Which Worldview Will Prevail?
Every election demands a decision. Sadly, many Americans, including Christians, decide to not participate in our blessed democratic process made possible in our constitutional republic. They don’t vote.
If one’s worldview is off, his or her decisions, practices, principles, and policies will be off-center and the effect is always negative. The less people think of God, the less they think of others. The less they love God, the less they love others. The smaller God becomes the bigger government and other things get. The more dependent we are upon government programs, the less dependent we are on God and less thoughtful of one another. The bigger government gets, the smaller citizens become. When we do not keep God in first place, some other power always takes over and the indifferent, uninformed and uninvolved allow it to happen.
Most people are generally not concerned about their worldview. They act as if they can separate their ideas from their actions – in effect establishing a worldview in which worldviews are irrelevant! If this ironic paradigm, rooted in relativism, is allowed to stand, it strips all worldviews of their functional value.
More than 30 years ago, in his landmark bestseller A Christian Manifesto, Francis Schaeffer described the fragmentation that has accompanied the shift toward relativism in our society. Schaeffer suggested that the basic problem with our culture was that parents and leaders had only “seen things in bits and pieces instead of totals.” The result was an inability to deal with the full scope of society’s dilemmas.
“They have very gradually become disturbed over permissiveness, pornography, the public schools, the breakdown of the family, and finally abortion,” Schaeffer said. “But they have not seen this as a totality – each thing being a part, a symptom, of a much larger problem… They failed to see that all of this has come about due to a shift in worldview – that is, through a fundamental change in the overall way people think and view the world and life as a whole.”
In other words, according to Schaeffer, part of the reason it has been so difficult to address the cultural challenges of our day is that we have largely ignored the fact that these changes in our society have occurred primarily because of changes in our thinking. Not only have we failed at times to acknowledge the consequences of our ideas, we’ve often failed to recognize the ideas themselves. We have not clearly seen how our worldview affects our decisions and our values. If we are to have any hope of maintaining a civil society, it is essential that we recognize not only that ideas matter, but that having the correct ideas makes all the difference. If we fail to see this basic reality, we will be morally and culturally hobbled.
Was anyone disturbed about the loud vocal vote at the Democrat convention about whether or not references to God be left in the party platform? It seemed obvious to anyone with ears to hear that the majority of the people were not happy with that, but the party officials chose to leave references to God out. I wonder how often that is happening in our nation – in our lives, our families and our homes?
If “we the people” do not call upon God, seek His face and His will, make wise decisions, we will witness the collapse of freedom. We will witness firsthand: small God, big – indescribably big – government, devastating debt, economic and moral collapse. Our worldview makes all the difference determining our direction.
Over the next few weeks, the film “Last Ounce of Courage” will be opening in cities across America. It is a wonderful homage to our military and demonstrates strong national values. It clearly illustrates the blatant attacks on the Christian faith and national holidays and the importance of standing together in defense of freedom. It is well worth you and your family seeing.
The iPledge Sunday: A Call to Faith, Family, and Freedom Simulcast will gather Christians across the country on Sunday, September 9, 2012 for a nationwide, live simulcast co-hosted by Family Research Council and American Family Association. The event features Tony Perkins, Senator Rick Santorum, Bishop Harry Jackson, Kirk Cameron and other key Christian leaders for a 90-minute event celebrating Christian citizenship and exhorting Christians to rise up on Election Day to make our voices heard. Your church members will be informed, equipped, and challenged to advance faith, family and freedom in your local community.
iPledge Sunday will be the largest nationwide pre-election gathering of Christian voters. The goal is to mobilize Christians across our land to pledge to:
· Pray for the upcoming election.
· Prepare by registering themselves and others.
· Participate by voting on November 6.
For more information, visit their website.
This article was written by James Robison
4 comments:
The above conclusive statement by James Robison is as follows:
“Our worldview makes all the difference determining our direction.”
Jesus Christ placed divine emphasis on our responsibility to establish his worldview in every age and generation. However, it is evident that far too many times the secular world and the Christian world fall prey to Satan’s deception and doctrine of relativism and as stated above “Most people are generally not concerned about their worldview. They act as if they can separate their ideas from their actions – in effect establishing a worldview in which worldviews are irrelevant! If this ironic paradigm, rooted in relativism, is allowed to stand, it strips all worldviews of their functional value.”
