Worldview Bible Reading Part II

1. In the conclusion of Part I of “Worldview Bible Reading” I said that I was going to provide two definitions for the term “worldview.” I’m going to go ahead and give you three of the best definitions I could find. All three of them came from prolific writers and speakers of worldview issues. The first is by Ronald Nash, one time professor of philosophy at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville Kentucky. He writes “A worldview, then, is a conceptual scheme by which we consciously or unconsciously place or fit everything we believe and by which we interpret and judge reality.” The second definition is provided by James Sire, an author and instructor of the Christian worldview. He writes “A worldview is a set of presuppositions (assumptions which we may be true, partially true or entirely false) which we hold (consciously or subconsciously, consistently or inconsistently) about the basic makeup of our world.” Third, David Noebel of Summit Ministries writes that a worldview is “any ideology, philosophy, theology, movement, or religion that provides an overarching approach to understanding God, the world, and man’s relations to God and the world.” A much more simple definition could be the way in which we view the world. Now, it would only logically follow that Christians should view the world through the “biblical eyeglasses- the Word of God” we have been given by the Sovereign God of the universe.
   
   Every worldview contains beliefs or views concerning five basic elements: God, Reality, Knowledge, Ethics, and Humanity. The Word of God provides for us a way to view all of these elements. In order to build a biblical worldview we can use the “Worldview Questions” as we study and read the Scriptures. For today I will list two of those elements along with the questions that go with each one. How does the text you are reading or studying answer these questions?
   1. God: Does God exist? What is He like? Are God and the universe the same? Is God personal or is He impersonal? Is there more than one God?
   2. Reality: Does the universe have a purpose? What is the relationship between God and the universe? Is the universe closed (like a closed box with nothing outside of it interacting with it) or open (an open box with interaction between Creator and creation but yet the two are distinct)? Are miracles possible (can’t be in a closed system)? Is the universe made with preexisting matter or was it created by God from nothing (a declaration of His Word)? Where did the universe come from? Is the universe eternal?
   
   **In tomorrow’s conclusion of “Worldview Bible Reading” I will provide you with the three remaining elements and their respective questions.