I am still working on some more thoughts on the idea of the palingenesis that I spoke about in the previous post, and will hopefully have some more material to post on that topic soon. In the meantime, I want to return to the concept of worldview again, specifically as addressed by Albert M. Wolters, whom I was privileged to have as a teacher in college.

In his book, Creation Regained: Biblical Basics for a Reformational Worldview, he discusses the idea of a biblical and Reformational worldview. Beginning first with a definition of the concept of worldview, which according to him is "the comprehensive framework of one's basic belief about things," he then goes on to speak of the essential role a worldview plays in our lives.

Our worldview functions as a guide to our life. A worldview, even when it is half unconscious and unarticulated, functions like a compass or a road map. It orients us in the world at large, gives us a sense of what is up and what is down, what is right and what is wrong in the confusion of events and phenomena that confronts us. Our worldview shapes, to a significant degree, the way we assess the events, issues, and structures of our civilization and our times. It allows us to 'place' or 'situate' the various phenomena that come into our purview. Of course, other factors play a role in this orientation process (psychological or economic self-interest, for example), but these other factors do not eliminate the guiding role of one's worldview; they often exert their influence precisely via our life-perspective.

One of the unique characteristics of human beings is that we cannot do without the kind of orientation and guidance that a worldview gives. We need guidance because we are inescapably creatures with responsibility who by nature are incapable of holding purely arbitrary opinions or making entirely unprincipled decisions. We need some creed to live by, some map by which to chart our course. The need for a guiding perspective is basic to human life (4).

Since our worldview plays such an essential role in our life, I believe it is of great importance that we are aware of our worldview and engaged in a constant effort to make it consistent with Scripture. I also believe that it is crucial that students, particularly at the level of undergraduate study, be given instruction in this area, although I think it is a study worth engaging in by anyone. I will come back to some more things Wolters has to say in coming days.

Labels: Albert M. Wolters, neocalvinism, worldview