Elements of the Christian Worldview

The Christian Worldview

Essay for Midterm Exam

by Jennifer Lee Bartlett

March 12, 2005

The Christian worldview is shaped by (and affects) the following:

1. Theology, which has the strongest influence on a person’s worldview, as compared to the other elements. This view entails being theistic, as opposed to atheistic or agnostic. Christianity is one of the “3 great religions,” (the other two are Judaism and Islam), and it implies the belief that God is a personal being (self-aware and capable of relationship), omni-benevolent (the highest degree of all that is good), omniscient (knowing all that is or could be), omnipotent (capable of doing anything logically possible), and omnipresent (if by this one means that He is spiritually involved in everything that is, rather than that He is physically located everywhere). God, as viewed by Christians, is also triune; He is the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who are three distinct persons yet are inseparable in one Godhead.

2. Cosmology, which defines where we came from and the nature of the universe. Christians believe that God is Spirit (mind), and that He is the Creator of all that exists (or ever did), creating out of nothing (ex nihilo). God did not require a cause, as did everything that has been created (matter); He simply IS, as His name, I AM, implies. He providentially cares for His creation (with a particular interest in mankind) and sustains the conditions that make life possible. He is both the external Being and the imminent, involved Provider in the universe. In short, this view states that God (mind) gave rise to matter.

3. Ethics, which include one’s criteria for determining right and wrong. Christians define their ethics in terms of God’s standards, primarily. Although other factors can influence a Christian’s sense of right and wrong (such as man’s laws, parental teaching and example, and other constraints of society), the Word of God is the source and guidebook for making moral decisions. The glory of God is the highest good.

4. Anthropology, which is the view of what man consists of (mind, matter or a combination of these), the belief regarding his moral potential, and his end. As previously stated, Christians believe that God (mind) caused matter, which includes man, but man is more than the “stuff” of which he is made. He is or possesses a soul and/or spirit - his personality, ability to reason and his will - which is eternal in nature and therefore will exist beyond the death of the body. Christianity sees man as depraved, inherently evil due to the sin nature he inherited from Adam, and has no hope apart from God’s divine grace and mercy, which He offers through faith in Christ, leading to everlasting life in heaven. Rejection of Christ leads to man’s eternal separation from God (the epitome of good), in hell.


5. Epistemology, which is the definition of knowledge and the belief regarding how it is obtained. Christians have the most solid basis for obtaining knowledge because of the belief that we have been designed to know and that God is capable of communicating truth to us (revelation). He has done this by coming to earth in the flesh (Jesus reveals the Father) and by imparting to us the holy scriptures, which communicate God’s nature, His will and His wisdom, which we may then apply to our lives. Knowledge then, is that which we believe based on evidence and on the reasoning ability God has given us. It is worth noting that sin has affected our ability to reason, so we must take into account that we are capable of error and therefore must rely on God’s Word and His grace to compensate for this.