A worldview is a framework based on a set of believes that guides a person’s actions as well as their perceptions and interpretation of different life situations. The Christian worldview represents a thinking standpoint connecting all Christian believers across the world, but notably, this does not mean that all Christians are like-minded. Christians also happen to differ on matters regarding politics, aesthetics, economics, and lifestyle. Similarly, the Christian worldview shares similarities with other worldviews. For example, both the Hindu and Christian worldviews believe that human life is sacred. Also, Judaism, just like Christianity, believes that God created the world out of nothing. The Christian worldview is exceptionally significant to Christians in that it helps its followers to broaden their thinking regarding various contemporary issues. Notably, human beings are religious beings, and therefore, their daily practices are deeply rooted in religion. Such beliefs are essential in identifying conflicts, its causes and ultimately solutions to this inherent human nature. While some critics argue that worldviews are redundant to the human populace, their significance is undeniable. The main aim of the Christian worldview is to assist Christians to perceive the world just as God himself sees it through creation, the scriptures, and Jesus Christ all of which manifest his supremacy, existence, and voice to human beings.
Deism is a common worldview that cuts across various religions, but there are variations to the ideology. According to deism, after creating the world, God left the world to run on its own, which translates to the statement that God is a creator but not a provider. Notably, other worldviews do not believe in the existence of God such as the Marxists. According to Marxists, there are no souls but simply a natural existence. Buddhists, on the contrary, believe that earthly encounters are a fate that humans must endure on their way to the nirvana which is their ultimate destination. Unlike other worldviews, the existence of the world is perceived as the Almighty God and the basis for all earthly existence. Besides God’s presence, in the beginning, there is also the issue of the chaos that was there, which translates to void and nothingness. It is through the chaos that God spoke and transformed it into beauty. The idea that the word existed before the world is unique to the Christian worldview and the same view is shared with Judaism. 1 As such, all human understanding must refer to the perceptions of an Almighty creator who is omnipresent.
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As a result, there is a clear-cut conflict between Christianity and worldviews such as atheism and secularism that deny the existence of God. Unlike these religions that start with people, Christianity believes that all things start with God, without whom, none of it would exist. The American society has altered God’s image to suit their needs with many partaking him as a “therapist” to solve their problems, which should not be the case. Instead, the God who Christians must refer to is referenced in the Bible and not in other religious beliefs such as the Koran. The one true God is the King of all Kings, invisible and the only true God. 2 In the Old Testament, different heroes illustrate that Christians must fight and seize their destiny. Faith is also continuously displayed in different heroic stories in the Bible including that of Abraham, Jacob or Israel, and Ruth. These three characters are remembered for their exceptional faith, but above all, they are remembered for their struggles that also portray their great faith. 3
Another notable element of the Christian worldview is that God is one and cannot be understood. Seemingly, to understand God is to become God. It is for the same reason that Jews who share this view do not have any images of God in their places of worship. In the Old Testament, God reveals himself to his followers in many forms. For example, he reveals himself to Moses as the burning bush. The idea of monotheism starts here. Notably, God refuses to answer Moses any of his questions, but he later becomes the one to lead the Israelites out of slavery. 4 Muslims, like Christians, are monotheists, and to them, Jesus is another prophet just like Moses, who according to them is not the greatest prophet for their religion. Instead, Muslims believe that Muhammad was the messenger sent to them by God to show them how to lead a religious life.
Another unique Christian worldview is that of the triune God. Following the grace that led to man’s salvation, the Bible reveals that God is, in fact, three in one: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Although it is obvious from the Bible that there is only one God, the Bible also shows that it is a fellowship of the Trinity. The aspect of the triune God is also distinct from other monotheistic worldviews such as Judaism and Islam. 5 Similarly, Christians verify the existence of the triune God through his revelation to his creations in many ways and ultimately through Jesus Christ his Son. The Christian Worldview argues that if God were silent, it would be impossible to learn of his existence. One way through which God speaks to his creation is through his very creation. Elements such as day and night, heavens and the sky are all evidence of his unique ways of communication to his people. 6 The scriptures are the second manner in which God speaks to Christians. “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.” 7 God continuously speaks to his people through scriptures both in the Old and New Testament. Many religions have rejected the idea of the triune God, most specifically, Muslims. Based on their monotheistic idea, it has become increasingly difficult for them to entertain the idea of the Trinity. Also, the Muslims assume that the trinity refers to God the father, Mary the mother, and Jesus the child, therefore denouncing the Holy Spirit.
