The Christian Worldview

Introduction
How can one determine what guides a person's decision making? This question may
seem abstract and philosophical, but it is actually very practical. When decisions need to
be made, what sort of commitments do we follow?
Everyday decisions, as well as abstract and philosophical decisions, are influenced by
one's worldview. For example, deciding to what values a person holds, determining
one’s mental health, reacting to others on the road while driving, and participating in
many other practical matters are influenced by one's worldview. After these initial
comments about worldview, several questions may have come to mind. What exactly
does it mean to use the term “worldview”? How does a person’s “belief commitments”
influence his or her emotional, physical, and relational health?
Everyone begins forming worldview commitments from birth. One’s environment,
personality, and education impact the development of core commitments for one’s life.
Most people do not begin thinking of the concept of worldview, however, until they
encounter the term during their college education. But even as adults, few people take
the time to think about, examine, and identify their own worldview. Yet, one’s
worldview determines what one will believe and how one will think and act.
As an illustration, picture an iceberg:
The iceberg represents the functionality of a
worldview. Above the surface, we see one’s thoughts
and actions, which is how we measure worldview.
Below the surface, we first see beliefs, the particular
way that one addresses core components of a
worldview. Foundational to the entire iceberg,
however, is worldview. Worldview, then,
functions as the foundational framework that drives one’s understanding of reality. In
other words, how one thinks and acts is an outward expression of what one believes,
which is driven by one’s particular worldview assumptions.
Decisions are all determined by a person's worldview. If people understand their own
decision-making process and can explain it, they are well on their way to understanding
and articulating their worldview.

What Is a Worldview?
A worldview is “a foundational set of assumptions, to which one commits that serves as
a framework for understanding and interpreting reality and deeply shapes one’s
behavior” (Waddell, 2015). Note the key terms in the definition, in that it describes an
underlying and driving “set of assumptions,” acting like a “framework,” and involving
“commit[ments]” that impacts one’s thoughts and actions, as pictured in the iceberg
diagram above.
Eyeglasses to View the World
Many authors who write on the topic of worldview use another analogy to explain what
a worldview is and how it influences our thinking. A worldview is like a pair of eyeglasses
that influences how one sees the world. The purpose of eyeglasses, of course, is to bring
the world (reality) into clearer focus. Eyeglasses should help a person see more
accurately. Yet the world might become less clear if one uses the wrong prescription.
Whatever set of lenses one uses, one is bound to see reality differently based on the
prescription of lenses. Worldview functions like the pair of eyeglasses in that it provides
a framework through which we interpret reality. Worldview itself, then, determines the
way that one even begins to approach thinking about what one believes or acting on a
particular belief.
An Imperfect Analogy
Of course, analogies are not perfect. Eyeglasses can be taken off, but a worldview
cannot be removed – it is a part of a person. Perhaps it is more accurate to say that a
worldview is like one's actual vision; it is a part of who that person is.
Certain things can be done to improve physical vision, including a variety of corrective
surgery techniques. In the same way, certain things can be done to improve one's
worldview vision. It can be improved through further study, through examining deep
issues, through interactions with others, and through testing a worldview. Worldviews
shape one’s thoughts and actions, but through thought and action, people are also able
to address worldview assumptions with a view to critiquing or even changing them.
Critical thinking and reflective living must become a part of evaluating the hows and
whys of one’s worldview in context of engaging the worldviews of others.

Do Worldviews Matter?
A key component of every worldview involves the vision of human flourishing. This
concept describes what it means for a person to be whole and well – physically,
emotionally, and relationally. For professional counselors, the issue of human
flourishing becomes one of the central beliefs that influences a particular counselor’s
practice and shapes a client’s vision for healing. What a person believes about human
well-being and wholeness shapes the means that he or she will use to counsel another
into well-being and wholeness. Thus, one’s worldview matters greatly for professional
counseling.
Hoffecker (2007) noted that worldviews impact every area of life. "One's worldview, or
world-and-life view, consists of one's most basic beliefs and framework of
understanding…. Directly or indirectly, basic beliefs influence every dimension of human
life." (p. xi).
Barna (2003), who specializes in studying Christianity in America, wrote:
An abundance of evidence suggests that having a biblical worldview has a
 dramatic effect on your behavior, perceptions, and beliefs. Once you see the
world through God's eyes, your mind and heart become so transformed that you
"automatically" respond to every situation differently. (p. 41)
The diagram below illustrates key components of any worldview, which will be
discussed:

