What's Your Worldview? E-Book

James N. Anderson

• Herausgeber: Crossway
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 139

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2014

Beschreibung

2014 Popular Theology Book of the Year - World Magazine How do you view the world? It's a big question. And how you answer is one of the most important things about you. Not sure what you'd say? Join James Anderson on an interactive journey of discovery aimed at helping you understand and evaluate the options when it comes to identifying your worldview. Cast in the mold of a classic "Choose Your Own Adventure" story, What's Your Worldview? will guide you toward finding intellectually satisfying answers to life's biggest questions—equipping you to think carefully about not only what you believe but why you believe it and how it impacts the rest of your life.

Leseprobe

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“I can think of readers to whom I would not give this book: they like their reading material to be straightforward exposition. The notion of an interactive book, where readers are forced to choose distinguishable paths and interact with discrete lines of thought, finding their own worldviews challenged—well, that does not sound very relaxing, and it may be a bit intimidating. But James Anderson has written something that is as creative as it is unusual: he has written a book in clear prose and at a popular level that nevertheless challenges readers to think, and especially to identify and evaluate their own worldviews. If the style is akin to ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ books, the content is at least as entertaining and far more important.”

D. A. Carson, Research Professor of New Testament, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

“This book will become ‘the book’ that will be used by campus ministers, students, and a host of others who are constantly being drawn into conversations concerning worldviews. The layout of this book is ingenious, helpful, and engaging. The information found in these short pages will provide accurate long-term care for those on a ‘worldview journey.’”

Rod Mays, National Coordinator, Reformed University Fellowship

“What’s Your Worldview? is a brilliant concept, because each generation stumbles into its own ways to learn about God. Francis Schaeffer spoke about truth to many now old. James Anderson speaks to the young who grew up with ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ books, where the outcome depends on the choices readers make. A great gift for thoughtful teens who need to choose wisely.”

Marvin Olasky, Editor in Chief, World News Group

“James Anderson’s What’s Your Worldview? is a delightfully innovative apologetic. I know of nothing like it. It gets the reader to interact by asking crucial worldview questions. Depending on the reader’s answers, he is led to further questions or to a conclusion. Animating the journey is a cogent Christian apologetic, showing that only the Christian worldview yields cogent answers to the questions. Anderson’s approach is both winsome and biblical, as well as being the most creative apologetic book in many years. I pray that it gets a wide readership.”

John M. Frame, J. D. Trimble Chair of Systematic Theology and Philosophy, Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando

“Thanks to James Anderson for filling a massive gap in apologetics and worldview thinking. This book is unique in that it is wholly and broadly accessible to readers of any background and educational level, and yet written by an accomplished Christian philosopher. Written with wit, clarity, cogency and simplicity, this book ingeniously guides the reader from a chosen worldview to its implications. Urging the reader to connect the conceptual dots of his own thinking, this book should lead its reader either to turmoil or to truth. This will now be the first book on my list for people who ask ultimate questions about Christianity and its relationship to other ways of thinking. Get this book, read it, then get more to give away to friends and family.”

K. Scott Oliphint, Professor of Apologetics and Systematic Theology, Westminster Theological Seminary

“What’s Your Worldview? offers a uniquely interactive approach to finding answers to life’s biggest and most important questions. It makes identifying your worldview, and perhaps replacing it with a better one, an enjoyable adventure.”

Tim Challies, blogger, Challies.com; author, The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment

“There has been a plethora of books written about worldview in the past 25 years, but Dr. Anderson has done something much better—he has written a book that helps you discern your worldview, and then ask yourself some penetrating questions about it. Is all as it should be in your worldview? Read on, and find out.”

Rev. William Fullilove, Assistant Professor of Old Testament and Assistant Academic Dean, Reformed Theological Seminary, Atlanta

“For some time now, the church has been in desperate need of an accessible and practical tool that would help people evaluate the cogency and coherence of their worldviews. Finally, with this new book, that need is being met. James Anderson is one of the brightest new voices in the world of philosophical theology. You will not want to miss this book.”

Michael J. Kruger, President and Professor of New Testament, Reformed Theological Seminary, Charlotte; author, Canon Revisited

“Not the last word on worldviews, but quite possibly the first! What’s Your Worldview? is creative, clear, and fun, but with some ‘nice’ and necessary sharp edges. I hope and pray it will have the desired effect of making all those who read it stop and think (Isa. 44:19).”

Daniel Strange, Academic Vice Principal and Tutor in Culture, Religion, and Public Theology, Oak Hill Theological College, London

“Dr. James Anderson has provided the church with a unique new tool to help the next generation be prepared to give the reason for the hope that is within them.”

