The Subtle Influence of Secular Ideas - Part 1 - Worldview

An interesting quality of mathematics is that all mathematical systems start with a few key assumptions which cannot be proven but which make good sense and are considered to be self-evident – without need of proof. These are called postulates and axioms. Entire branches of mathematics are built upon these basic assumptions, and different assumptions create very different results. The Euclidean geometry, that almost everyone studies in high school, is a prime example. Other examples are various non-Euclidean geometries which start from different assumptions, such as the idea that parallel lines intersect at infinity, much as railroad tracks appear to intersect at the horizon, even though they are parallel. Not all mathematical systems start with assumptions that are considered viable in reality – they are used just to explore what might develop from this new basis.

What is less clear, perhaps, is that humans operate this way in everyday life. We operate on the basis of assumptions which help us make decisions, and interpret and make some sense of the world we live in. These assumptions seem to us axiomatic – without need of proof. My discussions with people have shown up many assumptions which are not necessarily true.

A humorous, relatively benign example is that of a linguist who goes to a remote tribe in hopes of learning their language and reducing it to written form. He starts by pointing to various objects in hopes of learning what that tribe calls those items. To his amazement, everything he points to gets the same word in response: a tree, the dirt, a hut, etc., are all called the same thing in this language. Suddenly, it dawns on him that his linguistic helper has not been giving him the word for the objects he was pointing to. The word given is the word for finger. The tribesman interpreted his actions in a completely different way than he did.

The system of assumptions I’m referring to in what follows goes beyond communication. These assumptions are often referred to today as worldview. In the grand social scheme of things, our worldview determines our politics, our economics, whether we go to war or not, whether we make treaties with certain nations or not, and a whole host of other life altering issues. Personally, our worldview determines the type of lifestyle we lead whether simple or lavish, perhaps immoral or puritanical; the kind of church we attend, whether charismatic or liturgical; the ethics we live by whether honest or conniving; and a whole host of other choices.

A person’s real worldview can be discovered by the way he lives his life. For example, I play racquetball with a liberal who wants to give handouts to all the poor. I beat him regularly. Once I asked him if he wanted me to spot him some points to which he replied angrily that he didn’t want charity – he wanted to earn the victory for himself, even if he loses. A victory that way would mean more to him. Well, perhaps my friend is really rather conservative in his worldview – at least to some extent. There are conservatives who oppose aid programs, yet they will take advantage of every one of them they can. Perhaps they are really somewhat more liberal than they’d like to admit.

A very important point I want to make, however, is that our true worldview is hard for us to detect. The assumptions by which we live and which rule our interpretations and decisions in life seem to make so much sense – they seem to us so clearly without need of proof – that we are rarely aware they are there, and we almost never question their validity, as long as our system is sufficiently coherent – serving us well. It’s usually life crises that cause such a questioning, such as 9/11. Crises can also cause us to question our faith and fall away from the Lord. The result of questioning isn’t always a more correct answer, but an answer that seems to better fit the way we perceive reality.

I believe the Bible calls Christians to be aware of and to question their assumptions to see whether they are valid. As Luke wrote about the Berean Jews, “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”[1] They were ready to have their basic assumptions changed, yet they did so thoughtfully. Jesus’ disciples had a hard time dealing with His crucifixion because they had an assumption that all the Messianic prophecies would be fulfilled at the same time. They had completely missed the need for Jesus’ sacrifice for sins, even though it was written in the Scriptures, which Jesus elaborated to them after his resurrection.[2] The religious rulers at that time had a whole system of religion that, as it turned out, was opposed to the heart of God.[3]

We’d like to think that we now, unlike the Jews of Jesus’ day, are way past any such misconceptions, yet I think we will see that this might not be the case. I want to lay out negative changes in worldview that have taken place over time, which, I believe, have been powerfully affected by what we now call science, Greek philosophy and even certain occult arts – even the Western Church has been affected.

It is first very important to study our history to seek out where major changes in our worldview took place. Without this study, we aren’t even aware that something changed. Just as the proverbial frog in the pot heating up underneath him isn’t aware of any change until it’s too late, so we aren’t aware of any changes in thinking that have taken place over the past two millennia without looking critically at the history of Western thought, and in particular Christian thinking. Even then, if we are aware of a change, we fail to consider whether it was good or not.

Equally important, however, is the need to look at what provoked the change. As Christians, we must be keenly aware that we have an adversary who earnestly desires and relentlessly works to undo the work of God and to destroy us if at all possible and in any way possible.[4] The Scriptures make it clear that there is a world system over which Satan apparently has some form of rule[5] which he uses to his ends. Here is one of my assumptions in this study: any and every influence which finds its origins in this world system is at least suspect of bringing about Satan’s ends and opposing God’s purposes, and deception is one of his primary weapons.[6]

Some may argue that Christians can never be deceived based on Matthew 24:24, yet there are far too many warnings about false doctrine, teachings of devils, false prophets, sin entangling us, and the Devil seeking to destroy us for us.[7] These warnings are given because there is the real possibility of being deceived and falling away in a whole variety of ways. Jesus’ words to the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3 show that some went astray from Him. The histories of Israel and the Church are rife with examples.