Let us examine the doctrine or philosophy of Satan’s worldview of relativism. Satan’s relativism is the philosophical position that as humans every person’s view has equal validity and what is perceived as truth is relative to each individual. This worldview has succeeded in dominating all moral positions, all political movements, many religious systems, every judicial system, the entertainment media, and the human heart. The conclusive response is the world and society has rejected the absolute Revelation of Jesus Christ in regards to morality, life and destiny and embraces social tolerance and the pluralistic ideology that right and wrong is left to personal relativism.
Isaiah prophesied of the spirit of relativism when he wrote “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.” And again Solomon wrote “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”
These scriptures define relativism in its most destructive form. Relativism is one of Satan’s tactics he uses to confuse the masses and convince the people that as Americans our rights take precedence over the Holy Word of the Creator. They exercise the right to manipulate worldviews and principles according to social and cultural relevance and as stated above “Not only have we failed at times to acknowledge the consequences of our ideas, we’ve often failed to recognize the ideas themselves. We have not clearly seen how our worldview affects our decisions and our values.”
The emphasis Jesus Christ placed upon the importance of worldview is found in every parable he spoke. He taught that “we are in the world, but not of it” and then taught us how we are to righteously affect the unrighteous worldview. He said “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” The world view of Jesus Christ is one of light, love, salt and righteousness. He did not mean for us to sit on the sidelines and be so heavenly minded we are no earthly good and find sanctity in our self righteous philosophy that we are “thankful we are not like the publicans.”
It is past time that every Christian should be diligent in impacting the blasphemous, humanistic, idolatrous and immoral worldview with the worldview of the kingdom of God. His truth, love, light and power of the Holy Spirit illuminates the Revelation of Jesus Christ and brings the kingdom of God into view for the world to see. As James concluded, “If “we the people” do not call upon God, seek His face and His will, make wise decisions, we will witness the collapse of freedom. We will witness firsthand: small God, big – indescribably big – government, devastating debt, economic and moral collapse. Our worldview makes all the difference determining our direction.”
We are stewards of every thing God has blessed us with in this nation. We can think in terms of the secular relevance of what we have and be slothful and unconcerned or we can think, act and contribute to the world as unto the Lord. Solomon wrote a revelation about the consequences of a worldview void of divine understanding. He said “I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down. Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction. Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man.
You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. Matthew 5:13
The majority of Americans reject the Christian worldview regarding specific moral issues such as abortion or gay rights? To what length are we required to go to maintain a Christian society? Many now believe that we are confronted with the dilemma of living in a largely post-Christian America, and that soon we will no longer have the political power to pass legislation that would share our views. Although America benefited from the participation of godly men and biblical ideals during its founding, it is a republic that derives the right to rule from its people. As people have moved away from strongly held Christian convictions, so have its institutions. This worldview refuses to acknowledge God’s role as creator and sustainer of the universe and rejects the moral structure that He made part of its existence. It also rejects the need for a savior. It’s not that there is no support for Christian virtue left in America, but that the predominant set of values found in our major institutions no longer reflects a biblical worldview.
We as a nation and a people must rise to the occasion or suffer a fate similar to that which has befallen civilizations in the past.
I used to be addicted to men, but over 6 years ago Jesus set me FREE! God is so good and now I’m married and my bride is pregnant. God has given us a desire to share this good news, but for some bazaar reason so many christians are uninterested. Please pray for us that God will give us favor with man both in the church and outside the church so that we can share this good news. God bless you James Robison.
FIRST,I WOULD LIKE TO SAY SOMETHING TO YOU AND, I BELIEVE IT IS A GOOD THING.YOU SAID TO THE EFFECT : FOR SOME BIZARRE REASON THE CHURCH AND OTHERS DO NOT APPEAR INTERESTED IN YOUR NEW TRANSFORMATION AND YOUR TESTIMONY. I BELIEVE YOU ARE A MIRACLE,SIR! PLEASE DON’T BE BOTHERED ABOUT POOR RECEPTION FROM PEOPLE OUTSIDE THE CHURCH BUT THOSE IN THE CHURCH SOUND TO ME LIKE THEY NEED TO HEAR YOUR MESSAGE FROM THE PULPIT WITH YOUR PASTOR’S APPROVAL OF YOU OR, TRY AND FIND A NEWER, MORE VIBRANT CONGREGATION WHERE THE PEOPLE REJOICE IN GOD’S CHILDREN BEING MIRACULOUSLY SET FREE.HOLD YOUR HEAD HIGH MY BROTHER FOR CHRIST HAS SHOWN YOU THE GREATEST BLESSING AND THAT IS , YOUR BEAUTIFUL BRIDE AND CHILD ON THE WAY!!!