Worldview Made Practical - Issue 4-2

8/14/2019 Worldview Made Practical - Issue 4-2

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Introduction

Youve heard it many times before, no doubt Christianity is narrowminded! Well, you bet it is! But what is the big deal?The fact is, anyone who says that to you is speaking from a narrowminded point of view themselves. The truth is, there isno belief system in existence which is not narrowminded. As Christians we need to understand this so that we know howto express our faith in a way which can actually be an effective witness.

Todays article is designed to give you insight about this so that you can have more personal confidence in your faith inChrist and become more effective in sharing it with others. We really do have a leg to stand on!

Before moving into todays article, let me share a special offer with you. We have five sets of the Worldview Workbooksleft over from the Worldview Summit that are available for purchase. If you would like this four volume set for your ownspiritual growth, simply e-mail me at MarketFaith Ministries with your request and I will reply with instructions on how youcan pay for them. The cost for the entire set is only $28.00.

(Continued on page 2)

For some reason, Christians have been singled out by thenon-Christian world as being bigots and narrowmindedzealots because of our belief that salvation is found only inJesus Christ. Certainly, they have not mischaracterized ourbelief about Christ. We really do believe that he providesthe only road to salvation.

So does this mean that the criticism has validity? Actually,no! We would only be bigoted and narrowminded if ourclaim was false and we were rubbing peoples faces in itbecause we have something that they dont have access to.

First of all, there is every evidence that what we believe is

actually true Jesus was God in the flesh and his death onthe cross and his resurrection actually did provide themeans for the salvation of mankind. There has not beenanother person or event which has come along to take careof the sin problem which separates humanity from God.

Secondly, what legitimate Christian would ever rub peoplesfaces in it. Our whole goal is to share the good news of sal-vation so that they can have it too, not to haughtily assertthat we have something others dont have.

So, if we are not really bigoted and narrowminded zealots,why would non-believers pin that label on us? Well, there isa very good reason why they do it. It is to protect their ownvery narrow understanding of salvation. Most people whowould label Christians as narrowminded dont really under-stand the argument they are making. If the Christian under-standing is right, then they have to face up to the fact that

their own beliefs are wrong and who can simply let thatslide? To protect themselves, they lash out at opposingviewpoints. And with this, we get at the very heart of an un-derstanding of worldview.


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in living out their faith in the midst of the increasingly diverse worldview environment of modern society.

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Volume 4 Number 2 January 28, 2009

Is the Christian Faith Really That Exclusive?


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(Narrowminded - Continued from page 1)

The Nature of WorldviewEvery worldview belief is, by its very nature, exclusive. In looking at a belief system any belief system there is a linewhich cannot be crossed. It is impossible for there to be a god and not be a god at the same time. If there is a god, it isimpossible for him to be personal and impersonal at the same time. In the case of Jesus Christ, it is impossible for him tobe the only way to salvation and to not be the only way to salvation at the same time. So, if someone believes that salva-tion is found by some other means, the Christian viewpoint becomes a target because of the assertion of some other

narrowminded viewpoint.

With this understanding in place, it seems a bit disingenuous for someone to assert that our Christian view is narrow-minded from the platform of a different narrowminded point of view. But that is exactly what has happened when some-one attacks our faith in that manner.

What Defines Exclusivity?If some belief system is going to be called exclusive, we must understand what is meant by that before the chargemakes any sense. The fact is, every belief system in existence (even those which pride themselves on being open andtolerant) has a line around it which defines the boundaries of the belief. As long as you stay within the boundaries youare a part of that system. When you move outside of that boundary, you have moved into something else. Because ofour understanding of worldview, we actually have a way to get at that. There are three basic things which define theboundaries around a belief. These can be identified by asking three questions.

1. What is the nature of ultimate reality?2. What is the nature of a human being?3. What is salvation and how do you achieve it?

Every belief system answers these questions and the answers define the systems exclusivity. So, when someone claimsthat Christianity is narrowminded, the claim is made based on the doctrine of some other narrow belief system. The per-son making the charge may believe that their belief is not exclusive but, by default, it has its own line around it.

How Is Christianity Is Exclusive?As we mentioned before, Christians embrace the exclusive label. But it is not that we are exclusive in order to keeppeople out. In fact, we want as many people as possible to enter into our faith. But we do recognize that there is a par-


(Introduction - Continued from page 1)

An understanding of worldview is more critical now than it has ever been. If we, as Christians, expect to make an impacton our modern world, we are going to have to get up to speed. I am available for a limited number of training presenta-tions and would be delighted to work with you if you would like to bring this kind of training to your church or Christianorganization. You can contact me by snail mail at MarketFaith Ministries, 321 Anton Dr., Tallahassee, FL 32312, byphone at 850-383-9756, or by e-mail at [email protected].