The diagram illustrates the key components of worldview and how they affect one
another. Primary to an understanding of reality is what one believes about God
(theology). And yet one must also discuss what one believes about humanity
(anthropology) at the same time one explores his or her belief about God. In the words
of John Calvin, “Our wisdom…consists almost entirely of two parts: the knowledge of
God and of ourselves” (2011, p. 1). As we explore the relationship between these two
components of a worldview, we demonstrate the connection between the two by
means of a vertical arrow.
Yet there is more to a worldview than simply belief about God and humanity.
Worldviews manifest themselves in thoughts and actions, as discussed above.
Therefore, a horizontal line is also needed, in which one ought to explore what he or she
believes about ethics (or behavior) and purpose (or identity). The framework one has for
the well-being of humanity has its foundation in what one believes about these human-
centered areas. How one thinks and acts ought to draw deeply from who one is
supposed to be. This horizontal line is drawn perpendicular to the vertical line to show
the relationship between all of the components. As one puts together these various
components, one can begin to describe what his or her worldview is.
In order to discuss a Christian worldview briefly, we now turn to how Christianity would
address these four components and how they relate to one another, as shown in the
diagram. Interestingly, the reader will notice that the person Jesus Christ brings together
all components of a Christian worldview: theology, anthropology, purpose (identity),
and ethics (behavior).

How Do We Know What a Christian Worldview Is?

In order to describe the Christian worldview, it is best to enter into the story of the
Bible. As Sire (2004) defines it, worldview “can be expressed as a story” (p. 122). This
worldview story for a Christian worldview is the story of the Bible.
Time-Line of the Bible
The story that emerges from the Bible reveals particular people, times, places, cultures,
and events that Christians believe God was using to reveal himself and to work out His
will. One can summarize the major story-arc of the Bible using themes that emerge from
the timeline of the Bible. The six events of the Bible timeline include Creation, Fall,
Covenant, Prophecy, the Gospel, and Restoration.
Creation
"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1). So begins the
storyline of the Bible, one in which the creation of the universe by God serves an
extremely important function for Christians. If God created the universe, then, in a
sense, it belongs to Him – His priorities and His purposes lie behind everything in
creation. Thus, the psalmist can say, "The heavens declare the glory of God" (Psalms
19:1). Isaiah can also declare, "everyone who is called by my name, / whom I created for
my glory, / whom I formed and made" (Isaiah 43:7).
Yet, for the Christian worldview, God’s existence presupposes a beginning to this story that
comes before the beginning. Christians believe that Jesus fully expresses God’s being and
attributes, especially as one brings in the claims of John about Jesus, “In the beginning was the
Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.
All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made”
(John 1:1-3). Through these verses, one can observe the belief that God has existed in
relationship for all eternity (referred to as God’s existence in Trinity – “three-in-oneness”). Also,
one sees that Jesus plays a specific and significant role in the creation of the universe, according
to the Christian worldview.

