Making Sense of the World: A Biblical Worldview Critique - Book Report/Review Example

? Making Sense of your World: A Biblical Worldview by W. Gary Phillips The book Making Sense of your World: A Biblical Worldview is the result of a collaboration of three authors: W. Gary Phillips, William E. Brown and John Stonestreet. W. Gary Phillips has done his B.A. from Vanderbilt University, Masters in Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary and earned his Doctor of Theology degree from Grace Theological Seminary. He taught at the Bryan College for twenty four years where he was the Chairman of the Biblical Studies and was titled “Distinguished Professor of Biblical Studies” by the trustees there. He has been honored with a total of six awards for teaching, has had his books as well as articles published and has been an office in the Evangelical Theological Society and the Evangelical Philosophical Society. Dr. Phillips is now a pastor of the Signal Mountain Bible Church which is in Chattanooga, Tennessee. William E. Brown graduated from the University of South Florida. He did his Master of Theology and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from Dallas Theological Seminary. He is thought to be an expert in worldview and has written three books, over a hundred articles for journals, written articles for magazines and newspapers, and even made contributions to encyclopedias. He has given lectured all over the world and is currently the President of the Cedarville University. John Stonestreet earned his B.A. in Bible from Bryan College; he got his Masters in Christian Thought from the Trinity International University. He is also a popular speaker, lecturing in the country and even internationally at various camps or schools and even churches. His listeners are students, parents and also teachers. The topics he speaks on are Biblical and comparative worldviews, education, cultural issues and even apologetics and leadership. He is a member of the Christian Studies faculty of Bryan College and is also holds the position of the Director of Programs at Summit Ministries. This ministry is devoted to making Christians understand and follow the Biblical worldview. Biblical worldview in itself can be described as a framework of beliefs and ideas that a Christian may have. It is how the person, group, or even a culture sees the world as and how they respond to it. The followers of Christianity have several interpretations of the world around them and they have their own way of reacting to it. As always, the variance in interpretations may lead to disputes amongst the sects but there are some thematic elements that are agreed by all. The Christian worldview the religion’s followers may have mostly depend on their beliefs about God, how they were created, their humanity and moral order, also what their purpose is in life. The fact that everything is happening because God willed it that way and how they should react to it depending on the Biblical teachings of what is right and what wrong. In the end it is their decision of how to make use of the knowledge the Scripture has provided them with, it is up to them whether to even use it or just ignore it. Making Sense of your World: A Biblical Worldview is a means of introducing novices to biblical worldview and also all the aspects of world-view thinking. It is divided into three parts. The first one focuses on comparing the main worldviews. The second part gathers the differences and also seeks to support the views in the biblical worldview. The third part is about forming the biblical worldview in the four main areas. If the reader wants to find out further information about the related topics, the authors have recommended certain readings in the end of every chapter. The book starts off with an Index of Graphics, followed by a Forewood by Dr. Norman Geisler. In this he talks of how everybody has a worldview but not many people follow it or actually sit to ponder over what they believe in and yet it has quite an effect on how they view things they come across in life. It is what allows them to form their thoughts and values and decisions. But the problem is that not many people are aware of what their worldview even is and how it was formed and how important it is in their life. Phillips, Brown and Stonestreet have written the perfect book to make people think over this subject and discover themselves and their thoughts. The Forewood is followed by a Preface and then an Introduction. Then there is the major matter of the book: the three parts that the text is divided into, each having a few chapters under their titles, there being a total of eleven chapters. Then there is an Appendix: Case Studies for Each Chapter an Index of Subjects. Every topic in the book starts off with a couple of quotes in the beginning to give the reader a snapshot of what the chapter will be about, what they should expect to read further ahead, it allows them to open their mind and think about what they have just read. These quotations are also further used in the chapter to help the reader understand what the authors are talking about. Part one, titled “The Difference a Worldview Makes”, starts off in a similar manner. The important “Does life have a meaning?” (Phillips, Brown, & Stonestreet, 2008, p. 1) question is raised here. They discuss what life really is over here, how important or meaningless it can be, it all depends on a person’s perspectives. But whatever one’s point of view is, it helps decide in what manner the person will live his or her life. The authors believe every Christian should be aware of what worldview they are following. They think that discovering what they do not believe in and why can be the first step to finding out what worldview suits them. And it is essential to find this out as it makes a difference to the way the world works. The first part has three chapters in it, each of them divided into sections. The first chapter is titled “When Worldviews Collide” and has further sub titles, the first one being “Worldviews: Making Sense of Life”. Here, the authors talk about how everyone has a worldview even if it just unconsciously. They are aware of what is happening around the world and they have their own views and opinions about it. That is how they judge the happenings and that is their worldview. It can be their response on something major taking place such as the September 11, 2011 incident or