Christian Living

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Understanding The Impact Of A Christian Worldview

Which Jesus do you follow?

Which Jesus do you serve?

If Ephesians says to imitate Christ

Then why do you look so much like the world?

(Todd Agnew, “My Jesus”, from the Reflection of Something album)

What makes a Christian any different from anybody else? A great, purposeful question, but the answer we need to seek is why are Christians so much like the world.

“Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.” (Matthew 7:20, (NIV).

Sadly Christians are seen as those who espouse righteousness but who look like everyone else. Sadly Jesus is more an additive to the gas tank of a Christian’s life, rather than the engine that powers that life. If Jesus were to return today, how many of us would he recognize as His disciples by the fruit of our lives?

So, what is wrong with Christians? Why aren’t we different from anybody else

We aren’t, because most of us lack Christian worldview. Never have so many believed so much with so little impact on the world around them. Noted author and researcher George Barna made this clear in his recent book and subsequent research on worldviews in a December 3, 2003 Web posting: “The survey discovered that only 9% of born again Christians have such a perspective on life. The numbers were even lower among other religious classifications: Protestants (7%), adults who attend mainline Protestant churches (2%) and Catholics (less than one-half of 1%). The denominations that produced the highest proportions of adults with a biblical worldview were non-denominational Protestant churches (13%), Pentecostal churches (10%) and Baptist churches (8%).”

Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts, in his introduction to his eleven part series entitled Developing a Biblical Worldview in 2004 talks about the importance of having the correct worldview: “Because it shapes how we think and act every moment. If, for example, my worldview includes belief in a sovereign God, then I'll be more inclined to seek and to obey the will of that God than to follow the whims of my own intuition. Our worldview tells us what is real, what is important, what is right, and what is wrong.”

Roberts further explains that our worldview is important because it shapes how we think and act every moment. If, for example, our worldview were to include a belief in a sovereign God we would be more inclined to obey the will of God then to follow the whims of out own intuition. Robert’s proposes that our worldview tells us what is real, what is important, what is right and what is wrong.

The importance of a Christian worldview is further defined in Dr. Ron Nash’s interview with Peter Hastie in the article Worldview published in the February, 2004, issue of the Australian Presbyterian: “Early in my teaching career, I learned how important worldview thinking is. Everyone has a worldview that influences everything we do and think. Wrong worldviews often function as obstacles to people hearing and believing the Christian message. When we become Christians, we are supposed not only to behave like Christians but also to think like Christians, both of which require knowledge of the Christian worldview. Knowledge of worldviews is essential to evangelism and discipleship.”

Jesus cannot just be the goal of one’s life; He must be the foundation of that life. Jesus cannot be the end result of one’s life; He must be the activity of that life. Jesus cannot be added to one’s life, He must be the focus of that life

Again, Nash: “One of the reasons why many people aren’t serious about the Christian faith is that they have not grasped the total, comprehensive view of life and the world contained in the Christian worldview.” This is why Nash believes so many Christians tend to think that the major teachings of their faith are somehow disconnected from the rest of reality. He asserts that all truth is God’s truth and that we need to make sure that what we believe about psychology and history and the nature of the universe fits together in a logically coherent package. Nash further affirms that we cannot hold mutually contradictory beliefs and still claim to be rational in our thinking. Nash contends that all of the things that we think we know must end up being consistent if our understanding of human nature conflicts logically with our understanding about ethics then we are not going to be a very good parents, scholars, teachers, or human beings.

So, what’s the fallout for the vast number of Christians who don’t hold to a Christian worldview? What do Christians think morally acceptable behavior is?

Let’s look a what Barna discovered in that 2003 national survey: “Upon comparing the perspectives of those who have a biblical worldview with those who do not, the former group were 31 times less likely to accept cohabitation (2% versus 62%, respectively); 18 times less likely to endorse drunkenness (2% versus 36%); 15 times less likely to condone gay sex (2% versus 31%); 12 times less likely to accept profanity 3% versus 37%); and 11 times less likely to describe adultery as morally acceptable (4% versus 44%). In addition, less than one-half of one percent of those with a biblical worldview said voluntary exposure to pornography was morally acceptable (compared to 39% of other adults), and a similarly minuscule proportion endorsed abortion (compared to 46% of adults who lack a biblical worldview).”

The basic problem with any credible conversation about having or developing a Christian worldview is that many Christians do not have a frame of reference for the dialogue because many Christians do not read the Bible and without a good understanding of God’s Word, any conversation on “Christian worldview” are futile.

Christians will not be recognized by the seeds of their thoughts and deeds, but will be known by the harvest of those thoughts and deeds. It is not enough to follow Jesus. We must learn how to think and act like Jesus.

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