In corporate terms, Christians believe that God has ordained creation to be a reflection
of His greatness and goodness. God speaks and what He says actually happens all
throughout the creation story of Genesis 1. The 6 days of creation ultimately build up to
the creation of human beings, who are created in God's image and who are appointed
to care for creation and to populate the earth. At the end of creation, "God saw all that
he had made, and behold, it was very good" (Genesis 1:31). Creation is set up as good,
and it once operated perfectly. God also has, at that time in the story, a perfect
relationship with people, in which He walks with and talks with and cares for them
(Genesis 3:8).
From the individual level, Genesis 2 offers an interesting summary of God's creation of
humanity. God first creates Adam (Hebrew for "man" or "mankind") by breathing life
into him. God then attempts to find an adequate relationship for Adam, but none can be
found among other creatures. God therefore creates a woman, who would relate to
Adam perfectly. Genesis 2 ends with the beautiful statement, "The man and his wife
were both naked and were not ashamed" (Genesis 2:25). The most perfect human
relationship ever lived out can be found in the story here, as man and woman knew
each other fully, yet there was no shame in them or between them. Thus, creation is the
introduction to the story; it sets the agenda for “who and what” is important in the
story, and it paints a picture of what should be: a good and perfect world, full of
intimate and safe relationships, both with other people and with God. Human
flourishing for Christians always involves this original picture of humanity. The Christian
worldview presents the ideal life for humanity as stemming from God’s intentions for
humanity.
In the New Testament, Jesus is presented as being intimately involved in creation. He is
called the Word, through whom and for whom everything was created (Colossians 1:16;
John 1:3), the divine representation of God’s will in creation. Jesus as a Creator reveals
that Jesus is a divine person, as Christians believe. Because Jesus is divine, Christians
believe that God exists in Trinity, since Father, Son, and Spirit are equal with one
another and united with one essence though they are diverse persons. As a Trinity, God
exists in perfect, joyful, loving relationship within himself, and this love flows out of
God’s being into the creation of the universe. Creation is meant to reflect this love back
to God and to others, glorifying God through this reflection. Thus, the biblical story of
creation points to the foundation of God’s intentions for humanity and the universe.
Through creation, we learn about theology (who God is) and what the purpose of
creation is.
Fall
Unfortunately, the goodness of both creation and of humanity did not last in the biblical
story. According to Genesis 3, the woman was deceived by a serpent, and both Adam
and his wife Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the only tree
whose fruit was forbidden to eat. This story is commonly called "the Fall of humanity."
Several interesting layers develop from this story.
Sin is defined by Christians as any failure to measure up to God's standards (Grudem,
1994, p. 490). Even though the misuse of the term in broader culture suggests a
connotation of “breaking a law,” the basic sense of the term is “missing the mark,” or
“falling short of a standard.” What is often missed in discussions of the term “sin” is the
relational effect of sin. In terms of a relationship with God, sin is an offense against a
personal Being who created persons for relational purposes. In terms of a relationship
with other people, sin is an offense against another person who expected to be treated
with dignity and respect. The Genesis 3 account discusses both the human-oriented and
God-oriented effects of sin.
On the individual level, the Fall account presents what happens when sin enters a
person's life. The story first reveals that nakedness represents shame in the story
(Lynch, McNicol, & Thrall, 2011, p. 30). Genesis 2:25 links the two concepts of nakedness
and shame, and it is unlikely that Adam and Eve suddenly discovered that they were
physically unclothed when they did not before. Rather, they felt the effects of their
nakedness after their eyes were opened (which is a negative “opening” here), meaning
that they became aware of something wrong with being naked. This sense of something
being wrong is best described as the concept of shame.
Shame pervades the story of the Fall, but we also see guilt, hiding, fear, blaming, lies,
and punishment as effects of sin in Genesis 3. From an individual standpoint, human
beings have violated the relationship with God by valuing their own definition of good
and evil over God's (the significance of the name of the tree). In other words, people
think their own way is better than God's way, which effectively taints the ability of
human beings to have a meaningful relationship with God. Christians believe this
original sin spreads so that sin effectively corrupts human nature; all human beings sin
(Romans 3:23) and continue the destructive cycle begun in Genesis 3. Thus, the story of
the Fall offers several significant truths about human flourishing: humanity’s attempt to
define life and ethics for themselves has led to a lack of knowledge of right and wrong;
humanity’s sin against God pervades the human race; and humanity’s corrupt nature
must be resolved by God’s transformative work.
From the corporate level, the sin that Adam and Eve commit against God also severely
affects creation. According to the Christian worldview, not only are human beings
punished on various levels, but creation itself receives a punishment. Paul describes this
event by saying, "The creation was subjected to futility" (Romans 8:20). Paul also
describes the reality and destiny of creation being linked to the reality and destiny of
humanity. Thus, in this world, "'things fall apart' and everything is characterized by
physical, social, and personal disintegration" (Keller, 2008). All problems in the world are
a result of the fall, of this first sin.
Through the story of the Fall, there is a prophecy concerning Jesus and a foreshadowing
of the death of Jesus presented in Genesis 3:15 and 3:21. In Genesis 3:15, God speaks to
the serpent: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, / and between your
offspring and her offspring; / he shall bruise your head, / and you shall bruise his heel.”
This prophecy refers to what Christians describe as Jesus’ victory over Satan by means of
his own death. In Genesis 3:21, we learn that God clothed Adam and Eve with animal
skins. The death of the animals served to cover the nakedness and shame of the first
human beings. In a similar way, Jesus’ death would serve to cover the sin and shame of
humanity. Thus, through the Fall account, significant insight is gained on what Christians
believe about humanity through their sin, theology through God’s mercy, and the
difficulty of determining right ethics.
Covenant
In the Old Testament, God works to redeem humanity through multiple covenants. A
covenant is an agreement between two parties who agree to fulfill certain roles or
perform certain tasks in order to maintain a right relationship with each other. A
modern example of a covenant is that of marriage.
Wilkens and Sanford (2009) effectively describe the corporate and individual aspects of
redemption when they discuss the covenant and the incarnation as means of
redemption (pp. 192-196). The covenant serves as God's primary means of redemption
in the Old Testament. God chooses (and usually rescues) people and a nation and
relates to them in terms of covenants – His promises to them and the corresponding
responsibilities each party has. God forms covenants with Noah, Abraham, Moses (and
the Israelites), and David, even promising a future "new covenant" during the time of
the prophets.
The "new covenant" is fulfilled in the New Testament, as Jesus Himself states at the Last
Supper, "This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood" (Luke 22:
20). The new covenant, as promised by God in Jeremiah 31, would involve God's direct
influence on a person to know Him and to follow Him, bringing about forgiveness and
redemption. Ethically, the new covenant is significant for the line from Jeremiah, “I will
put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts” (Jeremiah 31:33). God
promises to transform a people who will follow Him faithfully.
The covenants that God makes with humanity reveal that God is loving and faithful, as well as
that humanity has a deep and significant purpose before God and each other. It is also
significant that, though humanity never fully keeps their part of the covenant, God always
remains faithful to His promises in the covenants.