In the New Testament, the incarnation act through the sacrifice of his son is also another element that is unique to the Christian Worldview. No other worldview acknowledges or entertains that through the act of incarnation, God took the image of a man in an act to reveal Himself to the world. In the New Testament, Jesus is seen as the perfect vessel through which God reveals and speaks to humanity. According to Hebrews, God finally speaks to humanity through his son. 8 In John, it is also stated that seeing the son is equivalent to seeing the father. 9 Arguably, the Christian Worldview is only possible following God’s revelation to his people. Although the concept is common in other religions to mean turning a person into a good person associated with good morals, the idea that Jesus Christ was incarnate is not shared. First, while the Christian worldview perceives Jesus as God himself, Muslims, on the contrary, recognize Jesus as one of the prophets in the holy book. Like Christians, Muslims practice monotheism, and for them, there is only God and the prophets. According to Buddhists, salvation is the equivalence of nirvana, which is accomplished after the completion of an eight-fold path. In Hinduism, Moksha refers to liberalization from both Karma and samsara, and it is achieved through yoga. 10
Conclusively, the Christian worldview is deeply rooted in biblical scriptures, and it is unique in beliefs such as the triune God although it shares ideologies with other religion regarding some issues. Notably, the Bible and the Christian worldview begin by mentioning God, in the beginning, to mean that God existed before anything else. However, while religions such as Judaism believe in the existence of God, the American worldview fails to associate God with the provision. The Bible which is divided into the New and the Old Testament form a firm basis for such worldviews and others. Stories like those of Moses, Abraham, and Jacob act as reference points for Christians across the world on matters regarding the nature of God, faith, and approach to the oppressed. Other religious texts used in juxtaposition with the Bible almost tell a similar story, but the difference stems from the fact that Christians perceive God as Almighty, the beginning of everything, and try to view all things as He would. His presence is further manifested through the incarnation in which he sacrifices his Son to save mankind. Additionally, God chooses to speak to his people through creation, the scriptures, and through his son.
Bibliography
Coogan, Michael David, Marc Zvi Brettler, Carol Ann Newsom, and Pheme Perkins, eds. The New Oxford Annotated Bible: New Revised Standard Version: with the Apocrypha: an Ecumenical Study Bible . Oxford University Press, USA, 2010.
Hudson, Don Michael. Foundations of Christian Thought and Practice. King College, 2011.
Ryken, Philip Graham. Christian worldview: A student's guide . Crossway, 2013. 34.
Visser, F. (2017). Hindu Avatar and Christian Incarnation: A mystery of the Presence of God. Consensus , 38 (2), 11.
1 Hudson, Don Michael. Foundations of Christian Thought and Practice. King College, 2011. 15-16.
2 The New Oxford Annotated Bible. (1 Tim. 1:17).
3 Graham, PhilipRyken. Christian worldview: A student's guide . Crossway, 2013. 34.
Hudson, Don Michael. Foundations of Christian Thought and Practice. King College, 2011.19-21.
4 Michael, Don Hudson. Foundations of Christian Thought and Practice. King College, 2011. 25-26
5 Ibid. 38.
6 The New Oxford Annotated Bible. (Ps. 19:1–2).
7 Ibid. (Ps. 19:7).
8 Ibid. (Heb. 1:2).
9 Ibid. (John 6:46)
10 Visser, F. (2017). Hindu Avatar and Christian Incarnation: A mystery of the Presence of God. Consensus , 38 (2), 1.
