Theme for this week: World Views
January 28, 2022 (Friday)
Recently our weekly theme for these blogs was “The Little Foxes,” based on Song of Solomon 2:15 (“Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines”), and sought to show how little sins can cause big problems.
This week the theme is “Giants in the Land” (Numbers 13:33).” The presence of giants caused fear among the Israelites, and my intention is to show how our world views affect our thoughts and actions concerning almost everything. A world view is not a little fox; it is a great big giant.
We have discussed four views of life (Deism, Atheism, Agnosticism, Hedonism) that determine our thoughts and actions. They are phases of the World View, “Naturalism.” In my opinion they might be considered world views themselves. They represent thoughts and actions in today’s world that resist the spread of the gospel.
I am following an outline presented on the internet by RW360 concerning world views. Six world views are:
1. “Theism” (Christianity, Judaism, Islam)
2. “Pantheism” (Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, New Age)
3. “Polytheism” (Spiritism, Animism, Thousands of religions)
4. “Naturalism” (Deism, Atheism, Agnosticism, Hedonism, Existentialism)
5. “Humanism” (Marxism)
6. “Postmodernism”(Extreme subjectivity)
Each of the views in the above list contain subsets of all sorts of belief. Some are worldwide, and others are only local. The world to which we are called to witness is filled with people who may represent sophisticated, complex philosophies of life. Many of the world views are strong right here in our own country. They may influence our own way of thinking. They can rise up like giants to oppose or change our faith, but we are to stand strong, defend our faith and face our philosophical enemies with courage.
We have been assured by the Scriptures that “at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue shall acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:10-11 NIV).