Prophecy
Along with the covenants initiated and entered into by God, God also begins hinting at
His ultimate plan for salvation through many prophecies that reveal a person who would
be called the "Messiah." The title Messiah (from Hebrew; Christós from Greek) means
'anointed one,' a person who would be anointed by God for the task of restoring what
was lost in the Fall and recreating what was originally designed by God for the
relationship He always intended between Himself and His creation. Many of those
prophecies are found in the Old Testament book of Isaiah.
Throughout the New Testament, the writers refer to Jesus as the Christ (i.e., the
Messiah), using quotations or allusions from the Old Testament to make their case. In
fulfilling the role of Messiah, Jesus reveals several truths about the Christian worldview.
Jesus reveals theology in that he is fully divine (equal to the Father, united with the
Father) and Jesus reveals humanity in that he is fully human (incarnation). In this way,
Jesus is viewed as the best representation of God (“image of the invisible God” –
Colossians 1:15) and as the best representation of humanity (“made like his brothers
[humanity] in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest”
– Hebrews 2:17). The Christian worldview thus looks to Jesus for understanding the
various components of worldview.
Gospel
From the story of Creation to the Fall, proceeding through the three main covenants in
the Old Testament, and the hints God gave of the coming solution to man's sin issue in
Prophecy, the story now arrives at God's solution to man's broken fellowship between
God and humanity. This is what Christians call the Gospel, or the good news.
The ultimate source for redemption in the Bible arises from Jesus' death on the cross
and His resurrection. In fact, Paul claims in two places that, when united to Jesus, we
have "redemption, the forgiveness of sins" (Colossians 1:14; see also Ephesians 1:7).
Paul writes that Jesus "loved us and gave himself up for us" (Ephesians 5:2), and His
offering of Himself as a sacrifice for sin has effectively saved anyone who trusts Him
from sin and the effects of sin. Jesus died a painful death on the cross, an execution
reserved for criminals and slaves, in order to bear the punishment for human sin, so that
those who trust him could be forgiven. God then raised Jesus from the dead on the third
day, defeating the power of sin and even death, and giving new life to those who are
united to Christ by trusting him. This previous summary is the essential understanding of
the gospel message for Christians. C. S. Lewis (1952), when discussing these truths,
succinctly states, "We are told that Christ was killed for us, that His death has washed
out our sins, and that by dying He disabled death itself. That is the formula. That is
Christianity" (p. 55).
The incarnation represents one of the greatest truths of the Gospel: God became
human in order to lead humanity back to God. Jesus, uniquely and simultaneously
human and divine, becomes both the way of salvation and the means of transformation.
The individual emphasis of redemption thus finds some basis in the incarnation. In one
sense, Jesus was made to be like humanity so that people could approach Him and He
could save them. In another sense, anyone who trusts Christ is transformed and
undergoes a process of becoming more like Jesus. Lewis (1952) states, "The Christian
thinks any good he does comes from the Christ-life inside him. He does not think God
will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us;
just as the roof of a greenhouse does not attract the sun because it is bright, but
becomes bright because the sun shines on it" (p. 63).
Thus, in Jesus there is a full representation of purpose and of ethics. Jesus reveals a
purpose for humanity of being drawn up into the life of the Trinity, as he prays to the
Father for Christians:
“that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they
may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and
loved them even as you loved me…I made known to them your name, and I will
continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be
in them, and I in them” (John 17:22b-23, 26, italics added)
Jesus reveals ethics through his teachings (most well-known are the Sermon on the
Mount and Jesus’ parables) and through his death and resurrection. Christians,
therefore, seek to follow the way of Jesus, attempting to live by his teachings to “love
the Lord your God…[and] love your neighbor” (Mark 12:30-31). The transformative
power of Christ’s death and resurrection becomes the means of following Jesus.
Restoration
Perhaps the best news is that redemption is not the end of the story; in fact, it is really a
new beginning for humanity and for creation. Christians believe that God not only
redeems people, but He restores them and "re-creates" them. Paul himself states
radically, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold,
the new has come" (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Individually and corporately, the Christian worldview views God's restorative work as
happening gradually now, with the promise that God will one day fully accomplish the
full restoration of all creation with the return, or second coming, of Jesus Christ. On an
individual scale, God intends to rescue people from their sin to “re-create” them into
the image of Jesus, the Son of God. As Paul writes, "Put on the new self, created after
the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness" (Ephesians 4:24). God is thus
creating a new humanity, made up of people who trust Him and whom He is using to
bring about His kingdom.
Corporately, God's work of restoration has universal intentions and implications for all
nations and people groups of the earth. According to the biblical story, God is working
to bring about Eden again. Paul states that "the creation itself will be set free from its
bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God"
(Romans 8:21). The damage done to creation by the Fall will be totally undone, and the
world will be purged of all evil, re-created as good and perfect once again.
Jesus tells his disciples what would be the signs of His second coming in Matthew 24 and
John gives a description of the new heavens and the new earth in Revelation 21. In the
end, heaven comes down to earth and God actually lives among His people (Revelation
21:2-3).
Until humanity sees the full restoration of God (on both an individual and a corporate
level), the human race lives in a time when redemption and restoration are begun but
not fully realized. Thus, the author of Hebrews can write both that Christians "have been
made holy" (Hebrews 10:10) and that Christians "are being made holy" (Hebrews 10:14)
in the same chapter. Also, Christians have the task during this time of working to bring
about God's kingdom on earth. Christians will therefore seek to live in humility, to
establish justice, and to love others (Micah 6:8), working to see God's will done on
earth, as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).

