Worldview, Ethics, and Engaging the Culture
In his classic book, The Knowledge of the Holy, A.W. Tozer says, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”[1] In a similar manner, Scripture tells us, “For as [a man] thinketh in his heart, so is he.”[2] To use a modern term, our “worldview” often serves as the basis upon which we make our momentary decisions in life. Specifically, answering the question, “How should we live?” requires us to consider the one for whom we live. The answer to this question will be determinative in how we live.
While the search for a personal god can still be observed in a secular society, danger awaits us if we limit our understanding of God to how He relates to us. Our vision of God must focus on those attributes that make Him worthy of worship—not because of what we try to make Him be, but because of Who He already is. The implications of this understanding of God will be formative for our moral decisions.
In making such judgments, as Christ’s ambassadors, we must evaluate the world around us in light of God’s unchanging revelation, which discloses Who He truly is. This requires us to keep things in order: We begin with God’s Word, and then evaluate the world by it. We do this because our worldview (how we see and interpret the world) is intimately connected with personal morality or ethics, as opposed to being separate concerns.
In this essay, we’ll examine the relationship between worldview and ethics, and their importance for engaging the culture for the sake of Christ.
Meta – Ethics
Different worldviews lead to different forms of moral reasoning in our world today. These can be grouped into two different categories:[3] (1) Some understand morality as a construction of human beings, while (2) others see morality as something that transcends human nature. For the Christian, we derive our moral reasoning and understanding primarily from divine revelation. David Jones explains,
The difference between ethical systems that rely solely upon a human construction for moral authority and those with a transcendent orientation is great, for with an anthropocentric source of moral authority, ethics are subjective, created, and changeable, while with a divine source of moral authority, ethical standards are objective, discovered, and unchanging.[4]
The Christian vision of morality requires us to consider meta-ethics—the approach that addresses the general and fundamental questions behind or beyond (“meta”) moral reasoning. Meta-ethics looks at the motives behind why humans do what they do, which is connected to the most general and fundamental questions regarding ethics and morality.
Ethicists refer to the summum bonum, or “highest good” to determine the motive behind human conduct. In other words, “What are we trying to achieve in our actions?” For example, consider situation ethics,[5] a form of utilitarianism. The basic thrust of this argument is that we should perform the actions that produce more pleasure and less pain, and the greatest good for the greatest number of people. Human happiness or pleasure is given the highest attention in this form of ethics. Of course, it’s worth asking who determines the definition of the “greatest good.”
In 1 Corinthians 10:31, Paul explains that we should seek God’s glory in everything. As Jones explains, “Since the Bible reveals God’s glory, the summum bonum of biblical ethics is the glorification of God.”[6] The motive behind how we behave will reveal who it is for whom we are living. Once we recognize and identify the summum bonum, or the person’s motive behind his/her actions, then we’ll begin to see the shape of the person’s worldview.
Worldview and Meta – Ethics
What is a worldview? Charles Colson defines a worldview as “the sum total of our beliefs about the world, the ‘big picture’ that directs our daily decisions and actions…(it) is a way of seeing and comprehending all reality.”[7] It is helpful to think of worldviews in relation to vision. Philip Ryken comments on this: “We don’t even think about seeing: we just see, and we are seeing all the time. Similarly, even if we never think about our worldview, we still view everything with it, and then apply our view of things to the way we live.”[8]
Ryken compellingly shows the sheer importance of our worldviews. As human beings, we constantly make decisions about how to spend our time, how to treat others, and how to live in general, based on the facts and experiences that we have compiled throughout life. Our worldviews are more than external conformity to a system of ideas. They also arise from internal issues like motivation and personal attitudes.