It is our desire to be a powerful resource for you. Please feel free to contact me at any time with your thoughts, opinions

and suggestions. It is always a joy to hear from you.

God bless,Freddy

Find these books along with other

great worldview resources at

www.marketfaith.org


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ticular way for people to enter the faith. So just how does the exclusiveness of Christianity play out? How does it answerthe three questions above?

1. What is the nature of ultimate reality?For a Christian, ultimate reality is expressed as the God of the Bible. He is the creator and sustainer of the material uni-verse. He is holy, righteous and just. For his own purposes, God created mankind for fellowship with himself. In eternity,human beings will either live in the presence of God or outside of his presence.

2. What is the nature of a human being?Christians understand human beings to be persons created in the image of God, but who are tainted by sin because ofthe fall. This has caused individual humans to be separated from God because he cannot dwell in the presence of unholi-ness.

3. What is salvation and how do you achieve it?Salvation then, for Christians, is the means by which the problem of separation from God is fixed. It was accomplished bythe substitutionary death of Christ on the cross and his resurrection. It is specifically applied to individual human beings asthey acknowledge their sinfulness and invite Christ into their lives.

Now, certainly, that is specific enough to garner the label exclusive. It is only through Christ that a person can enter intoa relationship with God.

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How Is a So Called Non-exclusive Belief Systems Ex-clusive?There are many belief systems which point to Christianityand claim that we are exclusive, believing that they them-selves are not. It is impossible to detail all of these, but oneexample will highlight how to analyze all of the rest. For thisexample, we will use Secular Humanism.

Secular Humanists really believe that they are open mind-ed because they dont force people to believe a particularway about God (or even to believe in God at all). But is thatreally the case? Here is how Secular Humanists answerthe three questions.

1. What is the nature of ultimate reality?Secular Humanism asserts that there is no such thing as asupernatural reality. Everything that exists is the result ofnatural evolutionary processes.

2. What is the nature of a human being?Human beings, for Secular Humanists, are simply the natu-rally evolved animal creature which has developed themost complex brain. Humans are nothing more than highlyevolved biological machines.

3. What is salvation and how do you achieve it?

For Secular Humanists, salvation is nothing more than per-sonal self-fulfillment and the structuring of society in wayswhich insure the survival of the species. Since there is notranscendent existence to impose purpose or meaning onthe material world, it is up to individuals and society to de-termine what constitutes personal self-fulfillment and howto best insure species survival.

Does this have a ring to it of open mindedness? Does thefact that there is no religious or revealed authority meanthat Secular Humanists are more tolerant because theydont look to God for guidance?


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Not really. In fact, they are very intolerant of anyone who does not answer the three questions the way they do. They areintolerant of any person who believes in God. They are intolerant of any person who views mankind as a purposefully cre-ated individual. And since, for them, salvation involves their own personal self-fulfillment, they are intolerant of anyonewho stands in their way, no matter what arena of life this involves. By the same token, many of them dont have anyqualms about walking on others or putting others down if it furthers their own personal advancement. The fact is, SecularHumanists have a very narrowminded approach to belief and anyone who does not agree with them is considered to beignorant and wrong.

Is it the Truth?While we used Secular Humanism as an example, you can use the three questions to get at the narrow-mindedness ofany belief system, no matter how inclusive they claim to be. But this is not even the real issue at hand. The real questionis not, Is it exclusive?, but Is it the truth?

There is some way that reality is actually organized. Either there is a God or there is not. If there is, he is either personalor impersonal. You cant have it both ways. So, someone is right and everyone else is wrong. Claims of tolerance andopen-mindedness are totally meaningless if the claims dont correspond with the way reality is actually structured. Ofcourse, there is no empirical evidence that one belief system or another does represent truth. Worldview beliefs cannot beaddressed that way. But there are other kinds of very powerful and profound evidence for or against every belief.

The fact is, our Christian faith has more evidence to support it than any other belief system in existence. It is not narrow-minded to make a belief claim if what you are claiming actually does represent the truth.

For the Christian faith, the focus is not on the fact that Christ is the only way to God. While this is a true statement, thereal issue is much more important. Human beings exist in a condition where we are separated from God. We desperatelyneed a means of fixing that problem. God provided that fix through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Ratherthan being upset that there is only one way to God, we ought to be very grateful that God provided a way for us to escapethe death trap of sin.

The exclusivity of Christianity is not oppressive - it is freeing. It is the message that there is a way for us to escape slaveryfrom sin and eternal separation from God. Every belief system in existence is exclusive and we have to come to grips withthat fact. The important thing to discover is, which exclusive set of beliefs represents the truth? Once we know that, nar-row-mindedness becomes a blessing, not a curse.

In the next Issue: The Gospel According to Dwight D. Eisenhower: Jehovahs Witness

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Worldview Made Practical - Issue 4-2