Neutrality vs. Objectivity

After exploring worldview in general and the Christian worldview in particular, it is
necessary to draw some conclusions related to counseling as a discipline. Worldview
commitments are at play among all disciplines, and the study of a particular discipline
tends to have worldview assumptions associated with it. Professional counseling as a
discipline tends to be inclined to a more pluralistic view of the world, since the scholarly
consensus informs the importance of “values-neutral” therapy for counseling. In
counseling, for example, it is more important for clients to discover their own values
than for the counselor to impose his or her values on the client (in fact, the latter is
unethical, according to the American Counseling Association Code of Ethics).
A “values-neutral” way of life is impossible to achieve according to worldview studies.
Each person is committed to certain worldview assumptions, whether they come to
bear on the discipline of counseling or not. For example, a Christian who is a
professional counselor would still be committed to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, even
if he or she is counseling a client who is not. This example actually illustrates a second
important point about worldview and counseling as a discipline, namely that counselors
ought to seek a high level of objectivity in their practice. While neutrality may not be
possible, objectivity is. Therefore, the goal of understanding worldview for counselors
should center on the need for objectivity in counseling practice.
Worldview as a concept has been introduced, and the Christian worldview as a story and
belief system has been explained on an essential level of understanding. For
professional counselors emerging from Grand Canyon University, it is necessary to
understand both. A knowledge of worldview will help counseling students relate to
various perspectives, as they would comprehend that people do what they do because
they believe something to be true at a worldview commitment level. A picture of the
Christian worldview will help counseling students at Grand Canyon University to be able
to relate to the core worldview assumptions that drive the university’s mission and the
program’s objectives. Understanding both worldview and the Christian worldview, then,
will help students at Grand Canyon University to be able to connect to the ethos of the
university and will guide them in understanding the vision and mission of the counseling
program.

Conclusion
One's worldview is made up of basic, foundational commitments. These commitments
are so basic that many people do not even realize that they exist. Yet these
commitments (a person's worldview) influence how decisions are made every day.
Four important components of a worldview should be named and explored in order to
determine foundational assumptions of a worldview: theology (one’s belief about God),
anthropology (one’s belief about humanity), purpose, and ethics. Determining how one
fits these four components together can begin to describe one’s worldview.
A Christian worldview looks to Jesus Christ for definition and representation of each
component. Jesus reveals God fully because he is fully divine. Jesus reveals humanity
fully because he is fully human. Jesus reveals purpose fully because true purpose is
found in him. Jesus reveals ethics fully because he is the source and means of living
ethically.
This lecture is intended to provide a brief introduction to the concept of worldview and
to the foundational truths of Christianity. By no means could the lecture cover the depth
of content that would be necessary to cover in order to treat any of these topics fully.
Yet the lecture should give a basic framework for professional counselors to understand
what a worldview is and what the Christian worldview is.

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