God and Personal Worldview Inventory

“Having a Christian worldview means being utterly convinced that biblical principles are not only true but also work better in the grit and grime of the real world.” – Nancy Pearcey, Total Truth. In all of my 52 years, have I ever pondered my personal worldview prior to my class Spirituality in Heath Care? I can honestly say no, but then again my personal worldview declared itself many years ago. As a spiritual person who prays, does Bible study and believes without a shadow of a doubt that God is alive and active, my worldview seems to be set in stone. Many times friends have asked how I how that there is a God and the answer is always the same because I have witnessed Him moving in my life. So what does spirituality mean to me as well as the concepts of pluralism, scientism and postmodernism? Let me begin by addressing what prime reality is to me as a Christian. God created all things as detailed in Genesis 1:1,” In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep.

And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.”(ESV Bible, 2015). God not only created the Earth but He sustains it each and every day. We were created to be in a relationship with God until sin destroyed Adam and Eve’s direct walk in the Garden of Eden. From this point on God as working to bring his children back from sin to enjoy a complete relationship with Him. As a citizen of this world, I have experienced many different cultural practices and beliefs that are different from my own. In this way, I have been pushed out of my box known as cultural pluralism and have found many beautiful new ways to see God. No matter if my peers started their life in India, Canada, or the Philippines, the one constant is the belief that God is God. We are living on a planet that was put into play by God our Creator not the Big Bang Theory. This planet turns every 24 hours causing day and night to all its inhabitants.

Gravity is also a gift of this rotation as well as the rise and off of the tide. We experience the beautiful change of seasons thanks to the Earth’s rotation as well. Choosing to live in the world but not be one with the world has always been my mindset. Being a resident of Earth 2015 is a chaotic place to exist on many days given our current climate of political, economic and racial unrest. So no matter the nature of the world, as a spiritual person, I choose to believe that God is in control of our world and His perfect timing will eventually be declared. What is a human being? “Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” Genesis 1:7 (ESV Bible, 2015). We are created in God’s image not made in a laboratory or grown on a vine. How important is it to understand the concept of Scientism? Philosopher Tom Sorell offers a more precise definition: “Scientism is a matter of putting too high a value on natural science in comparison with other branches of learning or culture.” (Sorrell, 1991).

The notion of human beings evolving from apes as in Darwin’s Theory of Evolution belongs to the science world and not the spiritual one. While I respect science and all of the discoveries that benefit mankind, as a Christian in this world, believe that all knowledge was given by God. “Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon’s Journey into the Afterlife” by Dr. Eben Alexander recounts his near death experience. (Alexander, 2012). “While his body lay in coma, Alexander journeyed beyond this world and encountered an angelic being who guided him into the deepest realms of super-physical existence. There he met, and spoke with, the Divine source of the universe itself.” (Alexander, 2012). Like so many stories and books before Dr. Alexander telling about after life experiences with vivid detail but are they real? The Bible has similar stories “Paul was evidently given a vision of heaven—perhaps during his stoning at Lystra in Acts 14. Stephen saw Jesus just before he died in Acts 7.” (BST, 2015).

What happens to a person at death? I believe with my whole heart that I will go to heaven when I die thanks to Jesus Christ and His ultimate sacrifice. Now then, how is it possible to know anything at all? Trust in God the Father is what I as a believer base my life on. My spirituality is steeped in the Bible and the belief that all things are under God’s infinite control. The basic belief that the sun will shine in the East when I wake and sit in the West when time to sleep is my rock and my comfort. Those who are lost or have not found the ultimate peace that resides in knowing Christ have questions regarding their life and the world which is something that I give to God, my Father daily. As the mother of two amazing adult children, I understand the value of teaching right and wrong. Just as my own parents taught me, I taught my own children about respect, integrity, compassion and honesty. Have they always followed the path that was set out for them, no, but they keep trying and understand the importance it.

Living by example, teaching our children and passing on the important values of right and wrong is how we all know how to live what we have learned. The Postmodern approach to history differs dramatically from that of all other worldviews. For example, a Christian worldview sees history as the grand unfolding of God’s divine plan to redeem a fallen humanity (see Paul’s speech in Acts 17). In contrast, the more radical Postmodernists see no ultimate purpose in history, advocating instead a nihilist perspective. Less radical Postmodernists advocate the view that history is what we make of it. (AWA, 2015).

As a Christian, God has written man’s history from the beginning of time and will continue to do so until the end. As I stated in the first paragraph, I have never wondered about my personal worldview because I know exactly what I believe in. The Bible and my belief in God, the Father back up any questions that might come up regarding my own personal worldview inventory. I believe that the Bible holds the answers to how the Earth came about, how we were created, how we can possibly know anything, the value of right and wrong, as well as where we go when we die. God did after all send the perfect representative of heaven to live for 33 years on this Earth and we can draw on His teachings each new day.

Reference

Pearcey, N. Total Truth (Study Guide Edition): Liberating Christianity from Its Cultural Captivity Paperback – February 28, 2008 ESV Bible. (2015). http://www.esvbible.org/Genesis+1/
Sorell, T. Scientism: Philosophy and the Infatuation with Science. New York: Routledge, 1991. Alexander, E. Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon’s Journey into the Afterlife. October, 2012. Bible Study Tools (BST). (2015). What Happens to Us When We Die?
http://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/what-happens-to-us-when-we-die.html All about Worldview (AAW). (2015). Postmodern History. http://www.allaboutworldview.org/postmodern-history.htm