Everyone has a worldview, everyone!

“A worldview is a set of presuppositions (assumptions which may be true, partially true or entirely false) which we hold (consciously or subconsciously, consistently or inconsistently) about the basic make-up of our world.” — James Sire, The Universe Next Door

Various philosophers have used different categories to help “define” particular worldviews, but they can all be represented by the following list: God/Prime Reality, Cosmos, Humans, Knowledge/Revelation, Ethics, Death, and History. How well does your worldview stand up against possible alternatives using the criteria below?

How well does the worldview relate to itself?
Consistency – It does not violate the law of non-contradiction.
Coherence – Do its parts fit together; do separate statements support one another? (For instance the following statements are true [grass is green; 2 + 2 = 4, Springfield is the Capital City of Illinois] however they do not support one another in any way and therefore taken holistically they are not coherent)

How well does the worldview explain the world?
Comprehensiveness – Does it cover all the bases?
Congruence – Does it fit with reality; does it fit the data?

How well does the worldview explain humanity?
Compensation – Does it provide a sense of satisfaction; is the worldview livable?

Is the worldview the best alternative?
Comparability – Does it do the best job of answering all the questions?

Here is a list (not exhaustive) of how specific worldviews answer the questions of God, Cosmos, Humans etc. This list begins with my own worldview, but is not a statement of which worldview is correct, but rather is provided simply to show how each worldview answers the categories given above. Keep in mind that most people won’t fit neatly into one worldview as delineated here.

Christian Theism
God/Prime Reality:
Creator, Infinite, Personal, Triune, Rational
Transcendent And Immanent
Sovereign And Good

Cosmos:
Created Ex Nihilo
Operates With A Uniformity Of Cause And Effect
Open System (Miracles Possible Through God’s Immanence)
Fallen World

Humans:
Created In The Image Of God
Possess Self-Transcendence, Rationality, Personality, Morality, Creativity, Sociability
Originally Good, Now Fallen But Capable Of Redemption

Knowledge/Revelation:
Can Have Adequate Knowledge Of The World And God
Available Through General And Special Revelation

Ethics:
Transcendent
Based On the Character Of God As Good (Holy And Loving)
Some Ethical Principles Are Universal (Not Relative)
Given By General And/Or Special Revelation

Death:
Gateway To Eternity With Or Eternity Separated From God
Outcome Determined By Relationship With Christ
Individuality Retained

History:
Linear
Meaningful
Leading To the Fulfillment Of God’s Purposes
Guided By God’s Providence And Miraculous Intervention

Deism
God/Prime Reality:
Creator
Transcendent Not Immanent
Not Fully Personal

Cosmos:
Created
Operates With A Uniformity Of Cause And Effect
Closed System (Miracles Not Possible/Actual Because God Lacks Immanence)
Not Fallen

Humans:
Personal
Part Of The Clockwork Universe
Capacity For Morality Is “Built In”
Not Currently Dependent Upon God’s Involvement

Knowledge/Revelation:
Cosmos Is Knowable Via Human Reason
God Is Knowable Only Through Natural Revelation

Ethics:
Moral Principles Based On God’s Transcendent Nature
Knowable Only Through Natural Revelation
What “Is” Must Be “Right”

Death:
Possibly Devine Judgment With Rewards And Punishment Based On Merit
Possibly Death As The End Of Personal Existence

History:
Linear
Determined At Creation
God Does Not Act In History

Optimistic Naturalism (Secular Humanism)
God/Prime Reality:
Eternal Or Self-Generated Matter
No God

Cosmos:
Uncreated
Operates With A Uniformity Of Cause And Effect
Closed System (Miracles Not Possible Because There Is No God)
Everything Is Within The “Box” Of The Universe

Humans:
“Fee Yet “Complex Machines”
Personality Not Yet Understandable
Appears To Be Nothing More Than The Interaction Of Physical And Chemical Properties

Knowledge/Revelation:
Possible To Discover
Important To Effect Progress
Not Divinely Revealed

Ethics:
Created By Human Consensus
Autonomous (Not Dependent On Any God)
Situational

Death:
Extinction Of Consciousness, Personality, And Individuality

History:
Linear Stream Of Events Linked By Cause And Effect
No Overarching Purpose

Pessimistic Naturalism (Nihilism)
God/Prime Reality:
No God
A Cosmos That Appears Not To Care, To Value Goodness, Or To Be Rational
Absurd

Cosmos:
Operates Either From Necessity Or Chance
No Inherent Value Or Meaning
Provides No Answers
Absurd

Humans:
No Value, Meaning Or Self
Freedom And Consciousness Undermined

Knowledge/Revelation:
No Foundation For Knowledge
No Reason To Think The Brain As Pure Matter Would Give “Truth”
Truth And Illusion Indistinguishable

Ethics:
No Basis For Moral Values
Values Relative
Cannot Produce “Oughts” From What “Is” The Case

