ChristianWorldview.com Essays

What is the “Christian worldview”?

noreply@blogger.com (Ben Tackett) — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 23:28:00 +0000

Chuck Colson once suggested that when we hear the phrase “Christian worldview” we think of men in tweed blazers, smoking pipes and discussing philosophy in ivy-covered buildings. In a similar vein, I sat in a sunday school class, a good class mind you, which went through a series of lessons on “the christian worldview.” The lessons were about abortion, politics and apologetics. I'm sure they were good lessons and were taught from a christian worldview. Yet the Christian worldview is not limited to these subjects.

Another understanding of a christian worldview, a twisted understanding, was expressed by a friend who told me he liked to watch godless movies because, he said, “I have a Christian worldview.” I'm not condemning R-rated movies, I'm just trying to figure out the connection between "having a christian view" and enjoying inappropriate movies.

The Christian worldview is first and foremost Christ's view of the world. Jesus Christ is the prophet. He is the final source of authority. He is the word of God (John 1), who best reveals God's thoughts and is the exact imprint of God's nature (Hebrews 1:1-4).

Second, the Christian worldview is Christ's view of the world. It sees all the cosmos as God's creation and therefore nothing is outside the realm of God's kingdom. This means that Christ is Lord of the political realm, he is the ruler of all the kings of the earth (Rev. 1:5). But at the heart of Christ's view of the world is its personal message. Each of us must "take every thought captive to obey Christ" (2 Cor 10:5). When we take every thought captive, our culture is positively affected and our laws reflect the goodness and justice of God. Yet that is a secondary effect of the growth of Christ's kingdom. The heart of his kingdom is the growth of his reign in the lives of every believer.

This was illustrated to me when I was a new believer. I remember recommending a book to a friend (I think it was The God You Can Know by Dan Dehaan). I was mystified by his response. He said something like “I'm not really into those kinds of books, that's your thing. I'm more into issues.” He focused on "christian worldview issues" more than on his personal devotion to Jesus Christ. On the other hand, Jesus, because he knew he was living in a God-saturated cosmos, "would withdraw to desolate places to pray" (Luke 5:16), often all through the night.

My friend entered the ministry and was somewhat successful. But I never forgot that he wasn't into books of a personal, devotional nature. It was the first thing I thought of when I learned a couple years later that he had abandoned faith in Christ.

It is all too easy to separate Christ's reign over politics and philosophy from Christ's personal reign in our lives. When we make this unbiblical divorce there is a real sense in which Christ ceases to be lord in the political & cultural realms. Also, when we do this we inevitably try to build Christ's kingdom with worldly wisdom rather than renewing the world through the power of the gospel.

The Cross both our example and our strength

noreply@blogger.com (Ben Tackett) — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 14:04:00 +0000

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:1-2

In the preface of his commentary on Romans, Luther has this to say on the relationship between faith and keeping the law:
St. Paul . . . calls as witness David, who says in Psalm 32 that a person becomes just without works but doesn't remain without works once he has become just.

We do this in the manner which Paul makes crystal clear in Galatians chapter three:
O foolish Galatians . . . Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh . . . or by hearing with faith?. It is in this context that Paul gives his list of the marvelous results of the Spirit in our lives: love, joy and peace (5:22). Similarly, Paul says to the believers in Rome:
To set the mind on the flesh is death. To set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace (Romans 8:6).

Setting our minds on the Spirit means focusing on God's promises in Christ. Setting our mind on the Spirit through faith enables us to walk in the presence and power of the Holy
Spirit. Without Him, we are left to our own spiritual resources.

As the mind set on the flesh is death, so the mind set on the law is powerless against death. Even if we are meditating on how the law reflects the character of God or meditating on how love is the summary and perfection of the law, yet we are powerless before it, without God's Spirit. We stand condemned, especially if perfect love is our standard of behavior.

Setting our mind on the Spirit means we consider how perfect love acts toward us. The One who is a raging fire of infinite love, Himself breaks through the stone-wall-condemnation of our un-love. We walk in the Spirit when we take hold of these promises of Christ by faith.

By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us . . . who walk according to the Spirit.

If we approach the death of Christ from a strictly moralistic perspective, then the cross reveals how self-sacrifice and dying for others is an essential ingrediant in true love. By this we all stand condemned. Also by that standard we see the apostles' failure when they self-seekingly abandoned Christ on the eve of his crucifixion.

