Worldview Assignment Christopher Coleman Liberty University
I.)
Worldview is a concept that was first derived from the term, weltanschauung, which means “world perception.” This term was first coined by Immanuel Kant in his Critique of Judgment in 1790 (Weider & Gutierrez, 2013). A worldview is the lens that drives our perception of the world around us. Our worldview guides our way of thinking and how we interpret issues and events in our society. This way of thinking also influences our actions and decision making. One’s worldview is shaped by many outside sources such as parental upbringing, teachers, peers, religious affiliation, and popular culture (Weider & Gutierrez, 2013). The three most prominent worldviews are naturalism, pantheism, and theism (Weider & Gutierrez, 2013).
II.) The search for truth or epistemology, is a science that describes what a person believes (Hindson & Caner, 2008). There are five questions that help to evaluate a specific worldview, and Christianity is no different. Christianity is a theistic faith, meaning a belief in one God. The question of origin evaluates how mankind and the earth around us came into being. The basic foundation of Christianity is that God created the earth by simply speaking things into existence. The Bible (NASB) states that, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was formless and void , and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters,” after its initial creation (Genesis 1:1-2). Each day, God created a part of the earth. Light was created on the first day, firmament on the second, land on the third, space on the fourth, and birds and marine life on the fifth. On the sixth day God started to create animal life. This is also the same day that God created man. Though certain brands of Christianity teach the false oneness doctrine, the Bible speaks of a triune God. This is also referred to as the trinity which consists of God the father, God the son, and God the Holy Spirit. The triune God created made all creation and made man in their image (Genesis 1:26).
As stated in the previous paragraph, man was created in the image or likeness of the triune God. This likeness is referring to man in the spiritual sense. This is in stark contrast to the previous verses where God creates marine life and tells the water to bring forth (Genesis 1:20) and creates animals by telling the earth to bring forth (Genesis 1:24). The animals are made after their kind, but man is directly made in God’s image. God created man distinctly different from animals and created him to have dominion over them. This is also evident in the fact that God allowed Adam to name the animals (Genesis 2:19).
God created mankind with a purpose. We were not made just to exist and live for the moment unlike the popular culture of today tells us. Man is created with the purpose to multiply and subdue the earth (Genesis 1:28). This not only means to have children, but to grow crops and establish life. In present day application this can be translated to raising your family, starting businesses, planting churches, and to live with purpose. Our primary purpose as human beings is to faithfully serve the Lord and live for His glory (Matthew 4:4). The primary truth that separates Christianity from other beliefs is the fact that it is not a works based religion (Isiah 64:6). Our actions do not earn our salvation by following rules and law, but only through a covenant relationship with Christ (Galatians 3:13). The salvation offered by Jesus is available to everyone by repenting of sins and believing that Jesus is God (Romans 10:9). Our purpose is to look to Jesus as our source, not false idols. In his book Counterfeit Gods, Pastor Timothy Keller states, “If we look to some created thing to give us meaning, hope, and happiness that only God himself can give, it will