Death:
Extinction Of Consciousness, Personality, And Individuality
Final Absurdity

History:
No Direction Or Purpose
Individual And World History Are Meaningless

Atheistic Existentialism
God/Prime Reality:
Two Disunited Forms Objective (Matter) And Subjective (My Experience Of Freedom)

Cosmos:
Consists Of Objective “Essences” Which Are Governed By Nature’s Law And Logic
Absurd

Humans:
Existence Precedes Essence (For Humans Alone)
Man Free To Define Himself
Alienated From The World

Knowledge/Revelation:
Objective Knowable By Logic And Science
Self Removed From Analysis

Ethics:
Humans Must “Revolt” Against Absurdity And Create Value
Good Actions Are Those That Are Consciously And Freely Chosen

Death:
Undeniable Absurdity
Face It Boldly As The Final Exercise Of Revolt

History:
World History Is Meaningless
Temporary Individual Meaning May Arise Through Choices And Personal Encounters

Theistic Existentialism
God/Prime Reality:
God Is Personal, Transcendent, Immanent And Good
Accepted Without Proof Through A Leap Of Faith

Cosmos:
Paradoxical
Gives No Meaning
Offers No Evidence For God

Humans:
The “Personal” I-Thou Is Valuable
Finite
Fallen
Not Satisfied Apart From Surrender To God

Knowledge/Revelation:
Often Paradoxical
God Believed Without Reason Or Proof
Revelation Is Personal Encounter Not Revealed Propositions Or Doctrines

Ethics:
Understood Primarily In “Personal” Terms
Emphasis On Personal Relationship Not Moral Values

Death:
Personal Encounter With God Can Prompt Hope Over The Absurdity Of Death
Literal Continued Life Uncertain

History:
Uncertain And Unimportant
Can Provide A Model To Live By

Eastern Pantheistic Monism
God/Prime Reality:
All Reality Is “Divine Oneness” (Brahman)
This “God” Supersedes All Rational/Moral Distinctions

Cosmos:
Cosmos Is One
Not Perceived As It Is, It Is Thus Maya (Illusion)

Humans:
Real Self Is Not Psycho-physical Self (Jiva)
Real Self Is A Passive Observer (Atman) That Is One With Brahman
Atman is Brahman

Knowledge/Revelation:
Transcends Logic, Language, Physical Senses
A Direct Experienced Knowledge Of One’s Oneness With The Universe

Ethics:
Distinction Between Good And Evil Abandoned Due To Oneness Of Reality

Death:
Cycle Of Rebirth (Samsara) That Is Only Stopped When Oneness Is Achieved
Future Life Determined By Karma

History:
Individual And Cosmic History Are Cyclical
Time Is Unreal As One Passes Beyond It In The Experience Of The One

New Age
God/Prime Reality:
Self Linked To A Permeating Force Throughout The Universe
No Transcendent God, Only The Good Within

Cosmos:
Visible (Accessible By Normal Consciousness)
Invisible (Accessible By Altered Consciousness)

Humans:
Individual More Important
Atman Is Brahman
Growing Cosmic Consciousness Leads To Superior Human Race

Knowledge/Revelation:
Experiencing True Reality In Its Unity Is The Goal
Accomplished Through Altered States Of Consciousness
Assisted By Meditation, Mantras, Mediums, Etc.

Ethics:
Good Is Whatever Facilitates A Cosmic Consciousness Of Oneness
Often Involves Ecological And Human Sensitivity
Everything Part Of Mother Earth

Death:
Not The End Of Self
What Lies Beyond Unclear
Many Opt For Repeated Reincarnations

History:
Cosmos And Man Have Entered A New Age
Some Stress A One-World Government And Coming One-World Leader

This post is compiled from notes taken during a course at Lincoln Christian University taught by Dr. Richard Knopp.

A friend recently loaned me the first volume of a two volume set entitled, The Late Great Planet Church, The Rise of Dispensationalism. The DVD’s are produced by nicenecouncil.com, and while I am not happy with the “King James” way they chose to present the information, or the choice to spend what I considered needless time on the personal life of C. I. Scofield (a tactic that I think was properly used when examining John Darby) the overall impact of the information presented was powerful to say the least.

I have known many dispensationalists in my life, and grew up as one myself. However, when I began studying the Word on my own several years ago I started to feel that something was not quite right. I will not use this post as a polemic against dispensationalism because I think the Bible itself and a close study of the history of dispensationalism (such as these DVD’s) can do that much better than I. I did find that a few points and quotations really struck home with me.

My wife has recently become involved in a game hosted on Facebook in which the players each maintain a virtual farm. If you walk into the room and hear her talking on the phone with her Mother or Sister about the game you would think they really had crops to get in before the bad weather rolls in…amusing to be sure. However, this type of simulated life does not always set well with me. For instance, the neighbor’s kids were over today and their 12 year old girl explained to me that she had been married, had twins, and was now divorced in her simulated world. See where I am going with this?