The Reimagine.Network~Rethink Church Ministry

Free-Access No-Ads Uncommon-Questions-Interviews Thought-Leader Commentary

A Plea to Rethink How Your Worldview Impacts Your Christianity 

by Phil Miglioratti @ The Reimagine.Network

=======

*WHAT - is “worldview”?

*SO WHAT - does that have to do with my faith? Or how I disciple Christ -followers? Or how I lead my ministry?

*NOW WHAT ...?

=======

WHAT… is  the big deal about “worldview”?

Evangelicals talk about worldview a lot, but often what we think is a “Biblical Worldview” is really a worldview shaped by our modern culture with the presuppositions and prejudices that we all carry with us.

An example of what I mean is the way we understand the story of the women at the well (John 4:1-42) . . . .for many years, the characterizations I heard in sermons about the woman at the well (John 4), led me to believe she was an unfaithful wife, a promiscuous adulterer, even a woman-of-the-street. But a more accurate understanding of her historical context reveals she lived in a culture in which women were powerless; her husbands had authority to divorce her at will and without cause. 

It is not unreasonable to conclude she was a victim not a prostitute; the men were in control and she had no resources or rights by which to defend herself against them. This changed my perspective on the story without contradicting or twisting the biblical truths Jesus was teaching us. Yes, this is a story of God’s love and forgiveness and redemption but my default mode presumptions pointed me in a direction that affirmed what I was taught to believe about this woman And that caused me to align with my culture’s perspective about women rather than accurately exegetng the purpose of the biblical passage. Both versions taught that Jesus is loving and forgiving but my pretext-skewed-version missed the radical message of God’s love for discarded or abused women. And that delayed my recognition of how that problem persists to this day in our culture.

=======

WORLDVIEW- “A worldview is a collection of attitudes, values, stories and expectations about the world around us, which inform our every thought and action. Worldview is expressed in ethics, religion, philosophy, scientific beliefs and so on (Sire, 2004).”

=======

My ponderings . . .

• Everyone has a worldview 

• Your worldview is the operating system that runs your “apps” - your mindset, value system, cultural identity … even how you interpret and apply Christianity.

“The Bible makes it clear that we are to build a Christian worldview. Romans 12:2 urges us not to follow the world's “pattern” (i.e. worldview) and to instead be transformed by the renewing of our mind. Seeking out God's will is essential to building a biblical worldview.” (Pureflix.com)

• Your worldview is a combination of beliefs, values and opinions which floe out from your biology, personality, ethnicity, geography and your personal economy, all of which shape your perspectives on issues and influence your choices about what is true or false, good or bad, wise or foolish.

• Your worldview cannot be free from influences. It is the compilation of ideas from many sources, whether you are aware of them or not.

• Your worldview is based on your personal experiences, cultural norms, social interactions, educational teachings…having a worldview is unavoidable; it is not a subversive liberal strategy nor is it a clandestine conservative scheme

• Yours is unique to you but similar to your tribe; a homogeneous community with the people, practices, and preferences you identify with

• Your worldview influences how you interpret and react to experiences and the ideas of those who disagree with you; it is your default mode

• Christians need to recognize how their worldview interacts with their beliefs and that when ignored, instills an overconfidence in their conclusions, producing a narrow theology that is comfortable yet potentially contradictory to biblical teaching. Our faith and our viewpoints about life are inextricably intertwined. Unless we are aware and working towards a better understanding of that dynamic, our ability to fully comprehend and communicate of the biblical Gospel is stunted by blindspots.

• Everyone has blindspots. These truth-blockers can lead to errors of judgment, racial prejudices, fear of differences, mistrust and hate of outsiders. To assume you are the exception is to have a blindspot to blindspots. That is unhealthy and unwise. For you. The Church. Those we are called to disciple into a biblical understanding of faith.

=====

BLINDSPOTS: anything I believe to be true that is, in reality, not true, …or has truth, but not the whole truth,

…or has truth but includes something that is other than the truth.

=======

• Blindspots cause people to assume their political, sociological, or theological viewpoints are infallible, giving  them a false sense of confidence that opposing views , theories, or doctrines are automatically and totally incorrect; sometimes also dangerous, even evil.

• Worldview produces different outcomes in different people (and in different people groups). What should result in conversation over differences too often ends in conflict; one viewpoint seeking to control how the other thinks or acts which can lead abuse, hate. even physical combat.

• Your DNA determines your presets; a conservative-prone person has a conservative viewpoint, a liberal-prone person has liberal solutions to issues. A liberal or conservative mind-set become the context for developing your beliefs.

• Your worldview influences and integrates with your religious beliefs and your sociopolitical perspectives. Impossible for this not to happen.

• Worldview differences explain why “with liberty and justice for all” is perceived differently by left (those preset with a drive to liberate from) and right (those preset to protect customs, norms, and behaviors.). Both are vital to a balanced society. The only thing as destructful as believing one’s worldview is completely correct is to also believe one’s opponent’s viewpoints are totally and always wrong

• I am convinced the teachings of the Bible are intended to “teach us what is true, make us realize what is wrong in our lives (including how we think), to correct us when we are (or think) wrong, and teach us how to live right.” (2 Timothy 3:16) These truths are meant to applied in every era, in every nation and situation. Truth remains constant but how that truth looks when lived out may differ in different circumstances. (For example, “Honor your faith and mother” (Ephesians 6:2-3) has differing nuances or expectations in Asian and western cultures.)

