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Worldviews in Conflict: Summary and Critique Worldviews in Conflict: Summary and Critique I agree with the introductory quote by Will Durant: “From Barbarism to civilization requires a century; from civilization to barbarism needs but a day. ” It is always much easier to destroy something (in this case, civilization), than it is to create it. In general, there is very little effort required to demolish something; but building it up takes a conscious effort, passion and burden. It involves a great deal of work! It is, therefore, very easy to understand how civilization can be destroyed in a day.
Simply sit back and do absolutely nothing, save watch the walls topple, so to speak. It is true that the world is divided more so by “religious and cultural traditions” than by physical boundaries. “Religious belief is one of the most divisive issues. If we are to unite under a ‘government of the people and by the people’ it must be a government separate from the issues that strongly divide us to which there is no concrete or moral truth. ” (Crook, n. d. ). I think the problem with the increasingly complex worldviews in conflict is, as Aristotle said, “All men naturally desire knowledge. ” (Seldes, 1960).
This hunger for knowledge leads men astray when they look to the wrong, worldly sources for information, instead of looking to the Word of God for Truth! I also agree with the statement that “Christians regard the Western tradition and heritage as worth defending; that is, to the degree that historically it has been shaped by a Biblical worldview” (Colson, 1999, p. 2). We are fortunate to live in a country, such as the United States of America, that was founded upon Christian principles. We should be careful never to take our heritage for granted, for it has shaped us into who we are today, as individuals.
Without our rich history, we certainly wouldn’t be who we are, or where we are today. “In America, apparently, calling a person an atheist is as bad as calling her a child molester. ” (Stenger, 2009, p. 23). God bless America! The life we live before others is possibly the greatest testimony one could have. It isn’t always necessary to preach to be an effective witness of the Gospel. I believe the world more readily accepts our lifestyle as a witness than our words. This is yet another important reason to know what your personal worldview is, and to truly live it! Because Asians associate the West with Christianity, the flood of smut from the West is making his Christian witness [as a missionary] difficult. ” (Colson, 1999, p. 1) I am one of the (hopefully many) Christians who oppose the moral relativism worldview. Truth is not relative; Truth is God’s perspective, as recorded in John 17:17: “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. ” (King James Version, italics mine. ) When we fail to realize that God’s Word is true, and God is absolute, we are opening countless doors of opposition.
I have struggled with the enlightenment notion myself because I find it hard sometimes not to believe that human nature is essentially good. The truth of the matter is, due to the Adamic fall, we are all inherently evil, sinful people ??? until we allow God to transform us, that is. Once that happens, we take on His nature and are no longer creatures of sin. Our past failures are forgiven and washed away by the precious Blood of the Lamb and we become godly men and women. We must, however, make a daily, conscious choice to walk in the path of holiness or we can very easily become entangled with the bondage of sin again.
Galatians 5:1, warns us against this very thing:”Be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. ” (KJV. ) It is interesting to note the origin of the word “Prometheus” (as cited as one of the publishers in my reference page). According to the ‘cultural dictionary,’ “Prometheus??has??become??a??symbol??of??lonely??and??valiant resistance??to??authority. ” We need to be careful what we allow to enter our minds. Make a conscious choice to read godly, edifying books that will promote the Kingdom of God, not tear it down by creating doubt and confusion in our minds. Studies in neuroscience have shown that the human brain treats vividly imagined events and real ones almost identically. ” (Parsley, 2007, p. 34). If you think your videogames, daydreams, television shows, horror movies, murder mysteries, romance novels, etc. , are harmless because they are all “fantasy” ??? think again!! When you don’t know what you stand for, it is easy to be persuaded to change your beliefs. Without a solid foundation, anything goes. I am personally thankful for my Biblical convictions, and knowledge of the Truth — for being established on the Word of God.
I know what I stand for and I am unshakable in my beliefs! We must know what we believe, and why. Only then can we teach others and obey the Great Commission given in Matthew 28: 16-20 to go and teach ALL NATIONS; teaching them to obey the Word of God. According to Strong’s Greek 5083, observe means “to guard”. Thus, Jesus commands us to: “Teach them [all nations] to observe [to guard] all things whatsoever I have commanded you. ” We are horribly failing the Great Commission when we sit idly by allowing opposing worldviews to materialize, spread, and eventually even dominate.
Christians must not continue to remain silent. It is high past time to spread the Gospel; our worldview! While the task at hand seems challenging, we must be encouraged. We know how the story ends — we are victorious through Jesus Christ! References Boston, R. (1993). Why so many church-state problems? Why the religious right is wrong about separation of church and state??(2 ed. , pp. 25-26). Buffalo, NY: Prometheus Books. Colson, C. , & Pearcey, N. (1999). Worldviews in conflict. How now shall we live? (pp. 19-26). Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. Parsley, R. (2007). Why worldviews matter.
Culturally incorrect: How clashing worldviews affect your future (pp. 34-35). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson. Prometheus. (n. d. ). The American heritage?? new dictionary of cultural literacy, third edition. Retrieved July 26, 2010, http://dictionary. reference. com/browse/Prometheus. Seldes, G. (1960). The great quotations??(Second printing ed. ). New York, NY: Lyle Stuart, Inc. 1960. Stenger, V. J. (2009). The new atheism: Taking a stand for science and reason. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books. Crook, B. M. (n. d. ). Welcome to ‘one nation’. One nation. Retrieved July 26, 2010, from http://bmccreations. com/one_nation/index. html.