something as small as falling in love. (Phillips, Brown, & Stonestreet, 2008, p. 3) Everyone has their different theories of how certain things happen and why, what the reasoning behind it is. Some people believe that it happens just because, there is no need to delve into it hoping to find something, and there is not always a reason behind everything. On the other hand, some people think that every incident has a purpose in the long term. It has all been preplanned by God and will eventually lead to something good. People may not consciously look for a worldview to follow but they all have one. The second bit is called “Worldviews: What Are They and How Do They Work?” where the text explains the term and the process of how one can consciously form their own worldview with keeping the Bible’s teachings as a guide. This has “The Definition of Worldview”, which, according to the authors is “an explanation and interpretation of the world and second, an application of this view to life. In simpler terms, our worldview is a view of the world and a view for the world.” (Phillips, Brown, & Stonestreet, 2008, p. 29) This is followed by “The Elements of Worldview: Confronting God, Confronting Humanity and Confronting Nature”. This is all pretty much self-explanatory. What makes one’s worldview up is the way one looks at God. The religion one believes in and what the Holy Book talks about. He is the creator and the reason behind what is happening in the world. Then there is the humanity, the way people act in certain circumstances, what they believe to be right and wrong. Someone’s right can be someone else’s wrong, and vice versa, it is just a matter of perception and the situation, a previous experience which may have led one to follow a particular path. Lastly, there is the nature, the world around one, the trees and the animals. The whole environment, which may have an impact on how one behaves. Also, the way the person is, it cannot be really changed, what one chooses to be is one’s own decision. Then there is the following section titled “Worldviews: The Cultural Mold” with “What is Culture?” and “Culture and Worldview”. Over here, the authors talk about what culture is and how the culture of the place one resides in has an impact on the way one sees the world as. The traditions and the customs of the area where one has lived all one’s life shapes one’s mindset as well. And that, of course, influences the worldview. The culture and worldview are, indeed, interconnected. Then there is “Worldviews: The Biblical Perspective” in which the readers see how the Scripture comes into play when forming a worldview. The knowledge provided in God’s Word and the way one interprets it counts a lot in how one may eventually interpret the world and the actions of its residents in general. The concept of what is right and what wrong as told in the Bible can be followed in actual life when dealing with life’s hard choices. They help chose the right path, the path which is considered to be right by God. The second chapter is called “The World of Worldviews” in which the authors consider the different worldviews which people have around the world. If one takes just the Christians into account, there are the Protestants and then the Catholics who have different worldviews even if they may have certain similar elements. Then there are other various sects who judge the world in their own manner according to their experiences. But the worldviews are basically divided into three classes: Material/Naturalism, Spiritual/Transcendentalism, and a personal God/Theism. Naturalism is about how everything is completely material. Everything around us is made of matter or energy and spiritual realities do not exist. Whatever thoughts, ideas, plans or emotions we have or may be going through are just the result of chemical impulses. Our mind as well as the brain are the same. There are certain elements in this worldview, the major one being about God. That what one can see and touch is true and God was created by the living men to have someone worship to, to depend on, to place all one’s hopes on, but that He does not really exist. Whatever knowledge we have gained so far is thanks to science and nothing else. The creations in the universe, everything around us and in space can be explained through science. Those people who follow this worldview are called as atheists i.e. people who do not believe in a higher power. Another explanation people may follow is Darwin’s theory of the universe being designed as a result of the mechanistic laws. These did not particularly prove that God did not exist but it just presented a point of how the existence of a God was not necessary. Another element which makes up this worldview is humanity. That humans are just biological, physical beings and nothing else. The morals and emotions one may have are just the result of brain chemistry. That human beings act according to the way the society wants them to be so that they would not be punished for going against the norms but be awarded for following the conventional norms. They believe that life has no meaning and there is no long term plan that is to be followed. All one has to do is live and make something about oneself, do whatever makes one happy and nothing else. Life is to enjoy at the utmost and what brings one joy is good, otherwise it is just the opposite. The aim of the humans is to improve life for everyone, try to get rid of poverty and work on making the people healthier and that life should be peaceful. There are no particular generally assumed morals to be followed unless it is what one believes for himself to be right or it is what the one who has the most power believes to be right. Then there is nature which is part of what makes up the naturalism worldview. They believe that supernatural things do not exist and it is man’s responsibility to find how exactly the nature works so he can act accordingly. Transcendentalism is the second kind of worldview. There is a lot of variation in this one so the talk about it is mostly general. It is about how nature is something which lives and that every individual is just a piece in the big picture. All of the people combined together make a whole. Talking about the elements now, the followers of Transcendentalism believe in monism, that everything is god. That in the end of the day, the reality is spiritual and not just anything physical. They also believe that