• Christianity is not a worldview. It is the guiding light that resets and refines our worldview (2 Corinthians 5:17).

• Our Christian beliefs and doctrines do not supersede worldview. Our Christianity (thoughts and actions) is meant to sanctify our worldview.

SO WHAT… are the implications of “worldview“ for Christians?

An individual’s worldview can change the trajectory of a biblical text, even if only slightly, resulting in a wrong interpretation and/or a potentially a harmful application.

Self-examination helped me recognize my foundational presuppositions became powerful presumptions. A state of mind that presumes everything I believe is completely-correct or better-than because my beliefs are founded upon or supported by biblical statements.

(And not surprisingly those beliefs happen to be shared by the people and groups I grew up in and identify with!) 

This is not to say my understanding of the Bible is totally wrong, but unconsciously, and in an attempt to be obedient to God, I considered my philosophy of life to be totally based upon Holy Scripture. I conferred a special status on my preferences and perceptions that only belongs to the Word of God, 

God’s Word is rock solid truth.

Not my interpretations and applications of God’s Word; ie, my worldview.

I am not inerrant.

I made this mistake of assuming my worldview was the truly biblical, enlightened by the Spirit, way to think and live. I realize now not every authentic Christian is required to agree with my views on every doctrinal teaching that I accept as accurate. 

Now I understand why the great mission’s movement of the 19th and 20th centuries had harsh critics. Criticism not that the Gospel was being spread to unreached people but that the Church was also exporting Western ideals and ideas, culture and customs, even fashion styles and worship schedules.

=======

Daniel K. Williams in Christianity Today exposes the “conflation of religious faith with religious values” resulting in a Christianity “less authentically Jesus – centered in the regions that conflate Christianity with regional pride.”   (“Christian America isn’t Dying. It’s Dividing.”)

“And while the regional polarization of American religion may be a hindrance to the spread of the gospel, perhaps this new cultural reality will prompt followers of Jesus to look to the pages of the New Testament once again.

“In the first century, Christian disciples found themselves at odds with the culture of both the highly religious regions of Galilee and Judea and the deeply hedonistic or intellectually skeptical environments of Corinth and Athens. The Christian church was born in an environment where disciples were outcasts in both the synagogue and the pagan theater.

“Likewise, in today’s environment, Christians who want to be witnesses for the gospel will need to be more discerning than ever to avoid linking the cause of Jesus to a regional faction.

“Perhaps in a post-Christian, regionally divided country—where regional expressions of Christianity like Christian nationalism still exist—an authentic Christianity can continue to flourish as a vibrant countercultural alternative.”

[Daniel K. Williams, professor of history at the University of West Georgia and the author of Defenders of the Unborn: The Pro-Life Movement Before Roe v. Wade]

=======

My superiority attitude was unintended but it was an unavoidable consequence of never being discipled to “be faithful to examine (my beliefs) by putting them to the test, and afterward hold tightly to what has proven to be right” (1 Thessalonians 5:21). 

I know now that asking questions about my doctrinal beliefs is not the same as doubting my faith. It is essential to reexamine and reset my faith.

NOW WHAT … should I think, do?

• ”Be continually filled with (under the guidance of) the Holy Spirit” because “God now unveils these profound realities to us by the Spirit. Yes, he has revealed to us his inmost heart and deepest mysteries through the Holy Spirit, who constantly explores all things.” (Ephesians 5:18; 1 Corinthians 2:10 ). (Note: This is a command to the Church, not merely for individuals)

• Ask for the Spirit  to:

• open your heart and reveal how your doctrinal teachings are influenced by your tribe’s worldview
• open your eyes to recognize differing interpretations/applications of Scripture that are confluent with core doctrines. The Christian life is a call to faith; a trust in God, not in our doctrines about God. Not every doctrine is “core” or essential for every Christian to believe in exactly the same way) 
• open your mind to realize where lifestyle and ministry applications are reflective of or based upon your tribe’s culture and customs that are not requirements for all believers

• Reviewing your worldview may make you fearful, or it may seem like you are being asked to doubt what you believe, but in reality, if led by the Spirit, it will only help you clarify what is true and good and pleasing to God (Romans 12:2). To ignore or avoid rethinking what you think only widens your blindspots.

• In prayer,  in conversations, in study or teaching:

1. “Do not grieve the Spirit” (Ephesians 4:30) by refusing to be renewed in your mind, as if you know everything and you know it all without error.
2. “Do not quench (suppress stifle, resist, restrain, hold back) the Spirit“ (1 Thessalonians 5:19) by rejecting all interpretations and applications that are wrong in your mind because they do not agree with your opinion.

• Discipleship is a life-long learning experience… of which our unlearning on some subjects may become more important than a repeat of information we’ve heard again and again.

A Christianity that has become too cozy with a personal or national worldview, becomes capable of racism, fear of diversity, superiority rather than humility, enslavement, genocide, repression, confusing freedom with evil, restricting freedom … and more.

We must pray “THY” Kingdom (the righteous reign and rule of God) come. Not “MY.”

P.S.  It is said that “strategy eats culture for lunch” (Peter Drucker), but it took me most of my full-time-ministry journey to discover “worldview eats strategy and culture (and theology!) for dinner.”

NEXT - -

A quick Click-n-Scroll gives you free access to our Mini-Courses and Leadership Labs