An Introduction to Christian Worldview PDF

"This book offers a refreshing update of Christian worldview teaching for students of Scripture. It is rigorous and deep for serious students, yet accessible for the popular reader who wants to live a muscular Christian faith in our pluralistic mar­ ketplace of world-and-life views. One of my fav...

"This book offers a refreshing update of Christian worldview teaching for students of Scripture. It is rigorous and deep for serious students, yet accessible for the popular reader who wants to live a muscular Christian faith in our pluralistic mar­ ketplace of world-and-life views. One of my favorite aspects of this book is its real world examples of worldview thinking and analysis from Scripture, life, enter­ tainment, and culture-especially movies!" Brian Godawa, author of Hollywood Worldviews "It's all here: a stellar introduction to (I) the concept of worldview, (2) the contour, content, and defense of the Christian worldview, and (3) explanation and criti que of alternate secular and religious worldviews. There is little new here, but new no­ tions of basic Christian belief and practice are often misleading and sometimes profoundlyfalse. Here the truths of Christian faith gleam with clarity and conviction. I'm impressed." James W. Sire, author of The Universe Next Door and Apologetics Beyond Reason ''It's become fashionable in some circles to downplay the importance of worldview. An Introduction to Christian Worldview counters this tendency by offering a clear apologia for the value of thoughtful worldview construction and evaluation to Christian faith. Moreover, it provides a concrete comparison of a Christian worldview to alternative models found in philosophical systems and world religions. The authors make their ideas readily accessible to readers, and it is a valuable re­ source for all Christians who desire a deeper understanding of the conceptual foun­ dations of our faith:' Steve Wilkens, professor of philosop hy and ethics, Azusa Pacific University  AN' fN1>RfiBU!:$lUN.. tn ' ,,,CYR 1s·r1A,N··. 'WDRLD·VJEW.. ",f ' ""' r -< , , , '"- , 'N IVP Academic An Imprint or tnterVarslly Press Downers Grove, llllnols Inter Varsity Press P.O. Box 1400, Downers Grove, IL 60515-1426 ivpress.com [email protected] ©2017 by Tawa J. Anderson, W. Michael Clark, and David Naugle All rights reserved. No part ofthis book may be reproduced in anyform without written permissionfrom InterVarsity Press. Inter Varsity Press® is the book-publishing division ofInter Varsity Christian Fellowship/USA®, a movement of students andfaculty active on campus at hundreds ofuniversities, colleges, and schools ofnursing in the United States ofAmerica, and a member movement ofthe International Fellowship ofEvangelical Students. For information about local and regional activities, visit intervarsity.org. All Scripture quotations. unless otherwise indicated, are takenfrom The Holy Bible, New International Version,.., Niv«'. Copyright e 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. In,..... Used by permission ofZondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The "NIV" and "New International Version" are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Im:..,. Cover design: David Fassett Interior design: Daniel van Loon Images: dot sphere: © dlskliStockphoto outdoor icons:© pringletta I iStockphoto ISBN 978-0-8308-5123-2 (print) ISBN 978-0-8308-9965-4 (digital) Printed in the United States ofAmerica 0 Inter Varsity Press is committed to ecological stewardship and to the conservation of natural resources in all our operations. This book was printed using sustainably sourced paper. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Anderson, Tawa/., 1975- author. Title: An introduction to Christian worldview: pursuing God perspective in a pluralistic world I Tawa/. Anderson, W. Michael Clark, and David K. Naugle. Description: Downers Grove: Inter Varsity Press, 2017. I Includes bibliogmphical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2017034243 (print) I LCCN 2017033992 (ebook) J ISBN 9780830899654 (eBook) I ISBN 9780830851232 (casebound: alk. paper) Subjects: LCSH: Christian phil osophy. Classification: LCC BRl00 (print) I LCC BRl00.A485 2017 (ebook) I DDC 230-dc23 LC record available at https:l/lccn.loc.gov/2017034243 P 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 IO 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 Y % D N D D m m a a v u a u a n u  Tawa Anderson To Mataeo, my beloved son, God's gift-may you always seek to know and live by God's perspective, whatever the world throws your way Michael Clark To Jenny, Scout, Brooks, Tayte, and Sonora David Naugle To Deemie, Courtney, Mark, and Kuyper  CONTENTS Acknowledgments ix Introduction: Worldview Matters 1 PART I: INTRODUCING WORLDVIEW 0 What Is Worldview? 