This is where the moral influence, example and governmental theories of the atonement fall apart. The cross is the perfect example of love and justice. Yet it was not merely an example of these. If the cross was merely an example of love & righteousness, then it chiefly raised the bar of righteous behavior impossibly high. The cross clearly demonstrates the extent which humans fall short of perfect love, but it is also the power of God for salvation . . . "by his stripes we are healed." These other theories of the atonement contain truth, but they are inadequate because their cross leaves us without help as law-breakers.

But the mind set on the Spirit is life . . . The Spirit empowered the early church and changed their cowardly self-seeking into self-sacrifice. When Stephen was being stoned for preaching the gospel, the Spirit of Christ Himself called out from Stephen's breast "Lord, do not hold this sin against them."

What was Jesus' view of the world?

noreply@blogger.com (Ben Tackett) — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 22:22:00 +0000

Jesus' view of the world is built upon a foundation of core truths. The greatest of these is that God exists. A specific kind of God exists. God is personal. God is not a gray-haired grandfather in the clouds as Michelangelo painted. Nor is God merely a blind force or law of physics. God is an infinite, invisible, conscious, thinking being.

Related to this is the truth that “truth” exists. Some beliefs and statements are true. Others ideas are false. And, as with math problems, while some answers are wrong they may be closer to the truth than others. For instance, saying that a personal God exists is the same as saying that a personal God does not not exist. To say “a certain kind of personal God exists” is entirely incompatible with saying that this certain kind of personal God does not exist.

These two truths are the brick & mortar of Jesus' view of the world.

Having said this, the gospel (good news) that Jesus preached builds on this foundation and is at the center of his worldview.

Jesus summarized the law with love and said that we do not love God and others as we should. Where is the "good" in this news?

God does not abandon us in our own contempt & immorality. Christ's life merited our salvation. Christ's death purchased our salvation. And Christ's resurrection empowers our salvation. We may trust in His righteousness and have a new relationship with God unfettered by our sin.

This need runs to the heart of our personal & societal problems. Scripture, therefore stands against all other philosophies and world views which seek fulfillment or perfection outside this gospel of personal transformation through Christ.

Followers of Christ strive to show forth the glory of God in every area of life. When God transforms lives through the gospel, cultural & political institutions are also transformed.Yet social renewal is a biproduct of personal renewal.

The gospel of personal transformation is the heart of the Jesus worldview.

The Gangrene of a Critical Spirit

noreply@blogger.com (Ben Tackett) — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 13:02:00 +0000

Luke 7:28-35
. . . Jesus said, “among those born of women none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” (When all the people heard this, and the tax collectors too, they declared God just, having been baptized with the baptism of John, but the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the purpose of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.)

“To what then shall I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? They are like children . . . 'we played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.' For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.' The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'”

Paul tells Timothy to stay in Ephesus in order to charge certain persons not to teach different doctrine. He tells Timothy to take pains in his preaching; to devote himself to theologically sound teaching. In 1 Timothy chapter 1 Paul tells us that deeds of the flesh are “contrary to sound doctrine.” Likewise, Paul tells Titus that Christian behavior should “adorn the doctrine of God.” Theology that neglects personal devotion is incomplete at best, heresy at worse.

The Pharisees had some right doctrines, such as the resurrection of the dead and the infallibility of scripture. But their theology was incomplete. Most of them did not recognize the Messiah when he came to them, and that He was their righteousness by faith. Without the Spirit, carnal behavior was inevitable. In this passage from Luke, Jesus exposes their critical spirit. Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees! Beware of possesing doctrine while denying its power. One could not possiblly please the Pharisees in this passage . . . one moment expecting you to dance, the other moment mourn . . . saying John was demon-possessed for his ascetic lifestyle and yet calling Jesus a glutton and drunkard for not living the same lifestyle.

I will never forget my first internship in the summer of '89 . . . the pastor of the church was presented with a list of grievances, one of which was that he didn't own a tv . . . what an extremist! The previous pastor had also been given a list of grievances, chief of which was that he watched too much tv!

Brethren, beware the leaven of the pharisees.

