other person. Thirty or forty years ago, we could assume most people have some kind of Christian-influenced perspective, but not so anymore.
Feb 13, 2012 @ 00:18:00
Thanks for your article. We definitely have a Christian Worldview and try to portray it on the blog. http://Leesbird.com It is called Birdwatching From a Christian Perspective. May only be about birds, but Christ is honored here through His Creation.
Thanks for visiting.
Feb 13, 2012 @ 09:05:56
Thanks for reading and commenting, Lee.
I’ll be visiting your blog for birding tips and creation links. I’m going to carve some time out of my busy schedule next month and do some birding during the spring migration.