Biblical Foundations Some Christians, Like

Biblical Foundations

Some Christians, like Bennett and Croucher (2003), believe that the Christian world view is the only valid paradigm for effective human living. While this is quite understandable, particularly in the light of rampant secularism and materialism today, I do not believe that this worldview should be imposed, but rather cultivated by loving ministry and chosen by each individuals who wishes to. The truth, from my personal Christian viewpoint, means that every action and every word that a Christian displays should be to the honor of his or her belief system. I do not believe that the truth as a concept is universal to every human being. However, I do believe that each person has a personal truth, and that this should be manifest in such a person's lifestyle. As a Christian, therefore, "my" truth means that I should live according to the principles and truths as provided to me in the Bible. If I do not distinguish myself in this way, I cannot truly claim to subscribe to the Christian lifestyle.

The Got Questions Ministries website for example emphasizes that the Christian worldview for example means that the faithful individuals entire conception of the world is comprehensive. In other words, every experience and interaction is translated to the personal relationship with God as the Christian experiences it. There should be harmony in the way that the Christian experiences reality, and this should translate to the way in which daily decisions are made. This furthermore also translates to the way in which Christians consider the role of parents, learners and educators in the world today.

The roles of the teacher, from a Christian worldview, should then primarily focus upon educating children in cultivating their own Christian worldviews, but also how to live in a world that does not necessarily share this conception. In this, I find that it is important to understand that there is a distinction between Christian and general education.

Educators in schools cannot be expected to generally share the Christian worldview, as many of them are not Christians. However, there are also educators that are affiliated to the church. In my view, these educators should be expected to lead both the children and adults towards following the way of Christ. One of the most important teaching roles in the church is for example that of the Sunday school teachers. These teachers exist to help children find their way within the Word of God and ultimately towards Christ. Such teachers are also to equip Christian children with the necessary tools to honor their faith in a world that is not always as tolerant and understanding as one would wish.

Another important teaching role is that of the minister. According to Israel Wayne (2010), such a minister is to "equip people to think and live with a consistent and cohesive Biblical worldview." In other words, both ministers, Sunday school teachers, and other teaching positions within the church exist with the main purpose of stimulating and encouraging the Christian worldview. This means that children are to be encouraged in the central belief that God exists, that the Bible is his inspired Word, and that the fullness of God is manifest in Christ, who is also the way towards eternal life.

The role of the learner is also vitally important in perpetuating the Christian worldview and encouraging it in others. The learner is not to accept everything he or she hears at face value. Instead, it is important to bring critical thought to everything that is taught, in order to stimulate not only a deeper type of faith but also to eliminate what may be considered erroneous thinking within the church.

On the other hand, the role of the learner is also to stimulate new thinking within the boundaries of the Christian worldview. It is not wrong to stimulate critical thinking. The role of the learner is to use the material presented by means of teaching and create his or own unique vision of the world. In Christian terms, this means that each individual will have a unique relationship with God, but still within the boundaries of Christian doctrine. Learners are therefore to test everything they hear and learn in order to construct their own vision of the world.

In the world today, this is particularly important. Christians share a world with many other types of believers and non-believers. In order to maintain strength in Christ, the learner should therefore be able to maintain a well-thought out worldview in the face of criticism and so-called "evidence" that others level to the contrary. Indeed, the teacher and the learner interact to construct the strength of such a viewpoint.

The role of society is a difficult issue when considering the Christian worldview, its encouragement and its construction. One cannot for example, especially in today's culture, expect society to subscribe to a single faith paradigm, although in the mind of many this would be the ideal solution. Instead, society's role from the Christian viewpoint can be expected at most to offer tolerance and a platform on the basis of which religion and religious education can thrive. The problem is however that the social influence is so strong that Christians themselves often tend to be led astray by the less desirable activities perpetuated by the secular world.

A study cited by Audrey Barrick (2007) for example demonstrated that both Christian and non-Christian adults display little difference when measured against moral behaviors such as viewing sexually explicit movies, using profanity in public or buying lottery tickets. However, Christians are also more likely to volunteer at their church and engage in other social activities such as helping the homeless.

The lack of commitment by Christians is not so much the fault of society as it is by omission from believers themselves. The only responsibility of society is to provide believers with the freedom to exercise their faith. Believers themselves are responsible for the way in which this faith is manifest both within society and within the community of believers themselves.

The same is true of the government; governmental officials are not responsible for the souls of Christian believers, but only for providing believers with the platform they need to exercise their faith. Believers in turn are responsible for paying their taxes so that the government can continue performing its important work. Indeed, this is required by Christ himself, who encouraged his disciples to give Caesar his due.