DEVELOPING A BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW

Group Questions 1.What do you think of when you hear the word “Worldview”? How would you define what a worldview is? On a scale of 1 to 10 how difficult would it be to put your worldview into words? 2.How does our worldview affect our behavior, the decisions we make, & how we understand the world around us? 3.Can you describe any worldviews that differ from yours? If so, try to explain them and how they differ from your worldview.

Friedrich Nietzsche (concerning SIN) --“nothing but a ruse invented by a wretched band of “ascetic priests,” Old Testament shamans who achieved a magical hold over men and women by playing the ‘ravishing music’ of guilt in their souls”

Jeremiah 9:23-24 Thus says the LORD: "Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD."

A WORLDVIEW is… 1.(Macarthur, et al) – A collection of presuppositions, convictions, and values from which a person tries to understand and make sense out of the world and life 2.(Ronald Nash) – A conceptual scheme by which we consciously or unconsciously place or fit everything we believe and by which we interpret and judge reality 3.(Chuck Colson) – The sum total of our beliefs about the world, the “big picture” that directs our daily decisions and actions.

A BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW is… (Barna) – a means of experiencing, interpreting, and responding to reality in light of biblical perspective…it provides a personal understanding of every idea, opportunity, and experience based on the identification and application of relevant biblical principles so that every choice we make may be consistent with God’s principles and commands.

A BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW is… (MacArthur, et al) – The Christian worldview sees and understands God the Creator and His creation – ie, man and the world – primarily through the lens of God’s special revelation, the Holy Scriptures, and secondarily through God’s natural revelation in creation as interpreted by human reason and reconciled by and with Scripture, for the purpose of believing and behaving in accord with God’s will and, thereby, glorifying God with one’s mind and life, both now and in eternity

2 Presuppositions… 1.The eternal existence of the personal, transcendent, triune, Creator God 2.The God of Scripture has revealed His character, purposes, and will in the infallible and inerrant pages of His special revelation, the Bible, which is superior to any other source of revelation or human reason alone

Barna Statistics Definition of a Biblical Worldview 1.Absolute Moral Truth Exists 2.The Bible is Totally Accurate in All of the Principles it Teaches 3.Satan is Considered to be a Real Being or Force 4.Jesus Christ Lived a Sinless Life on Earth 5.God is the All-Knowing, All-Powerful Creator of the World Who Still Rules the Universe Today

% Americans w/ Biblical WV American Adults 9% “Born-Again Christians”19%

Moral Truth is Absolute American Adults34% “Born-Again Christians”46%

Bible is Accurate American Adults50% “Born-Again Christians”79%

Satan is Real American Adults50% “Born-Again Christians”79%

Earn Your Way to Heaven American Adults28% “Born-Again Christians”47% (Strongly Reject)

Jesus Lived a Sinless Life American Adults40% “Born-Again Christians”62%

Nature of God American Adults70% “Born-Again Christians”93%

Evaluating Worldviews 1.Where did we come from & who are we? 2.What has gone wrong with the world? 3.What can we do to fix it?