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I. A Biblical Worldview answer to the 5 Worldview Questions:
1. The Question of Origin – (How did life begin? How did mankind come into
existence?)
According to a biblical worldview, life began because “The earth
was:without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the
Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters” (ESV, Gen. 1:2). God
created the earth in seven days starting with light, the sky, then land and seas, the
sun, moon, and stars, fish and birds, and animals and humans. Mankind exists
because God desired them to hold dominion on earth “So God created human
beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female
he created them” (ESV, Gen. 1:27). Man exists out of the breath of God and
woman from the rib of Adam.
2. The Question of Identity – (What does it mean to be human? Are humans more
important than animals?)
Humans identity is found in Christ because “God said, ‘Let us make man
in our image, after our likeness” (ESV, Gen. 1:26). No other living creature is
made in the image of God, which separates humans from the rest of creation. God
created man to “…. Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and
have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over
every living thing that moves on the earth” (ESV, Gen. 1:28). Subsequently, God
calls humans to be in relationship Him by following His word which “should
frame our entire perspective on life” (MacArther, 2003, p. 26).
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3. The Question of Meaning/Purpose – (Why does mankind exist?)
The sole purpose for mankind is to glorify God. Sin is human nature
because the world is fallen “So, whether you eat or drink, or:whatever you do, do
all to the glory of God” (ESV, 1 Cor. 10:31). Humans were meant to do
everything for God’s glory and “keep [our] conduct among the Gentiles
honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers,:they may see your
good deeds and glorify God on:the day of visitation” (ESV, 1 Peter 2:12). A lot of
times humans commit actions that do not give glory to God out selfishness but
“the world and human life do have a meaning and look towards their fulfilment,
which comes in Jesus Christ” (Echeverria, 2019). Ultimately, humans
demonstrate a biblical worldview giving glory to God in our everyday lives.
4. The Question of Morality – (What is meant by right and wrong? How do we
know what is right?)
In His word, God lists commandments that His people are called to keep.
We must “Put to death therefore:what is earthly in you:[a]:sexual immorality,
impurity,:passion, evil desire, and covetousness,:which is idolatry” (ESV, Col.
3:5). The meaning behind “right” is “And by this we know that we have come to
know him, if we keep his commandments” (ESV, 1 John 2:3). When are close to
and know God by obeying His commandments, we will know we are doing right.
We will know what is wrong “When a man's ways please the Lord, he makes
even his enemies to be at peace with him” (ESV, Prov. 16-7). Anything we do that
does not please the Lord is sin which creates a void between us and Him.
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5. The Question of Destiny – (Is there life after death? What will happen to people
after they die?)
Those who obtain a biblical worldview are guaranteed life after death
because “For:God so loved:the world,[a]:that he gave his only Son, that whoever
believes in him should not:perish but have eternal life” (ESV, John 3:16). Those
who believe in him will have perfect, everlasting life after death and “As a result
of salvation, the mind of a newly redeemed person knows and comprehends the
glory of God” (MacArther, 2003, p. 53). All the Lord requires for salvation and
everlasting life with him is confessing and believing that He is Lord. However,
those who do not believe in him “shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains
on him” (ESV, John 3:36).
(Word Count: 610)
II. A Secular Humanistic Worldview answer to the 5 Worldview Questions:
1. The Question of Origin – (How did life begin? How did mankind come into
existence?)
A secular worldview does not believe in a specific way that mankind came
to be. They don’t believe that creation came from a supernatural creator and
believe there is “no God at all, only the natural universe” (Ryken, 2002, p.
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35). Additionally, secularists believe in scientific theories for creation, such as
the Big Bang Theory and the universe we live in is a result of chance.
2. The Question of Identity – (What does it mean to be human? Are humans more
important than animals?)
Secular humanists do not believe in the supernatural and believe in the
natural world and scientific reasoning for human life. Many people accept the
theories of evolution from Charles Darwin which suggests that “…the observation
of nature has revealed not one scrap of evidence that humanity is superior or
special, or even particularly more interesting” (Ryken, 2001, p. 48). Within a
secular worldview, humans hold no dominion or value above animals and living
things.
3. The Question of Meaning/Purpose – (Why does mankind exist?)
Humanism suggests that the meaning and purpose of life is determined by
individuals. Secularists believe in finding your own truth, this means that the
purpose for humans is subjective and different among people. One scholiast
suggests that “Reason alone, deliberately divorced from any resort to authority or
tradition, has led not to anything remotely approaching agreement about what is
true. It has produced an open-ended range of conflicting truth claims that… are
apparently irresolvable” (Nord, 2019, p. 82). Ultimately, there is no specific
answer for the purpose of human existence in the secular worldview.
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4. The Question of Morality – (What is meant by right and wrong? How do we
know what is right?)
Morality is quite downplayed within a secular worldview. There is no
framework for what is “right” and what is “wrong” because they do not
believe in God. Secularists believe in the common ethics of society rather
than a biblical, moral conscience so “…there is no adequate way to
account for moral properties such as obligations, right and wrong, and the guilt
universally felt when failing those obligations” (Rae, 2013, p. 54). Secularists
abide upon societal and cultural standards and common sense to shape their
morality.
5. The Question of Destiny – (Is there life after death? What happens to people after
they die?)
The humanist view of death depends on the individual. When it comes to
death, many are unsure about what will really happen as they are not promised
eternal life in Christ. A scholar concludes that “The absence of miracles
completes the separation of our real world from a possible Spiritual World to
which our souls (if they exist) may migrate after death. The existence of souls and
a Spiritual World…is simply unknowable” (Saltman, 2012, p. xi). Many
secularists just come to accept death as the end because they are left in uncertainty
without believing in their divine creator.
(Word Count: 416)
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III. Conclusion
Ultimately, the comparison between a Biblical worldview and a secular worldviw reveals
extreme differences in how the questions of Origin, Identity, Purpose, Morality and Destiny are
answered. God gave us the Bible as His word to communicate the answers to these foundational
questions and what it looks like to live a life according to Him. On the other hand, humanists
heavily rely on scientific reasoning and theory as explanations for life. They also conform to
societal norms and a subjective way of life to define who they are. Overall, the Bible serves as a
concrete foundation for humans to understand the foundational questions of life and how to
shape our lives to live in a way that reflects the perfect image of God.
(Word count: 123)
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References
Echeverría, E. (2019). Christian Worldview.Journal of the Evangelical Theological
Society,62(4), 874-885.
ESV Study Bible. (2011). Crossway Books.
MacArthur, Mayhue, R., & Hughes, J. A. (2003).:Think biblically!: recovering a Christian
worldview. Crossway Books.
Nord, Guenther, K., & Weiss, M. (Eds.). (2019).:Formations of belief: historical approaches to
religion and the secular. Princeton University Press.
Rae, S. B. (2013). Doing the Right Thing: Making Moral Choices in a World Full of Options.
Zondervan.
Ryken, P. G. (2013). Christian Worldview: A Student’s Guide. In D. S. Dockery (Ed.),
Reclaiming the Christian Intellectual Tradition. Crossway.
Saltman. (2012).:Sacred humanism without miracles: responding to the New Atheists (First
edition.). Palgrave Macmillan.
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