What Is A Biblical Worldview? by Pastor Rob Olson

“Worldview” has become a bit of a buzzword in American Christianity – but what is it? A worldview is, put most simply, a perspective on reality. It’s often compared to a pair of glasses – lenses through which we see and interpret everything we experience. Unlike prescription glasses though, everyone has a worldview, whether or not we are aware of it. We hold our worldviews mostly unconsciously; we don’t see our worldview, we see through our worldview.

Author and scholar James Anderson describes what it T.A.K.E.S. to make a worldview. It is comprised of beliefs about

Theology (Is there a God? What is God like?),

Anthropology (What are humans? Where did we come from? Why do we exist?),

Knowledge (How can we know anything? What can we know for sure?),

Ethics (How do we know what’s right and wrong?), and

Salvation (What is wrong with the world? What is the solution?).

If we take a moment to reflect, we realize that we have answers to each of these questions in our minds, even if we don’t think about them often. Our answers to these questions have a direct impact on how we interpret our experiences in the world and how we live in response. Notice that the questions and answers comprising a worldview are not about our individual preferences, but beliefs about all of reality. These are universal questions, whose answers have implications for every person and every area of life. That is why worldview studies is so important; if our answer to any one of those questions is wrong, then our approach to life, work, family, education, government, culture, entertainment, and everything else will be faulty as a result. Naturally, we all want to believe what is true (or at least have some confidence that our beliefs are true). Is this possible?

As Christians, we know that God is the sole source of truth and that he has given us the truth in his Word, the Bible. So we can have confidence that our beliefs are true when they are aligned with the teaching of the Bible (John 17:17). A Christian worldview, then, is synonymous with a Biblical worldview. In the Bible God has provided us with the answers to all of the foundational questions listed above.

It tells us that there is only one God, he is real, and he is good. Humans were created in his image to know him, to rule with him, and to have a loving relationship with him. We can know much about God and our world with confidence because he has revealed it to us. God himself is the standard of right and wrong, good and evil, he has told us plainly what is right and wrong in his Word, and we are accountable to him for how we live. The Bible describes how we, human beings, wrecked ourselves and the world with sin and how God himself intervened to provide a solution by offering us salvation.

God’s Word provides a complete worldview because it addresses all of reality – every aspect of life. Developing a Christian worldview means learning to think Biblically about life, the universe, and reality. And yes, the Bible really does have something to say about everything. Learning to think and act Biblically will lead us to experience the meaning, joy, and fulfillment God intends for us in every area of life.