Hugh Whelchel, Executive Director, The Institute for Faith, Work & Economics; author, How Then Should We Work?

WHAT’S YOUR WORLDVIEW?

What’s Your Worldview? An Interactive Approach to Life’s Big Questions Copyright © 2014 by James N. Anderson

Published by Crossway1300 Crescent StreetWheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law.

Cover design: Tyler Deeb, Pedale Design

First printing 2013

Printed in the United States of America

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway. 2011 Text Edition. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Trade paperback ISBN: 978-1-4335-3892-6Mobipocket ISBN: 978-1-4335-3894-0PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-3893-3ePub ISBN: 978-1-4335-3895-7

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Anderson, James N., 1973–

What’s your worldview? : an interactive approach to life's big questions / James N. Anderson.

    1 online resource.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record and CIP data provided by publisher; resource not viewed.

ISBN 978-1-4335-3893-3 (pdf) — ISBN 978-1-4335-3894-0 (mobi) — ISBN 978-1-4335-3895-7 (epub) — ISBN 978-1-4335-3892-6 (tp)

1. Philosophy—Miscellanea. 2. Religions—Miscellanea. I. Title.

BD21

100—dc23

2013031993

Crossway is a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

To John Frame

Contents

Introduction

Part I

QUESTIONS

The Freedom Question

The Truth Question

The Knowledge Question

The Goodness Question

The Religion Question

The God Question

The Unity Question

The Matter Question

The Mind Question

The Personality Question

The All-Is-God Question

The All-In-God Question

The Perfection Question

The Uniqueness Question

The Communication Question

The Openness Question

The Resurrection Question

The Muhammad Question

The Moses Question

The Divinity Question

The Salvation Question

Part II

CATEGORIES

Atheist Worldviews

Theist Worldviews

Quasi-Theist Worldviews

Finite Theist Worldviews

Non-Christian Theist Worldviews

Part III

WORLDVIEWS

Worldview: Atheistic Dualism

Worldview: Atheistic Idealism

Worldview: Christianity

Worldview: Deism

Worldview: Finite Godism

Worldview: Islam

Worldview: Judaism

Worldview: Materialism

Worldview: Monism

Worldview: Mysticism

Worldview: Nihilism

Worldview: Non-Mainstream Monotheism

Worldview: Panentheism

Worldview: Pantheism

Worldview: Pelagianism

Worldview: Platonism

Worldview: Pluralism

Worldview: Polytheism

Worldview: Relativism

Worldview: Skepticism

Worldview: Unitarianism

Appendix: Questions and Answers

Notes

Introduction

Have you ever read one of the “Choose Your Own Adventure” (CYOA) books? The basic idea behind them is ingenious. Rather than telling a story from a traditional third-person perspective, with a linear storyline and a pre-determined ending, a CYOA book has an “interactive storyline” in which the reader acts as the main character and determines the plot by making decisions at key points. CYOA books are sometimes called “game books” because reading one is like playing a game. Each book has many possible endings—some happy, some not so happy—but the outcome always depends crucially on your choices.

For example, on one page of a CYOA book you might find a belligerent goblin standing in your way. Do you try to flatter him into letting you pass or do you use the mysterious magic potion you picked up on page 12? If you choose the flattery strategy, you turn to page 22; if the potion, you turn instead to page 31. On one of these two pages, the adventure continues unabated. On the other page, things pan out a whole lot better for the hook-nosed green dude than for you. (Now you’re dying to know which page was which. Exciting stuff, isn’t it?)

This book is similar to a “Choose Your Own Adventure” book in some ways and very different in other ways. The similarity is that it’s not meant to be read sequentially from cover to cover. (Please don’t try to do that—you’ll find it very confusing!) Instead, you’re invited to make key decisions or choices at a number of points in order to determine the outcome. It’s not really a “game book,” but there’s still a sense in which you’re a “player.” How things turn out in the end really depends on you.

I’ll be the first to admit that this book may not be quite as exciting and entertaining as a CYOA book, but it deals with something far more important—one might even say infinitely more important. I hope you’ll agree once you get into it. In this book, rather than choosing an adventure, you’ll end up choosing a worldview.

What in the World Is a Worldview?

You may have come across the word worldview before, but don’t be put off if you haven’t. I’ll try to define the term clearly and explain why it’s such an important concept.

Just as the word itself suggests, a worldview is an overall view of the world. It’s not a physical view of the world, like the sight of planet Earth you might get from an orbiting space station. Rather, it’s a philosophical view of the world—and not just of our planet, but of all of reality. A worldview is an all-encompassing perspective on everything that exists and matters to us.

