“Worldview matters.” So says John Stonestreet in his introduction to Faithfully Different by Natasha Crain. He goes on to say, “A worldview makes a big difference in how we think, how we make decisions, and how we relate with others.” (p.9)
My thoughts were turned to his quotes for two reasons: 1) I’m reading her book; and 2) I read 2 passages of Scripture today that spurred my thinking.
The first is the whole chapter of Psalm 1. (Please take a moment to read its 6 verses). It is a chapter of opposites, of comparisons. It compares the godly person to the wicked (ungodly). {Note: the psalmist uses the word “wicked” but that has such a sharp connotation in today’s language so I use the word ungodly instead. Same species. Different fish} Verses 1-3 describe the one who walks with God, while verses 4-6 describe the one who doesn’t.
The second Scripture is Proverbs 1:7- “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (ESV). The goal of the righteous person is to seek the knowledge of God (His Word, His way, etc.), but it begins with a healthy fear (awe) of God. Wisdom is despised by the fool.
I think the word that comes into play here is the word “discernment.” Going back to the quote at the beginning about worldview, we are constantly being bombarded with and by a secular worldview-a worldview described in Psalm 1:4-6.
One can either have a biblical worldview or a secular worldview. Like it sounds, a biblical worldview is based on God’s Word to man. A secular worldview is based on man’s word to man. They are diametrically opposed to each other.
The world needs to conform to God’s Word (biblical worldview) rather than trying to conform God’s Word to the culture (secular worldview). For that to happen the follower of Christ must become discerning. That comes from putting Psalm 1:1-3 into play.
Choose your worldview but choose wisely. It matters.
May 13
Tuesday, May 13th, 2025I tire of the news. Am I alone? I don’t think so. Maybe I ought to clarify more of what I mean. I tire of bad news. I tire of mainstream media news. I tell myself I should just quit listening to it. I have one app on my phone where I sometimes read the news. I definitely don’t find myself listening to or reading any of the mainstream media news, and that TV show that has the female talking heads- (who to quote a Tommy James song from the ’60s-“Talk and signify and say nothing)? Not a chance. To be honest, I have better things to do with my time than watch mainstream media news-like watch grass grow or twiddle my thumbs or (here is something novel)-READ!
Part of my problem is I need to know what is going on in the world so I can converse and not act so ignorant when people talk about current events. But there are so many political, cultural, and ecclesiastical events which occur every day. I sometimes feel like an owl with my head spinning in circles. I no longer digest one event that another smacks me in the face. Someone has snarkily said, “If if wasn’t for the bad news there wouldn’t be any news at all.” That’s not totally true but it sure seems like it.
The problem as I see it-and I’m not expert-is that the media has seemed to have already doomed us from the start. Their viewpoint is that the world we live in is an out-of-control mess and there isn’t much we can do about it. No sense in fighting it because there is no chance to change it. And in some ways I agree. Our world will not be changed by a law, a treaty, a tariff/no tariff, a deal/no deal, a ruler/party in power, or any such action. But I am not a doom-and-gloomer type of person. I’m well over a 90+% positive person. But do I think the world will get better? No, not really. It may make progress but humans being who we are-humans-we will eventually revert to our old sinful desires.
There really is only ONE who can change things and there really is only one way it will happen. When we sing the Christmas song “Let there be peace on earth” it all sounds good. But only when Jesus reigns supreme will there be the peace we so desire. I DO KNOW THIS: God has not been and never will be dethroned. It may look like it. But He is still on the throne. All the talking heads can ignore or deny Him, but I will choose to stand with Him. Remember that old song? “He’s got the whole world in His hands”? I still believe that.
Soapbox dismissed.
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Tags: Commentary, God's Plan, Opinion, Politics, Reflection, Worldview