The RenewaNation Review 2018 Volume 10 Issue 2 | Page 9

what is BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW? By Dr. Josh Mulvihill C REATION. MARRIAGE. Divorce. Jesus. Gender. Education. Abortion. Parenting. Flat earth. Islam. Immigration. Vaccines. The Bible. Climate change. Did any of these words generate a response in your mind? Did you silently state agreement or disagreement as you read some of the words? Did any personal convictions well up inside you? How about when I turn some of these words into questions? • • • • • • • • Does the Bible contain errors? What is marriage? Is divorce ever permissible? Do aliens exist? What is the role of the government? Is gender determined by biology or choice? What is the purpose of education? Do vaccines cause autism?   Your answer to each of these questions represents a portion of your worldview. Every person has a worldview. Worldview is a way of summarizing what we believe to be true, which determines how we live. If we believe vaccines cause autism, we don’t vaccinate our children. If we believe a person’s gender is discovered rather than predetermined, then we encourage children to explore their gender identity to learn who they are. If we believe divorce is not an option, we work through conflict and commit to lifelong faithfulness in marriage.   What you believe about vaccines, gender, and divorce leads to very real consequences for children. The same could be said about a long list of topics. The point is this: our beliefs matter, and that’s why worldview matters.   Biblical worldview is a set of beliefs, assumptions, and values based on the Bible that determines how a person lives. A complete biblical worldview is the gospel and is based on the Bible’s big story. A biblical worldview is developed by teaching young people the whole counsel of the Word of God and living as a Christ- like example worthy of imitation. Worldview is not an abstract, academic discipline that is concerned with winning arguments or proving intellect.   I summarize biblical worldview in four words: creation, rebellion, salvation, and re-creation. These four biblical truths create a foundation that allows future faith-building to develop and answers the big questions of life. 9