Introduction
We Christians in the Western world like to think that our Christianity has been formed strictly from truths revealed in the Bible. In reality, our thoughts have developed over the course of 2,000 years intertwined with Western thought. As a consequence, our form of Christianity is a Western form of Christianity. When people groups of other cultures embrace Christianity, they develop ideas and beliefs different from our own. They read the same Bible we read, yet they arrive at different conclusions and live differently than we do—often in significant ways.As long as Christians remain isolated and only associated with people of similar backgrounds, they can cling to the idea that their way of thinking is the only correct way of thinking. But if they expose themselves to how others think, they usually have to reevaluate their own ideas and decide what is truly Christian and what is simply their own culture.
I have been constantly challenged in my own belief system because I have spent the last 24 years working with various Christian communities around the world. In many ways I have found my Western form of Christianity lacking. For example, I find that Christians who live under persecution understand the importance of community in ways my culture cannot comprehend. Christians in developing nations talk frequently about spiritual and supernatural experiences like those recorded in the Bible. And some of our brethren in poverty-stricken areas have an abiding joy that is beyond the grasp of Christians in prosperous regions of the world.
I am not saying that they are right and we are wrong. In many ways our Western Christianity has been tested over the course of centuries and it has withstood the test of time. I maintain that Western Christianity is the most stable and well thought-out in the world. Yet, in some areas we come up short. There are some significant things we can learn from our brothers and sisters around the world.
In my personal wrestling with these issues I have endeavored to understand how our Western form of Christianity developed. Being a student of history, I wanted to answer the question, “How did we get where we are?” To answer this I will dedicate Section I of this book to skimming through Western history to see how the modern Western worldview developed.
What will become evident is how the foundation of our Western thought patterns was laid down in the ancient Greek world. That foundation has a clear demarcation between the spiritual world and the natural world. Unfortunately, Christianity was laid upon that spiritual/natural division when Christianity emerged out of Judaism in the first century. That will be explained in coming pages.
Today most Western people do not realize how profoundly their lives have been influenced by Western thought or the Western worldview. At the very least, the Western worldview leads a person to embrace a form of godliness but to deny the power thereof. At worst, it causes one to deny the existence of God.
Knowing this, I am passionate to help the Church. I cannot bear to see Christians being swallowed up by a system of thought that destroys faith and undermines the authority of the Gospel. I want to shake the Church out of lethargy and launch her into life and victory.
In an attempt to do this, I want to offer a Christian worldview separated from the Western worldview. Therefore, in Section II, I will develop and explain that Christian worldview. I will lay biblical truths on a foundation that sees the spiritual and natural realms as fully integrated rather than as two separate worlds. This will lead us into a clearer understanding of the nature of God, humanity, and the world. These concepts will provide a framework for a Christian worldview—one that is similar to those who wrote the Bible.
In the following pages, I am offering a whole worldview, “a complete package.” In earlier books that I have written, I have addressed in greater depth some of the individual subjects that are key to our worldview. As we proceed, I will reference those books in case you are interested in further study on specific topics.
Let me warn you now about the negative observations I will be making concerning some of the great leaders in Church history. In other books I have written, I have spoken very positively, noting some of their great contributions. However, here I am trying to show where Western thought went wrong. It is impossible to point out errors within Western thought without being critical of those who molded those thoughts. I apologize now if I portray any of your favorite Christian heroes too negatively. Like you, I am grateful and indebted to our forefathers who wrestled with theological issues and gave their lives to establish Christian truths throughout the world.
Why You Should Read This Book
Amidst all the above talk about the Western worldview, you may find yourself wondering, Yes, but what does all this have to do with me? Does any of this really apply to my life?
Yes! This book will give you a Christian worldview upon which you can solidly build your life and confidently make future decisions. You will have a worldview that will hold up against the most fearsome attacks of atheists. You will clearly see a worldview that answers the questions of today’s society. And, perhaps most importantly, you will have a worldview that opens your heart and mind to a God who is willing to walk with you and act on your behalf.
|