. . . to whom shall we go

noreply@blogger.com (Ben Tackett) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 18:00:00 +0000

"Pothagoras, Epicurus, Socrates, Plato, these are the torches of the world; Jesus is the light of day."
Victor Hugo, author of Les Miserables

At times thousands of people gathered to hear Jesus speak. The public were attracted to his presence and teaching. Of course his healings had a part in drawing these large crowds. On one of these occasions, Jesus fed at least five thousand people from a small amount of food. The crowd was flabbergasted and ready to crown him king on the spot. Jesus withdrew to the mountains. When he reappeared in another town the next day, the crowd quickly found him. They were expecting more food and even reminded him how God gave manna to Israel in the wilderness (Juvenal's words come to mind, concerning the Roman formula for public contentment: “panem et circenses”, bread and circuses).

Instead, Jesus told them to work for food that will not perish. He himself is the true bread from heaven and if they believed in Him they would never hunger again. Most of his disciples found this bread too hard to swallow and thereafter stopped following him. Turning to the remaining disciples, he said, “are you too going to leave?” Peter responded, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68).

Since we cannot know everything by experience, each of us chooses a teacher or teachers to whom we listen and allow to influence our thinking. Sometimes we do this consciously in the form of a book, religious leader or profound thinker. At other times we are less aware of this process, such as with parents or traditions. Still, the choice is real.

In this manner, Jesus stands head and shoulders above any other source of knowledge or person (including ourselves). His wisdom is, by all accounts profound. If we were to line up all the great philosophers, scientists and sages next to one another, who could be better than Jesus? A parent? Some college professor whose impact on the world, barely outlives him? What more intelligent decision could a person make than to choose to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ.

In a Woody Allen film he is confronted by a friend who asks him, “who do you think you are, God?” He responds, “I have to pattern my life after somebody.” Jesus Christ is the pattern, the author and captain of our faith.

Why am I here?

noreply@blogger.com (Ben Tackett) — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 05:14:00 +0000

Someone has said “the purpose of life is a life of purpose”! I couldn't disagree more. That might work on Opra or Dr. Phil, "You need purpose to get you out of bed, any purpose will do, just find one." You can devote your life to the sick, like Albert Schweitzer, or to the Shaw of Iran; to feeding the poor or to sexual exploits. "It doesn't matter," we are told, "We need purpose for mental health and psychological grounding."

What thinking person is satisfied with an arbitrary purpose? How os that any different from Nazis making prisoners move a pile of rock from one end of the camp, only to move it back the next day, ad infinitum?

Like missing the forest for the trees, a flawed purpose keeps us too busy to search for something more meaningful. On the other hand, the person wandering around aimlessly might stumble across the truth. The person devoted to the wrong thing might fight against the truth in order to justify their flawed premises and purpose.

In contrast to assigning arbitray meaning to life, John Henry Newman wrote:
Everyone who breathes, high and low,
educated and ignorant, young and old,
man and woman, has a mission, has a work.
We are not sent into this world for nothing;
we are not born at random; we are not here,
that we may go to bed at night, and get up in the morning,
toil for our bread, eat and drink, laugh and joke,
sin when we have a mind, and reform when we tire of sinning,
rear a family and die.
God sees every one of us;
He creates every soul . . . for a purpose.

A few years ago lifelong atheist Antony Flew said that modern science is pointing in the direction of intelligent design of the universe. To my knowledge Flew hasn't embraced the teachings of Jesus, but his new position is a philosophical quantum leap.
I've been created?
an intelligent designer?
not belched from cold, impersonal matter, blind chance?
Why?
Quite suddenly, the writing on the wall is legible,
"Purpose" written on every rock, tree and human being.

When one speculates about the nature of an Intelligent Designer, ideas like "reason," "mind" and "immaterial spirit" are unavoidable. The late Mortimer Adler, general editor of Encyclopedia Britanica, compiled a useful cross reference of such speculation from Homer to Freud. I recommend it. But we are not left to speculation. The infinite, eternal, unchangeable God revealed himself to Abraham, Moses and the Hebrew prophets; then most fully in Jesus. His teaching describes a universe, not cold and meaningless, but filled by a raging torrent of self-revealing, self-sacrificing love:
I made Your name known to them
and will make it known,
so the love You have loved Me with
may be in them and I may be in them. John 17:24-26