Christian Case-Making
in a Modern World
Apologetics 101
What in the World is a Worldview?
A worldview is a set of beliefs and practices that shape a person’s approach to the most important issues in life. It is the interpretive lens/glasses/prism through which you see life. It guides your life's direction and grounds your ultimate concerns and values. A good worldview gives answers to the "Big Questions of Life".
The Big Questions of Life
A good worldview gives answers, or guides our search.
- What kind of God, if any, actually exists?
- Is there anything beyond the cosmos?
- What can be known and how can anyone know it?
- Where did I come from?
- Who am I ?
- Where am I?
- How should I live?
- What should I consider of great worth?
- What is humanity's fundamental problem?
- How can humanity's problem be solved?
- What is the meaning and direction of history?
- Will I survive the death of my body and, if so, in what state?
Where Does Our Culture Stand?
Sadly, as we will see, most people do not even hold the foundational truths of Christianity to be true anymore. In the first national study since the 2020 pandemic, the Barna Group did a worldview survey with some surprising results. Sadly, those holding to a Christian worldview have dwindled even further.Defining a Christian Worldview
- Believing that absolute/objective moral truth exists and can be found in the Bible.
- The Bible is accurate in all it teaches
- Satan is considered to be a real being or force, not merely symbolic
- A person cannot earn their way into Heaven by trying to be good or do good works (i.e. salvation is a gift from God)
- Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth
- God is the all-knowing, all-powerful creator of the world who still rules the universe today
- Christians have a duty to share their faith in Christ with other people.
Some Surprising Results (as of 2023)
- While 68% of Americans still self-identified as Christians
- Only 4% of all American adults have a biblical worldview. Barna calls this an Integrated Disciple.
- Only 14% of all American adults even hold to a "substantial number of beliefs and behaviors" consistent with a biblical worldview. (i.e. an Emergent Follower)
- Most Americans (82%) generally believe and act in ways that are distinct from biblical teaching. (i.e. a World Citizen)
- Virtually every demographic category has seen significant declines, including "born-again Christians", who are down 6% to 13% holding a biblical worldview. This group is defined as believing they will go to heaven when they die, but only if they confess their sins and accept Jesus as their Savior.
- Young people are very isolated from biblical beliefs, and unsurprisingly are the most aggressive in opposing and rejecting those principles in culture, politics, and laws. Age is a consistent factor in correlating Christian beliefs.
- Interestingly, formal education showed little correlation to having a Christian worldview, though there was a slight trend upward for those who finished college over those who didn't.
- With respect to politics, those who are consistently
- Conservative - 12% are Integrated Disciples
- Moderate - 2% have a biblical worldview
- Liberal/progressive - 1% have a biblical worldview
Other Common Worldviews
Obviously, the Christian worldview is not the only one. But when looking to build yours, you need to compare and contrast it with opposing beliefs, examining the explanatory power and scope. In other words, which one gives the best overall explanation of reality. Others include:
- Naturalism - the philosophical belief that everyone and everything in the universe has a physical cause and that there is no supernatural or spiritual reality.
- Post-modernism - this is grounded in the idea that there is no objective truth, at least that can be known (i.e. it embraces subjective or relativistic truth). It is very skeptical of grand narratives and is sometimes called the worldview that rejects all worldviews.
- Pantheism - the belief that God is everything and that everything is God. We are God but don't realize it.
I hope to cover some of these, and possibly others, in depth at a later point.
Worldview Tests
When considering, or testing, a worldview, here are a few ways to approach it:
- Is it logically consistent? Does it make sense?
- Does it have a good balance of explanatory power and scope, without being overly simplistic or unduly complex?
- Does it actually match our understanding of reality, both physically and spiritually?
- Is it testable? Is there good evidence for or against it (even in principle)?
- Is it liveable in actuality?
How do I Build a Christian Worldview
Objective Truth matters. A worldview based on moral relativism has no foundation. Beliefs have a direct impact on people's behavior and lifestyles.Discovering Truth
Truth is something we should all seek. It can be discovered or known. Unlike the Postmodern worldview, the Christian worldview holds that reality is "out there", and that truth is not simply relative to the person and that it is knowable. That does not mean, however, that we can exhaustively know everything, even if it is theoretically knowable. And we can actually come to wrong conclusions, and be wrong, so humility is required too. Before you start your search for Truth, you should ask yourself whether or not you are willing to follow the evidence wherever it leads. If your biases are such that you will reject the evidence or refuse to give honest consideration to the facts, then you might as well not bother. Regardless of their starting worldview, the truth seeker will at least consider the evidence from the viewpoint of those holding opposing views. Willful ignorance or stubborn insistence on being "right" will be a stumbling block to the search for truth. Most people would agree that all people have dignity and worth. The Christian worldview grounds this belief in the fact that we are created in the Image of God, and thus have inherent value. However, it is a fallacy to assume that because of this status, criticizing the actions of a person or challenging their deeply held beliefs is out of bounds.Relational Discipleship
It is not good enough to just gather knowledge. Rather we need to be trained to be able to answer the tough worldview questions for ourselves and others. When people can connect the dots between their core beliefs, then they have a firm foundation for building out their worldview. Integration of worldview beliefs into daily lives and interactions with others is paramount. This is best done in a small group, or one on one, environment.
Reject Relativism
At the root, this is a worldview issue. Embracing a relativistic view of morality greatly influences one's actions, politics, and beliefs. Under relativism, morality is defined by either the self, groups, or the broader culture. There can be no objective set of moral standards with regards to sexuality, personal behavior, or social interactions.
Is there any common ground? Because this is a war of worldviews, it is hard. If one side cannot agree with the other that truth even exists, or can be discovered, then what common truth can be agreed upon? When the moral relativists can't even justify why human beings have intrinsic dignity, value, and worth, how can that become a grounding principle? The Christian worldview recognizes the inherent dignity and moral worth of all human beings, from beginning of life to the end, because we are all created in the Image of God. We are all broken because of our rebellion against our Creator, but we are valuable regardless of how we have fallen.
For example, if a definition of "justice" makes distinctions between people, especially in the Church, based principally on classes they belong to (e.g. race, sexual identity, legal status, wealth/social status, historical oppressed/oppressor groups, or other intersectionality), then it is not based on the Christian worldview and is not biblical justice. This view of identity is not compatible with the biblical worldview. All people in the Church need to be held to the same biblical standards of morality, and exceptions should not be made based on their identity or supposed victimhood status.
Takeaways
- People act as they believe (i.e. their worldview).
- A worldview is how a person, or even a culture, views reality and their place in it.
- Influences from entertainment, government, media, and education have a strong impact.
- Worldviews are best developed in relationships with others, where honest questions can be asked and answered.
Recommended Resources
A World of Difference by Ken Samples (website)
Testing Worldviews Reasons to Believe
