(Continued from Previous Post)
***If you have not had the opportunity to read the previous post, you will probably want to take a few moments to do so and ponder the questions posed at the end of the thread.
Having taken some time to ponder those two questions, you have taken the first steps in beginning to understand what you believe and why you believe it.
Through examining the most influential sources of your own worldview, you have, perhaps for the first time, examined the structural integrity of your beliefs. You have, symbolically speaking, taken a moment to walk around the house you live in and examine the foundation for potentially dangerous weaknesses. You are able to make repairs on the foundation to save your home; or, as you might find necessary, you can lay a new foundation and rebuild your home before it collapses.
(If I’m talking to you right now, congratulations on averting a near disaster)
You might be thinking…”why in the world is this guy talking about a house?” but the simple point is that most people running around in this world do not really know why they believe what they believe. Most people base their entire lives, all of their decisions, thoughts, passions, their most strongly held convictions on a worldview that is inherently dangerous because their beliefs are determined solely on the basis of what feels like the truth and, therefore, in their minds must be true.
Forgive me for asking so many questions, but would you vote for a president who said in debates that his platform was based on what just felt right to him? Would you hire a babysitter who felt they could do a good job, even if they had no experience whatsoever with childcare? Would you allow your neighbor to bulldoze your home because they felt like having a new swimming pool? Absolutely not! You demand to have explanations, to deal with facts, reasons, proof, evidence, and a mere feeling is not sufficient (I emphasize mere as a means of pointing out that feelings in and of themselves, apart from sound reasons and truth, are not adequate). You want them to answer your question of “WHY?” with an answer that has some meat to it, an answer that you can stand behind and support intelligently and passionately.
So why then is it that so many people live their lives with that kind of mentality? Why is it that people are living the unexamined life? Why are people willing to have their feet firmly planted in mid-air…upholding a worldview that is not built on even the semblance of a firm foundation?
There really are a tremendous number of answers to that question, more than I could even begin to list. I will say, however, that we must first begin with ourselves, by accepting responsibility for our own beliefs and our own faulty worldviews. We must be willing to confess that we have made the same mistakes; I certainly did for the first 18 years of my life, and rectify those mistakes by pursuing truth at all costs.
So where exactly do you start in trying to figure out the truth? To discover which worldview is the right worldview? To know which worldview provides the clarity we need to see God, the world, ourselves, death, and answer all the big questions?
I will tell you openly and honestly that I have found that the answer is found in Jesus Christ and in the very Word of God, the Bible (now don’t run off and get your feelings hurt because I said something you might not like very much).
Some of you might be thinking that I have, after all of my discussion of examining our belief systems to ensure that they are legitimate, reasonable, and provide clarity regarding the world around us, hopped a train to “Nutty Zealot-ville” and contradicted myself. You might be confused by the thought that it is impossible for the Christian worldview to be grounded on anything but purely desperate, unfounded, insupportable, unreasonable faith. If you find yourself distracted by the fact that I am a Christian and profess Jesus Christ to be the Way, the Truth, and the Life, you have allowed your intolerance of Christianity and prejudice against Christians to allow you to dump a lot of your own personal baggage onto a very important conversation.
Don’t miss the point of this thread friends…I want you to examine what you believe with a critical eye, looking for the flaws; then, I want you to thoroughly look at other worldviews with the same critical eye; and I want you to press on in asking the difficult questions about the different worldviews that exist in the world. Finally, I have offered up my own Christian worldview to your ferocious examination, as I have challenged you to do all along.
As always, I leave with a closing exhortation to think deeply and critically about what you believe; and, since I have offered it up as truth, think critically about the Christian worldview. The place to start with that is, of course, the Bible, and I would recommend looking to the life of Christ in the Gospel of John to begin with and then reading the book of Galatians.
I have exposed myself and what I believe to your brutal criticism and analysis, and I would love to face the business end of your thoughts…so feel free to post comments or email me (focalelement@gmail.com) and I will do my best to answer for the worldview I profess.
Thank you for taking the time to read this blog, know that I sincerely appreciate it and it is a great reward to know that you read it.
If you don’t have a Bible, I recommend using the ESV translation… (http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/)
Bible Study Resource Links:
*** www.desiringgod.org *** – Incredible Bible Teaching
www.cri.org – Christian Research Institute
www.gospelcom.net
Worldview Resources
www.christianworldview.com
www.breakpoint.org