The assumptions of a worldview go hand-in-hand with one’s reasons for behaving as they do. When worldview assumptions are identified, then understanding the motivations for moral behavior becomes clearer. Whether a person is aware of it or not, they have a worldview. That worldview reflects his/her inner meta-ethical beliefs. The problem is that not everyone is aware of it. It could be that the person’s stated belief and actual practice actually contradict one another. This contradiction can sometimes be a unique opportunity for Christians to engage in evangelism by identifying where worldview and ethics may in fact collide or even contradict.[9]
Engaging the World
One of the ways that may help us in this evangelistic task is to identify different sources of authority. When it comes to ethical decision-making, the four sources of authority that are most often used include: (1) Scripture, (2) Tradition, (3) Reason, and (4) Experience.[10] The way these are ordered are important and will affect how one makes decisions.
As mentioned above, our view of God is part of our worldview and in turn drives and reflects what our meta-ethic is. Therefore, Scripture should be the predominant authority in one’s life for decision-making since God has disclosed Himself through His written word. Decision-making therefore relies upon this primary source of authority, which transcends humanity as a source or foundation. Once Scripture is established as the primary source, we can then begin to see the Holy Spirit’s witness through tradition, reason, and experience.[11]
All of this becomes a doorway to evangelism when we begin to identify how a person orders these sources mentioned. The case can be made that our culture has these sources in reverse order, starting with experience and ending with Scripture. Therefore, the believer must be attentive to these positions with the conviction to challenge them as they contradict. Consider Paul’s words to the Corinthians:
I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ – I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away – I beg of you that when I am present I may not have to show boldness with such confidence as I count on showing against some who suspect us of walking according to the flesh. For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.[12]
Cultural engagement begins with an ethic and a worldview that finds its final authority in divine revelation. We identify the world around us with meekness and gentleness, seeking to take every thought captive in obedience to Christ in our lives and those around us.
Conclusion
Indeed, ideas have consequences.[13] Sadly, most people drift through life without ever reflecting on the assumptions embedded in their worldview. This lifestyle for the believer is simply unacceptable. Paul urges us to think on “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable.”[14] Such virtues are more than just a mental exercise, but they are profoundly spiritual.
All humans are created in the image of God. Though this image is broken from sin, it is being renewed in Christ through the Spirit. This transformation is the goal of God’s saving and renewing work, which includes our worldviews, motives, and behavior. As Christians called to be salt and light in a decaying and dark world, we must resist following the currents of culture by allowing God to shape our worldview, ethics, and approach to ministry.
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[1] A.W. Tozer, The Knowledge of The Holy (New York: Harper & Row, 1961), 9.
[2] Proverbs 23:7 (KJV).
[3] Scott B. Rae, Moral Choices: An Introduction to Ethics (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2009), 66.
[4] David Jones, An Introduction to Biblical Ethics (Nashville: B&H Publishing Groups, 2013), 14.
[5] Joseph Fletcher is the notable proponent for this approach to morality. “Doing the most loving thing” should be the goal in any situation. Fletcher associated this form of ethic with Jesus’ teaching on love. He argues that since “Jesus had no system of ethics” even the most “revered principles may be thrown aside.” See Joseph Fletcher, Situation Ethics: The New Morality (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1966).
[6] Jones, 15.
[7] Charles Colson and Nancy Pearcey, How Now Shall We Live? (Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House, 1999), 14-15, 297.
[8] Phillip Graham Ryken, Christian Worldview: A Student’s Guide (Wheaton: Crossway, 2013), 20.
[9] Francis Schaeffer is known for a similar practice known as “pre-evangelism.” Conversion was the ultimate goal in showing unbelievers that their lofty worldviews were not adequate for everyday living. Schaeffer’s thought can be seen elsewhere on this site as well. You may read an essay entitled, “Saving Schaeffer” here.
[10] Thomas C. Oden, The Living God, Systematic Theology: Vol. 1 (San Francisco: Prince Press, 1998), 330-339.
[11] Oden, 330-339.
[12] 2 Corinthians 1-6 (ESV).
[13] See Richard Weaver, Ideas Have Consequences (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1948).
[14] Philippians 4:8 (ESV).
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