What is a Biblical Worldview and Why Is It Important in Education?
By Rod Dreher
Rawlings School of Divinity
CLED 720: Biblical & Theological Foundations of Education
Genevieve Hamer
July 1, 2022
What is a worldview?
A worldview is a set of basic beliefs, assumptions, and values that arise from a narrative
about the world and produces individual and group action that shapes human culture. This
definition of worldview can be broken down into three parts: basic beliefs, a master story, and
action. Every worldview you evaluate will contain these elements.
What is a biblical worldview?
A biblical worldview (or a Christian worldview) is a worldview based on God’s unchanging
Word. Since God is the Creator of everything in heaven and earth, He is the standard for truth.
God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and unchanging.
The Bible contains the words of God, and God is Truth. Therefore, we can trust what it says
(John 17:17 ). 2 Timothy 3:16 states that “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God.”
Inspiration means that God “breathed it out.” The Holy Spirit guided and directed humans to
write down and preserve His words through Scripture.
A biblical worldview is not just a theoretical idea. A biblical worldview changes the way we
respond to major events in the world. How do you respond to a natural disaster? How do you
respond to traffic? What do you do if your fast food order is wrong? How do you respond to a
terrorist attack? What is our response to political turmoil? Someone with a biblical worldview is
going to respond to these events through the lens of Scripture. While others may have their
worldview shaken after a disaster, a Christian will respond with trust in God’s wisdom,
confidence in Christ’s future return, and zeal for spreading the gospel.
Christians don’t rely on a biblical worldview only when major events happen. A biblical
worldview informs how Christians prioritize their time and money, respond to leadership, raise
their children, and respond to hurtful words and comments. God’s Word is a guide for all of life.
Other examples of worldviews
Secular worldview: A secular worldview teaches that beliefs are a matter of personal
preference, not absolute truth. Truth in a secular worldview comes from reason and
science.
Scientific worldview (Scientific Naturalism): Our Biblical Worldview textbook defines a
scientific worldview as, “A worldview which holds that there is nothing but natural
elements, principles, and relations of the kind studied by the natural sciences (p 307).”
Postmodern worldview: Postmodernism believes there is no absolute truth. Personal
truth is determined by your upbringing and culture. It believes that truth is just used to
suppress and oppress the less powerful.
Why is a biblical worldview important?
A biblical worldview is important because it is the only true worldview. If we reject God’s
word, we fail to see the world as it really is. Think of a worldview as a pair of glasses. If you have
broken or discolored lenses or the wrong prescription, you won’t see the world correctly. A
biblical worldview shows you the world as its Creator intended. We’d love to be able to see the
world with perfect vision, but because of sin, our view is distorted. Using a biblical worldview
corrects our vision and helps us see the world through the theme of God’s redemption.
A biblical worldview vs. a Christian worldview
When people discuss a Christian worldview, they are often speaking of a biblical worldview.
However, it’s possible that characteristics of a Christian worldview are not biblical at times. The
term biblical to describe a worldview means that the philosophy is consistent with Scripture
and can be proven by Scripture. When discussing these two terms, Christian may describe the
Christian religion, its branches, and all their denominations, not necessarily individual believers
who are followers of Christ. Human actions and human organizations may or may not align with
what the Bible teaches. Since we believe the Bible is the ultimate authority—always—we prefer
to use the term biblical worldview in our curriculum instead of Christian worldview. We want to
be clear that our worldview should be based in Scripture, and not in tradition. While tradition
can be important and helpful, it is not our authority.
What does worldview mean in religion?
Every person has a worldview whether they are religious or not. However, the worldview of
a religious person is easier to see and describe, so religious people may be more open about
their worldview. For example, those who are Deistic, theistic, or pantheistic have aligned
themselves with a set of beliefs or a group of people who think the same way. Many non-
religious or secular people don’t believe that they have a worldview. But even if someone
thinks all beliefs or opinions are valid, that is their worldview!
How to determine your worldview
Your beliefs, actions, and perspective of the world all define your worldview. Here are a few
questions to ask when defining your view of the world:
What are your basic beliefs?
oThese are what we call the head and heart system. Your worldview affects how
you think about things. Why do you think murder is wrong? Why is kindness
important? What happens after this life? Your worldview is what determines
your answers to these questions.
oA worldview is not simply intellectual—it also influences your feelings and
desires. What do you love? What are you passionate about? Our heart can tell us
a lot about our worldview. But the hearts, or emotions, can make a worldview
inconsistent, wrong, and sometimes evil.
What is the big story of the world?
oA person’s worldview also determines how they interpret past, present, and
future. A worldview tells the story of where we came from, why we’re here, and
where we’re going. This master story can also be called a metanarrative. How
we tell stories is important, and how we view the big story of the world
determines what stories we value and, most importantly, the stories we tell our
children.
What do my actions say about my beliefs?
oHow we view the world also affects how we live. People’s actions are not
isolated from what they believe. When talking about worldviews, it can be easy
to focus on the intellectual, high-level aspects, but if a worldview doesn’t change
the way we live, do we really believe the worldview we claim? Beliefs always
impact our actions.
Culture and a biblical worldview
As we try to understand our own worldview, we will find ourselves influenced by other
people. These influences are part of our culture. Culture is how a group collectively perceives
the world. Culture unites us with others, and while it influences us, we can also influence it. But
we should be wary of outside influences that do not align with Scripture.
Culture is not a bad thing; God created it! As we teach our children, we must teach them to
see the world through the lens of God’s word. God created a good world. But sin entered the
scene, and as a result, our hearts are twisted and bent away from God. The good news is that
God redeemed us through His Son! One day God will come again and rule the whole world.
Until then, culture will have the marks of sin.
Developing a biblical worldview
There are two main approaches for teaching a biblical worldview. The first approach presents
evidence to convince people to change their worldview and encourages them to follow the
evidence wherever it leads. However, we do not believe this is the approach the Bible takes.
Belief helps us interpret evidence, not the other way around. This second approach to teaching
worldview is to put the Bible first. If you look at God’s word through eyes of faith, you will begin
to see life through a biblical worldview.
How to help your kids think biblically
Begin at a young age! Find age-appropriate resources that address issues that your kids
are currently facing.
Teach them that Scripture impacts every area of life. It’s easy to adopt the secular
mentality that math and science have nothing to do with a biblical worldview. But the
reality is that God’s word impacts every area of our life!
As a parent or guardian, live out your faith and belief in front of them. Teach by
example!
Find a community of like-minded believers that reinforce the biblical worldview you
teach at home.
Give your children opportunities to practice living out a biblical worldview. Making
practical applications for each subject shows kids that God cares about math, grammar,
and science!
oWriting skills enables them to communicate well and clearly and show love and
support. Example: You could have your kids write a letter to a shut-in from your
church.
oMath skills teach kids to solve problems and helps them serve others.
Example: You could use a lesson on fractions to bake cookies for a neighbor.
oScience teaches kids to glorify God and reflect His creation.
Example: Get a butterfly kit and watch a caterpillar turn into a butterfly to show
how amazing God’s creation is.
oReading helps children understand other cultures and love other people better.
Example: Read stories from other cultures to show your children the beauty and
diversity of humanity.