One way for Satan to accomplish his purposes is through subtle changes to our worldview. It can be influenced by Satan to his ends and contrary to the Lord’s plan, if we aren’t watchful. I believe it has already taken place and the effects remain with us today.

Thus, I assert that every generation must look critically at the current state of affairs, not just from a standpoint of sin as we classically understand it, but also from the standpoint of where we may have gone astray in our thinking away from our Lord. Is what is currently being espoused by Evangelicals – and perhaps other Christians – as a Christian worldview truly a Christian worldview, and where might it have gone awry if not? As I put it to one friend not long ago in discussing this, I believe that, at best, the definitions of a Christian worldview I have heard are inadequately Christian and subtly compromised with worldly and even occult thinking for many centuries.

This brings me to another one of my assumptions: there is a truly Christian worldview that can be perceived and held, yet it is not automatic or obvious. I do not mean by this that all Christians in all cultures should look, think and behave exactly the same. There is allowance for cultural differences. Yet, I exclude so-called “cultural traditions” that are founded in pagan practices. I do believe there is, however, a common Kingdom worldview that should permeate all of Christianity. It is not necessarily found in historic Israel, modern Judaism or the historic Church. It is found in the Scriptures.

Yet, we have a problem. Our worldview interferes with our ability to see what, to people of other worldviews, is so clearly evident. For example, Westerners generally find the genealogies of the Bible quite boring and purposeless. Our oriental brethren, however, find each genealogy extremely important and vital. One of the reasons is that they prove beyond doubt that Jesus and Adam were real people. For us in the West, this hardly proves a thing. Suffice it to say that our differing worldviews make a big difference in what we get out of different parts of the Bible. Basically, there are significant portions of the Scriptures that we miss entirely or misinterpret because we don’t see the world in the same way as the writers of the Bible and the early readers. We’re missing the cultural context, language and basic assumptions, as we’ll see later. If that’s not enough, what about our so-called blind spots we talk about from time to time, issues we aren’t aware of? Don’t we also have misconceptions about God’s character that we discover sometimes years after holding a false view of Him?

What’s the solution? Just as it was necessary for the Holy Spirit to bring us to understand the truth about Jesus’ atonement for our sins and the necessity of – and even ability for – our faith in that atonement for reconciliation to our Heavenly Father, so it is necessary for the Holy Spirit to continue to lead us into all truth hence forth.[8] We’d like to think that all is set right at conversion as far as knowing truth – getting it all put right. Yet, I don’t think any of us would be so bold as to say such a thing, though it sometimes seems we believe it to be so.

While a truly Christian worldview is available and possible, it isn’t automatic. It comes through searching and seeking in the Scriptures, questioning assumptions and going to the Lord for help in discerning what is true and what is false. The Deceiver is always at work to thwart this effort, and the Holy Spirit is always at work to promote it. Our role is to resist the Devil’s efforts and cooperate with the Holy Spirit,[9] which isn’t always clear in itself.

While this discussion has postponed for yet another post my explanation of where I see we have gone astray, I believe it to be an essential foundation to that presentation. What I will be laying out illustrates very clearly how scientific thinking, at the very least, has drastically altered our view of reality, the universe, our place in the world, and even the work of God in the world. As a result, it has also drastically altered the very essence of how we view God and ourselves, and live out our Christian lives, not as aliens in this world[10] but as citizens far too comfortable with worldly ways, thinking and living. I think the words of various contemporary writers will illustrate this nicely.

Rob

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[1] Acts 17:11

[2] Luke 24:27

[3] Matthew 15:1-9, 23:1-32, Mark 7:1-13

[4] 1 Peter 5:8

[5] Daniel 10:13, Matthew 9:34, John 12:31, 14:30, 16:11, Ephesians 2:2

[6] Matthew 24:4-5,11,24, Mark 13:5-6, Romans 16:18, Ephesians 4:14, 5:6, 2 Thessalonians 2:3, Revelation 20:3,8, and in both the Old and New Testaments there is mention of false prophets, deceivers and seducers.

[7] False or sound doctrine – Ephesians 4:14, Colossians 2:8, 1 Timothy 1:5-11, 2 Timothy 4:3. Teachings of devils – 1 Timothy 4:1. False prophets – Matthew 7:15, 24:10,23, Mark 13:22, 2 Peter 2:1, 1 John 4:1, not to mention Old Testament mention of lying prophets and spirits. Entanglements of sin – Hebrews 12:1. The Devil as a roaring lion – 1 Peter 5:8.

[8] John 16:13

[9] James 4:7

[10] 1 Peter 2:11