A Christian worldview includes the understandings that God is a loving, personal Being, that He is active in our world, that forces of evil are powerful and in opposition to God’s activity and that God’s ultimate victory is assured.
Christian young people need to learn skills which will help them recognize and reject worldviews which compete with the Christian worldview. Some of these opposite worldviews are blatant in their opposition to the government of God. They include the Satanic, the occult, the addictive lifestyles of illegal drugs, alcohol and prostitution, etc. Some opposite worldviews are subtle and seemingly inconsequential. Most of the avenues of our popular culture, including much of the entertainment industry, are built upon secular worldviews, which, if not openly opposed to the spiritual life, usually refuse to bring God into the picture.
Seven Ways to Distinguish Worldviews
- Is room made for the spiritual dimension of our life or is the spiritual excluded?
- Is the spiritual dimension integrated into or segregated from the remainder of life?
- Is God active, distant or nonexistent?
- Is God portrayed as harsh, vindictive, judgmental and to be feared or as gracious, forgiving, accepting and to be loved?
- Are spiritual people caricatured or stereotyped? Or do they appear as they really are, as real people?
- Are the heroes ever those who hold spiritual values? Or are the heroes always non-spiritual?
- Are spiritual responses to life’s challenges ever considered? Or do things such as Bible study, prayer, worship, community and service never affect people’s decisions?
© 2000 John Hancock Center for Youth and Family Ministry
Permission to copy for use in the local congregation or group.
