Conservative evangelicals were right: Worldview matters — a lot.
Only problem is, we now see their preferred worldview is rotten to the core. And there’s about as much Bible in their “biblical” worldview as there is grapes in Grape Nuts.
Conservative Christians have hounded us for decades now about how important it is to have a “biblical worldview.” They obsessed and preached and sang and voted for what they declared to be God’s righteousness.
Mark Wingfield
The result of all that effort is Donald Trump. And the “big beautiful bill” that turns Scripture on its head.
We’ve spilled plenty of ink debating what went wrong to get us in the terrible predicament of the present crisis and how to survive it. Now, one way forward might be to seek agreement on what actually represents a “biblical” worldview.
Here’s a baker’s dozen ideas — straight out of the Bible:
- “Have no other gods before me.”
- “Choose you this day whom you will serve.”
- “Do not bear false witness.”
- “’Do not covet.”
- “Seek the welfare of the city.”
- “The love of money is the root of much evil.”
- “Seek justice, do mercy, walk humbly.”
- “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and mind.”
- “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
- “Welcome the stranger.”
- “Choose life.”
- “Clothe yourselves in love.”
- “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
Dear conservatives, which of these clear biblical teachings do you disagree with?
The problem with the “biblical worldview” promoted by James Dobson, George Barna and a host of preachers is it lacks the full witness of the Bible. It selectively chooses passages and issues to fixate on — such as abortion — while ignoring most of the Old Testament prophets and the words of Jesus himself.
Conservative evangelicals today are not unlike Thomas Jefferson, who took scissors to the Bible and cut out the parts he didn’t like to create his own version.
Despite what you may hear from the evangelical nagging nabobs of negativism, here are some ideas on how to create an actual biblical worldview:
- Read the whole Bible.
- Understand the cultural context of Scripture and discern what was relevant for a certain time and what is an eternal truth.
- Learn the difference between poetry and prose.
- Understand the limits of the biblical text and its claims about itself.
- Prioritize the red letters, the words of Jesus. “Christ-ians” follow Christ, so what he says matters most.
- Listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit, realizing the biblical text is not God’s final revelation to us. God still speaks.
Mark Wingfield serves as executive director and publisher of Baptist News Global. He is the author of five books, including Honestly: Telling the Truth About the Bible and Ourselves.
Related articles:
What if your ‘Christian worldview’ is based on some sinful ideas? | Analysis by Jacob Alan Cook
Why your worldview might be both more and less than biblical | Analysis by Jacob Alan Cook
10 practices to help us cultivate a Jesus worldview | Opinion by Barry Howard