I think there is an important distinction which needs to be made
nowadays between the difference of Christian faith and Christian
worldview. Let me explain. These days, one can run into many people who
will claim they "love Jesus" and attend church; however, if one were to
probe deeper into this person's affection for Jesus, oftentimes one will
discover the person's worldview to be completely at odds with
Scripture. The individual will affirm and endorse homosexuality,
same-sex "marriage", relativism, "all roads lead to God" notion, people
are good and other ideas that do not coincide with a biblical framework
of reality.
I do not doubt that there are genuine
followers of Christ who happen to be completely ignorant of what it
means to cultivate and develop a biblical worldview. The church and
parents are mostly to blame for that. What one doe snot see very often
is a follower of Christ who has trusted Jesus for his salvation after
recognizing his own sinfulness and gradually crafting an outlook of
reality that is explicitly biblical.
Cultivating a
Christian worldview means behaving and thinking in such a way that
aligns with what the Triune God of Scripture commands and teaches. If
God says "...a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to
his wife and they shall become one flesh," then that excludes any
relationship which wants to be deemed marriage as unacceptable. That is,
any relationship falling outside the boundaries of a man and a woman is
not marriage. Yet it is not uncommon to find self-identifying
Christians which will not hold fast to this biblical teaching. They will
jump on board with the world and promote the redefinition of marriage
to include homosexual relationships.
It seems the root
issue for some Christians is the authority and inspiration of
Scripture. If one believes the Bible is full of errors, contradictions,
etc. then one will not take seriously what it proclaims about the world.
However, for the faithful follower of Christ who believes God has
spoken to His creation through special revelation, they ought to be more
intentional about developing a Christian worldview. For those doubting
the authority of the Bible, I suggest they read books and articles by
men of faith who have dealt with this issue a long time ago (e.g., James
White, Greg Bahsnen, among many).
It is extremely
vital for Christians not to be sucked into the deception and foolishness
of the world. When one listens to the news of current events which are
happening within our very nation, it is truly disheartening. Animals
valued more than humans; babies being killed within a mother's womb;
indoctrination within colleges and K-12 schools; the list goes on. As
Christians, let us read the Bible and think deeply how what we read
carries over into our society today. Granted this is not always easy but
it is sure worth the effort.