Your worldview represents your most fundamental beliefs and assumptions about the universe you inhabit. It reflects how you would answer all the “big questions” of human existence, the fundamental questions we ask about life, the universe, and everything.

Is there a God? If so, what is God like and how do I relate to God? If there isn’t a God, does it matter? What is truth and can anyone really know the truth anyway? Where did the universe come from and where is it going—if anywhere? What’s the meaning of life? Does my life have a purpose—and, if so, what is it? What am I supposed to do with my life? What does it mean to live a good life? Does it really matter in the end whether or not I live a good life? Is there life after death? Are humans basically just smart apes with superior hygiene and fashion sense—or is there more to us than that?

You get the idea. Your worldview directly influences how you answer those kinds of big questions—or how you would answer them if you were asked and gave them some thought.

Worldviews are like belly buttons. Everyone has one, but we don’t talk about them very often. Or perhaps it would be better to say that worldviews are like cerebellums: everyone has one and we can’t live without them, but not everyone knows that he has one.

A worldview is as indispensable for thinking as an atmosphere is for breathing. You can’t think in an intellectual vacuum any more than you can breathe without a physical atmosphere. Most of the time, you take the atmosphere around you for granted: you look through it rather than at it, even though you know it’s always there. Much the same goes for your worldview: normally you look through it rather than directly at it. It’s essential, but it usually sits in the background of your thought.

Your worldview shapes and informs your experiences of the world around you. Like a pair of spectacles with colored lenses, it affects what you see and how you see it. Depending on the “color” of the lenses, you see some things more easily, while other things are de-emphasized or distorted. In some cases, you don’t see things at all.

Here are a few examples to illustrate how your worldview affects the way you see things. Suppose that one day a close friend tells you that she recently met with a spiritualist who put her in touch with a loved one who died ten years ago. Later that day, you read an article about a statue of the Virgin Mary that witnesses claim to have seen weeping blood. You also hear a news story on the radio about possible signs of complex organic life discovered on Mars. Your worldview—your background assumptions about God, the origin and nature of the universe, human beginnings, life after death, and so forth—strongly influences how you interpret these reports and react to them.

Worldviews also largely determine people’s opinions on matters of ethics and politics. What you think about abortion, euthanasia, same-sex relationships, public education, economic policy, foreign aid, the use of military force, environmentalism, animal rights, genetic enhancement, and almost any other major issue of the day depends on your underlying worldview more than anything else.

As you can see, then, worldviews play a central and defining role in our lives. They shape what we believe and what we’re willing to believe, how we interpret our experiences, how we behave in response to those experiences, and how we relate to others.

I hope by now you have a good sense of what a worldview is and why it’s so significant. As I said earlier, this book is about choosing a worldview rather than choosing an adventure (although I like to think there’s something quite adventurous about reflecting deeply on all the big questions). Strictly speaking, however, in this book you’re not so much choosing a worldview as identifying your worldview, because you already have a worldview, even if you don’t realize it. So one of the purposes of this book is to help you identify and clarify your worldview and its implications.

Nevertheless, what you read here may also prompt you to reconsider your worldview—perhaps even to change it. It isn’t easy for someone to change his or her worldview—it can be like relocating to another continent, intellectually speaking—but it can and does happen. For example, the novelist C. S. Lewis famously moved from an Atheist worldview to a Theist worldview, partly through discussions with his colleague and friend J. R. R. Tolkien. But even if you stick with your current worldview, this book will give you the opportunity to explore a number of alternative worldviews, all of which are (or have been) held by real people at some time and place.

Here are the main goals of this book:

To help you identify and clarify your worldview.To encourage you to consider the big questions and to think through some of the implications of various answers.To help you appreciate that there are important differences between worldviews—and that not all worldviews are created equal! (I’ll say more about this last point in a moment.)

How Does the Book Work?

You’ll be presented with a series of questions that are designed to be answered yes or no. (Don’t worry if you’re not really sure how to answer a particular question. Just go with the answer that best reflects your current beliefs, the answer that seems to you most likely to be true. You can always go back and choose a different answer later if you want to.) The question will be stated in a box at the top of the page, and the rest of the page will give an explanation of the question to make sure you understand exactly what you’re being asked.

Depending on your answer to the question, you’ll be directed to another page, where you’ll find one of the following:

A further question, to narrow down the remaining options.A brief commentary on your answer and its implications.A final worldview page.

The last of these will have “Worldview” in the page heading. If you land on one of these pages, you’ve hit the end of the trail you have followed. There you’ll find a summary of the type of worldview you have based on all the answers you gave, along with some commentary designed to provoke further thought. You’ll also have the option to go back up the trail, so to speak, by returning to one of the earlier question pages.