7 @ The Importance and Impact ofWorldview 29 @) Worldview Analysis 68 PART II: CONTOURS OF A CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW 0 The Narrative Contours of a Christian Worldview 97 0 The Propositional Contours of a Christian Worldview 142 © Testing a Christian Worldview 181 PART III: ANALYZING WORLDVIEWS @ Western Philosophical Alternatives 225 G) Global Religious Alternatives 267 Conclusion: Pursuing (and Living) God's Perspective in a Pluralistic World 323 Selected Bibliography 331 Author Index 348 Subject Index 350 Scripture Index 352  ACKNDWLEDGMENTS Coauthoring a book is like playing in a string quartet: it's a wonderful interplay of talented artists who depend on a number of additional folks who make the whole work possible. We would like to thank some of the numerous teachers, guides, partners, friends, and encouragers who have helped bring this project to fruition. First, we are indebted to the worldview influence of academics who have gone before us. The writings of Abraham Kuyper, Al Wolters, James Sire, Michael Goheen, and many others have transformed our thinking. The classroom impact of Ted Cabal, James Chancellor, Jim Parker, and Mark Coppenger has helped refine our study of worldview comparison and analysis. Second, this book project began with the encouragement and prompting of the retired dean of the Hobbs College of Theology and Ministry at Oklahoma Baptist University, Dr. Mark McClellan. Mark en­ couraged a group of young faculty to explore writing their own material for a January term worldview course on campus. Without his leadership and prompting, the project would never have been conceived. Third, we thank Dr. Louima Lilite, tenor extraordinaire and theo­ logical guru, for his partnership in the project. Louima has spilled blood, sweat, tears, and considerable ink to help make this book a reality. Fourth, we thank external reviewers and commentators: Jamie Dew, James Sire, and other anonymous contributors. Our work has been strengthened by your insights and critiques. Fifth, we thank many students and colleagues who have provided private feedback, pointing out errors, inconsistencies, and areas for im­ provement; of those, a special mention to James Walters, Heidi Mann, X Acknowledgments Gunner Briscoe, Nicholas Hoffsommer, and Jonathan White for their valuable contributions. Sixth, we thank the editorial and artistic team at IVP Academic, who have been a thorough (and professional) pleasure to work with throughout this lengthy project. To Andy Le Peau (now retired)-thank you for taking on the project and buying into the vision of what we were trying to accomplish! To Dan Reid-thank you for taking over the project mid­ stream and shepherding us through to the finish line. Finally, we thank our families, who have proven to be long-suffering during the many nights, days off, and vacations that have been con­ sumed with research, writing, revising, reconceiving, rewriting, and re­ vising again. Your love and patience ( especially that of our wonderful wives, Vanessa, Jenny, and Deemie) has been a tremendous example of the patient and gracious love of God. We thank you for standing alongside us throughout.  INTRDDUCTIDN WORLDVIEW MATTERS Everybody operates upon a philosophy in life, a worldview that defines for them the way the world works and how they know things and how they ought to behave. So philosophy is ultimately a practical reality for all ofus. In this sense, everyone is a philosopher; some are just more aware of it than others. BRIAN GODAWA Christianity is a world and life view and not simply a series of unrelated doctrines. Christianity includes all oflife. Every realm of knowledge, every aspect of life and every facet of the universefind their place and their answer within Christianity. It is a system of truth enveloping the entire world in its grasp. EDWIN RIAN Worldview is a contentious term. Some philosophers complain that it has become an abused and misused term. Others complain that worldview is regretfully neglected and overlooked in philosophical and theological conversations. Others still insist that its use is on the rise, that it has not yet hit its heyday. Still others do not even know what the concept is all about. Finally, some assert that worldview is simply an unhelpful term that can be dispensed with altogether without any profound loss. We are convinced that "worldview matters" matter. As the chapters that follow 2 Introduction will make clear, we believe that thinking worldview-ishly is essential for responsible, intentional Christian discipleship. "All truth is God's truth:'1 Arthur Holmes's ringing words exhort insti­ tutions of Christian higher education to pursue an integrated Christian worldview throughout their curricula. God is truth, and what God sees is what is true and real. As followers of God, we likewise seek acquain­ tance and familiarity with truth. To that end, we pursue God's perspective on the world, for his per­ spective is true, reliable, and trustworthy. We desire to see things the way that God sees them-to understand ourselves, our sin, our redemption, our relationship with Christ, our relationship with fellow human beings and the rest of creation, our surroundings, and our terrestrial ball the way that God sees, understands, and knows things to be. We do not presume to have