Christian Worldview 2020

International Leadership Consortium

December 7-12, 2020 via Zoom

9:00 – 12:00 noon, CST; 2:00 –5:00pm GMT
Instructor: Dr. Chris Gadsden

Course Description
This course introduces the nature, importance, and evaluation of worldviews; a critique of
alternative worldviews vis-à-vis Christian theism; and the nature and importance of
developing a Christian worldview as an expression of loving God, following Jesus, and
fulfilling the Great Commission.

Course Objectives
It is expected that as a result of the course you will:
• Gain a vision and appreciation for loving God with your mind as an integral part of
your spiritual formation and personal discipleship.
• Understand and develop skills in thinking as part of loving God with your mind and
serving him effectively.
• Understand the nature of worldviews and how they are evaluated.
• Understand and critique alternative worldviews and be able to defend a Christian
worldview in relation to them.
• Develop a more sensitive appreciation for other cultures and deepen your desire to
minister to those from cultures other than your own.
• Understand what a Christian worldview is and how it relates to life and ministry,
and gain a vision and tools for developing a fruitful, coherent Christian worldview as
a lifelong pursuit.

Required Texts and Materials

Gadsden, Christopher (adapted from David A. Horner) Christian Worldview (2020) ILC
course pack lecture notes and supplementary materials.
Keshavjee, Shafique Le Roi, le Sage et le Bouffon. POINTS, 2011.

*Special thanks to Dave Horner for letting me adapt his coursepack!

Course Requirements
• Class attendance and participation (overall evaluation)
• Clear thinking and significant learning is developed in great measure by practice in
the context of dialogue/discussion with others. Thinking Christianly – “theology” –
should be done in, by, and for community. Prepare for, attend (on time), and
participate in every class session. Absences or evident lack of preparation will be
counted against your grade.
• Reading (25 points)
• Worldview Interview Project (75 points)
You are expected to read carefully and thoughtfully the assigned text. Be prepared to engage
in class discussion concerning the reading. You will turn in a reading report on Dec. 12.

Interview Project: This assignment enables you to get practical with your worldview study
and engage with some individuals from different walks of life, in order better to understand
and evaluate their thinking and values from a "worldviewish" perspective. You will write a
summary and analysis of the views of each interviewee, as well as a summary and analysis
of the overall picture that emerges, along with applications to your life and ministry.

Class Schedule and Topics

Monday, 12/7 Loving God with Your Mind, Thinking About Thinking 1
Tuesday, 12/8 Thinking About Thinking 1, 2
Wednesday, 12/9 What Is A Worldview?
Thursday, 12/10 What Is A Worldview?, Worldview Options
Friday, 12/11 Worldview Options, Evaluating Worldviews
Saturday, 12/12 Evaluating Worldviews

Worldview Interview Project

Due: Saturday, December 12

Purpose: To engage on a thoughtful level with several people, some or all of whom live
outside our immediate worldview context (evangelical Christianity), in order to better to
understand and evaluate their worldview thinking and values. You can do this solo or in
pairs. If in a pair, you still must each do your own write up.
Between now and the due date, you will interview three people, ideally representing
different walks of life, using the ten questions listed below. You might approach the
interviews by explaining that you are students, taking a class that is concerned with
understanding the thinking of people in our culture. As a class assignment you are looking
for a few people who would be willing to answer ten questions on a questionnaire. “Would
you be willing to do that?”

Instructions for the interviews:

1. You may not interview Cru staff or students attending IBS.

2. Attempt to interview a range of people, as much as possible representing different walks
of life – different ages, gender, race, socio-economic status, vocation (e.g. shoot for: one 25
years old and under, one 25 to 50, one over 50, etc.).

• Take thorough notes for each interview.

• Make sure to write down the age, gender, and marital status of each interviewee.
 Worldview Interview

1. How would you define happiness?

2. What qualities make a person successful in life?

3. What qualities make a person a good person?

4. Are there any absolute or objective standards of right and wrong? If so, what are they?

5. At this point, what is the highest priority of your life?

6. If someone asked you to explain to them your philosophy of life (what you live by), what would
you say? What reasons would you give to justify your answer?

7. What is your view concerning the existence of God or the nature of ultimate reality? What
reasons would you give to justify your answer?

8. In your view, what is the most basic or fundamental human problem?

9. Is there a solution to the most basic human problem? If so, what is it?

10. What question do you most wish you could answer in your life?
The paper:
(1) Type (12 pages, double-spaced) a summary and analysis of the views of each person
interviewed (two to three pages for each person). Do not list the details of each answer;
include only as needed for illustration. Instead, distill their answers into a coherent
summary. Describe which worldview or worldviews you think they best exemplify and why.
If they are not Christians, what areas of common ground or points of contact would be good
starting points to engage them in order to build bridges to the gospel? What faultlines or
points of tension are in their worldview that would be good starting points for helping them
to evaluate their view?
(2) Write a general summary and analysis of the big picture that emerges from the total (a
final three pages). This will include general observations about the views of the interviewees,
including emerging common themes as well as differences.
Some questions to help you reflect:

• Were there common threads –responses (reflecting thinking and/or values) that were
common to all or most interviewees? In what areas? How would you explain this?
Does this suggest any significant patterns?
• Were there significant differences in responses according to age, gender, or marital
status? Race? Socio-economic status? Does this suggest any significant patterns?
• What or who surprised you most during the interview?
• How will this experience affect your interaction/sharing with non-Christians?

Summarize your observations about faultlines and points of common ground in the
worldviews of those you interviewed. Describe at least one specific point of application for
your life and ministry (e.g. how this will affect your interaction/sharing with non-
Christians?), and formulate at least one strategic suggestion as to how we as evangelical
Christians more generally may be more effective in reaching folks like these.