God and his creations are attached and cannot be separated. They are one and same. God is not a being per se but a force one believes in and that reality is something one cannot just think up or imagine, it is much greater than that. They believe that humans are an extension of God and are, thus, divine. The reasons behind the problems man may face through are the inability to look at and understand the things properly. Forgetting that he was made in the image of the Creator and letting ego come in the way and destroy his thought. Man never remains satisfied with what he has and always wants more which has resulted in problems. He just thinks of himself and not everyone as a whole, he is selfish and, thus, faces the consequences for it. As long as his thoughts remain for himself, he will continue to be reincarnated. Man is ignorant and has to look for the answers from within. The aim is to reach enlightenment, to get over being selfish and count him as one with the reality. That there is no such thing as good and evil and one’s goal is to leave behind that illusion. There are certain morals which one should have, the concept of right and wrong. Hedonism is selfish because it is just a search for making things better for oneself and not thinking about others. It is just one’s own pleasures that one cares about. The solution is that man should see himself as divine and all that is proper and then do everything in his power to make that come true. In considering nature from a transcendentalism worldview, there are several arguments regarding the nature of the world we live in. generally, people view the physical world as just being a part of reality or just being an illusion or being somewhere in the middle of the two. Others view the physical world to be just a vague image of what divine reality is like. And then there are some who think the world as a beautiful creation of god’s. There are many other such theories. The followers of this worldview censure theism as well as naturalism for emphasizing a lot on the world in its physical form, which leads to fragmentation as it allows supporting the illusion. Transcendentalists believe that everything in the universe is subject. Thus, the value of everything is the same such as animals and humans, both are important at an equal stand. The third worldview is theism which is the belief of a person in their own, personal God. It should not be confused with Biblical Theism as they are not exactly similar. The followers believe that God is actually a personal being. Some think that He is responsible for all that is happening around the universe, others do not hold a similar view. Then there are some followers who believe that God knows everything whilst others disagree. Theists also believe that God is responsible for creating humanity and that humans are formed in the image of God. The reason behind any problems man may be having or going through is committing sin of being disobedient. God is the solution to these problems. There are some followers who believe that to obtain God’s forgiveness, they must appease God in some way or the other. Then there are others who think that to repent for being disobedient, one must perform good deeds and that will be enough atonement for the sins committed. Then the rest believe that the solution is not in the man himself but can be found in God and His merciful ways. “Putting Worldviews to the Test” is the third chapter of the book where the worldviews discussed above are used in life situations and compared to see which works better. Part Two is called “A Biblical Worldview” and this is divided into four further chapters. Chapter four is “The Essentials of a Biblical Worldview”, followed by “Why a Biblical Worldview?” and then “What’s Wrong? The Problem of Evil and Suffering”. Lastly, there is “Who’s right? The Problem of Pluralism”. The third and the last part is called “So What? A View Of and a View For”. This has four chapters as well. “A View of and for the Self” is chapter number eight. Then there is “A View of and for the Family”, followed by “A View of and for the Church” and finally the last chapter. Chapter eleven is titled “A View of and for the World”. W. Gary Phillips, William E. Brown and John Stonestreet have written a great book together. Making Sense of your World: A Biblical Worldview is a well written and documented book, which covers all the issues that are essential when constructing a world view. It establishes why the Christian world view should be every thinking person’s world view. The reason behind this being that all the Christians should view their faith as the world, and as a life view. The religion is not just about theology and should be taken it that way only, but it is a way of life. This book is to be recommended to any Christian interested in the subject of forming their own biblical worldview. Every new topic begins with some thought provoking quotations which are further referred to in the text itself. At the end of every chapter are footnotes present which are good for those readers who are interested in knowing extra information like the background of how a particular phrase connected to the text was formed and so on. It also allows the reader to look up the references used and study them further if more knowledge is needed over the particular topic. Other than this, the authors have come up with case studies at the end of every chapter. This is to see that the reader actually understands the material he has read through in the book. To see whether they can apply the lesson learned in a fictional situation. This is also helpful to when needed to analyze parts of their own life. There are also some discussion questions in the end of every chapter to bring new ideas and thoughts in the minds of the readers, to encourage themselves to think and actually put what they learned from the text into use. To weigh the pros and cons of every argument made and be able to see the different perspectives and maybe realize which one is better. Making Sense of your World: A Biblical Worldview is sure to have a few flaws according to some of the strictest critiques. But it is, in fact, a book which is easily read, understood and put in use in real life and that is all that really matters. Bibliography Phillips, W. G., Brown, W. E., & Stonestreet, J. (2008). Making Sense of Your World: A Biblical Worldview. Sheffield Publishing Company; 2nd edition. Read More