a comer on all of God's truth; we take seriously the remonstration delivered through the prophet Isaiah: "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways:' declares the LORD. (Is 55:8) Yet we strive and strain forward, alongside the apostle Paul (Phil 3:14), to attain a truer understanding of God, ourselves, and our world. God's perspective on the world is, as chapter one will make clear, an­ other way of designating God's worldview or the divine worldview. The goal of the thoughtful Christian is to pursue God's perspective-that is, to intentionally and consciously cultivate a Christian worldview. Our goal of becoming Christlike includes our goal of embracing God's per­ spective, seeing the world the way God sees the world. The goal is not Icarus's prideful sailing into the sun or Satan's rebellious inclination to usurp the divine throne or Adam's misguided desire to attain that which is forbidden; rather, our goal resembles a child's devoted desire to become like his heavenly Father. This book, then, is an appeal for a continued revival in Christian worldview thinking. The book is split into three parts of approximately equal length. Part one, authored by Tawa Anderson, focuses on the theoretical side of worldview 1Arthur F. Hohn es, The Idea ofa Christian College, rev. ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987), 6. Worldview Matters 3 thinking. Chapter one explores the concept ofworldview itself, tracing its philosophical origins and development, basic components, and universal existence. Four core worldview questions are identified as the heart of every individual and corporate worldview: (1) What is our nature? (2) What is our world? (3) What is our problem? (4) What is our end? Chapter two identifies the importance and impact of worldview on the thoughts and actions of human persons. Anderson argues that worldview exerts considerable influence through confirmation bias, experiential accommo­ dation, the pool oflive options, and life motivation. Six benefits of inten­ tional worldview thinking are tentatively identified and explored. Chapter three outlines the process of worldview analysis, identifying three primary criteria that can help gauge the truthfulness ofvarious worldviews and their individual components-interual, external, and existential consistency. Part two, authored by David Naugle, expounds on the contours ofa specifically Christian world view. Chapter four outlines the narrative core of the Christian story-creation, fall, redemption, and glorification. Chapter five approaches Christian worldview through the lenses of our four core worldview questions. Chapter six applies our three criteria for worldview analysis to Christian worldview, assessing how well it stands up to rational scrutiny. Part three, authored by Michael Clark, engages in comparative worldview analysis. Chapter seven explores three prominent Western philosophical worldview alternatives (deism, naturalism, and postmod­ ernism), comparing them to a Christian worldview and applying the three worldview tests. Chapter eight explores two influential global reli­ gious worldview alternatives (Hinduism and Islam), comparing them to a Christian worldview and applying the worldview tests. The goal of these chapters is threefold: to better understand these significant world­ views, to subject them to intentional analysis, and to help the reader begin to gain competence at identifying worldview components and al­ ternatives expressed by others. We then close with reflections on pur­ suing and living out a Christian worldview, God's perspective, in our complex pluralistic world. Each of us writes unapologetically from within the orthodox Christian tradition. We have been transformed through our relationship with Jesus 4 Introduction Christ and are persuaded that Christianity is true-not just true for us but true for all people at all times in all places. We have also been greatly stretched and formed by intentional worldview thought and consider­ ation. Our hope and prayer is that you will be challenged, convicted, exhorted, and excited by the chapters that follow. In 2012, this project began as a way to help freshmen at Oklahoma Baptist University (OBU) pursue a biblical worldview in light of the countless worldviews that vie for their hearts. As the collaborators for the book and the reach ofthe book have expanded beyond the walls ofOBU, our prayer remains the same: we pray that readers will be stirred to im­ merse themselves in God's Word and allow it to transform their hearts and minds rather than allow the world to shape them into its image. The Christian worldview centers on Jesus of Nazareth, the God-man who was born over two thousand years ago in a humble stable in Beth­ lehem, lived a perfectly sinless life, was crucified on a Roman cross, and was raised from the dead in Jerusalem. We, as Christians, have embraced Jesus as Messiah and Lord. He has redeemed us, provided for us, and loved us constantly despite our flaws and failures. It is to him, and to his glory, that this book is both dedicated and devoted.