Episode 24E02b – How to Defend your Faith Session 2: Worldview & You (Part 2 or 4)
(Written by Dr. Kip Wehrman 01/14/2024)
These are some of the Worldviews we encounter. There are others of course but for today let’s look at these six major categories of worldviews. Monotheism, Deism, Naturalism, Nihilism, Existentialism, and pantheism. I’m not going to address polytheism or any specific religion in this discussion.
But since we are monotheistic. Let’s just quickly highlight the main differences between the world’s three major monotheistic religions. Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Now believe it or not there are others but we would need a lot longer to touch on every group. Judaism follows God’s revelation in the Pentateuch from Moses and the prophets. What we call the Old testament or the Hebrew Bible. There hope is a Messiah yet to come. Islam which is primarily based on the writings in the Qur’an. They need to follow the rules to reach paradise and Jesus is not God and did not die for sins.
Christians. Messiah is Jesus. Christ came and died for us, to pay the penalty for our sin.
Naturalism or you can call it Materialism. Matter is all that there is and it can only be understood by science. Effectively you and I are no better or different than this rock. Just matter, spinning in space. These are atheist primarily.
Deism. God created everything orderly so it operates on its own. This is an impersonal God, the watchmaker concept The universe is like this clock. God made it and wound it up and it just goes. You often hear the term agnostic.
Nihilism. Nothing. Truth, values, consciousness should be questioned. It is like this. Just like the contents of this balloon. Nothing. (philosopher types)
Existentialism Life has no meaning. Significance is only what we decide it is It’s kind of like these balloon pieces. Now that it popped, it’s meaningless. It has no purpose or meaning. (Augustinians, subset of other religions)
Pantheism. Everything that exists is god (spirit). Matter is an illusion. This is kind of like the Star Wars movie, “the force”. (Hindus, Buddhism, Tao, etc)
I want you to listen to how important this is for living our life from Dallas Willard. If you don’t know Dallas Willard, Dallas is one of those special people.
Dallas just puts things so clearly. If you don’t know him, I suggest finding one of his books or YouTube lectures. You’ll like it.
Worldviews Questions.
No matter what your worldview is, you have to answer these transcendental questions. What is real or reality. What happens when I die? Who am I? or self. What is right and wrong? Or morals & values. What is consciousness or the mind. Why am I here? Or purpose. Where did I come from? Or origin. And history. What came before me and what is coming next?
If we are honest, what comes next matters. I know many in churches and theology don’t like this but I personally think Pascal’s wager makes sense.
Here a version of Pascal’s wager. “If I believe in God and follow His precepts. And there is no God. I live a good life and nothing after same as the atheist. But if there is a God and you don’t follow Him, when you die it is very bad for you. Either way it is better for the Christian.”
Either way it’s also bad for the atheist because they live a life without hope or peace. I know I’ll get some grief for this one. But if you are rational, then what comes after life is a pretty important idea. If you can’t be certain, then forever is a very long time to be wrong. A logical and rational person should at least explore this, if not they are not really reasonable or logical.
Now I just want to mention this now. This is what I call ARROW. I am in the process of developing this for Bible doctrines and interpretations, but it works for worldviews as well.
- A is for Application.
- R is for Relevance.
- R is for Revelation.
- O is for Opinion.
- W is for witness.
A is for application. This is the livability test. Can you or do you Live like this View is True. Can an Application of the View be seen in the Life of Holder? Can you live the principles of your viewpoint or belief. Or more importantly do you.
The first R is for revelation. This is the Essential Test. Does Believing or NOT Believing Affect How you live or Eternal destination. Is it Relevant to Living Your Life. Is it important. If I don’t believe it does it change anything. If I believe it does it change anything.
The second R is for relevance. This is the consistency test. What is the Origin of this Idea. What is the source of your revelation or idea. Where did it come from or who did it come from. Is it a new idea or old idea? Why should I believe it? Who & When, and Why should I Trust their View.
O is for Opinion. This is the bias test. What are the Assumptions or Presuppositions necessary for a View to be True. How many and how much assumptions or opinions do I need to believe or make, so that others can believe the same as I do. Simply Opinion vs. Truth
<SLIDE 34> And last is W for witness. This is the reliability test. Do I have evidence and how good is that evidence. No Proof Texts, No Puzzles if we are talking about the Bible. Do I have multiple witnesses or sources for this idea or doctrine. In the case of the Bible a minimum of 3 independent witnesses for essential doctrine. What are the other witnesses including observations & evidence?
Bottom line is, are the principles I am professing to believe actually lived out by me or others.
A viewpoint is only as strong as its strongest critique.
When we are talking about the Bible, then all Scripture must be reconciled to your viewpoint, or view should be reconsidered. What I mean is if a viewpoint results in contradictions or conflicts with other scripture, then the viewpoint is simply wrong.
Last, worthwhile things take time and effort. God cannot be an afterthought if He is your priority. Since I was sick with COVID, I’ve stopped watching TV, I don’t watch movies. I don’t watch sports or news. I do watch Bible teaching on YouTube and website, an occasional Christian movie, but I’ve watched maybe parts of 3 or 4 football games in more than two years. And I don’t miss it at all. I do not have enough hours in the day, to read and listen and write about the things I need to learn about God and His kingdom. I am all about the King’s business, and it is the best way to live. I’m excited for each day, each opportunity.
Now, I am not special but I have a purpose in the kingdom of God, just like each of you. We just need to say yes and get to work on what God wants us to do. And I know some of you are going to say, I’m too old. God called Moses when he was eighty for an amazing 40 year purpose. You might say I’m too young. God choose David when he was young juvenile to be king. David even killed Gollath when he was a young man. So, age is not a limiting factor for God. It’s only an excuse. No matter what the excuse, God has a reason. Not enough time, stop watching TV. Not enough money, well we need to talk stewardship and God’s economy. Each of us has a purpose, we just need to do it.
This is the end of How to Defend your Faith Session 2: Worldview & You (Part 2 of 4)
