Torch, Spring 2004

top of the box shows you how the puzzle fits together and, if you’re good at it, you’ll begin to recognize how this piece goes here and this goes there. Now, you can’t say, “Oh, I don’t like this picture. I want another one. Oh, I like this one better. It fits me a whole lot better,” and expect to be able to complete the puzzle. Why? Because the picture doesn’t fit the pieces. Or you could think of your worldview as a map. I was in Ukraine some time ago. I had this beautiful map. It was in Russian, but I knew enough pronunciation of Russian to find my way around. For example, there are basic streets, much like every town in America has a Main Street, a Maple Street, and a First Street. I’m following along and soon realized I had the wrong map. The map I had was for another city. Now, it was a beautiful map; I loved that map, it went with my outfit and everything. It was perfect! But, it was the wrong map. It did not correspond with the reality of the city I was in. Today’s culture tells us, “Find a worldview that fits you and then live it out.” But I don’t want a worldview that fits me; I want one that fits the world. I want one that corresponds with the truth. We at Cedarville University want truth so that we can conform our institution to that which is true. Everybody has a story, an explanation of the world — of how it came about, why we are here, and what happens when we die. It’s your explanation of the world. But your story also serves as your interpretation of the world. When something happens in life, both personally and on a global scale, we interpret it through the lens of our worldviews. For example, after September 11 several books were published titled, Where Was God on 9/11? They were written by Christian writers trying to make sense of why a good, loving God would allow this horrible tragedy to occur. Later, Richard Dawkins, a well-known atheist from Oxford, wrote an article for The New York Times asserting that religion is not the solution — religion is the problem. Religion caused the terrorists to do what they did. Dawkins expressed anger that people still believe in God after September 11. And then there was Richard Gere, a practicing Buddhist, who got up in front of a group of people after September 11 and said that we should take compassion on the terrorists. Of course he was booed off the stage. In a radio interview he explained that we should have compassion on the terrorists because they are “creating such horrible future lives for themselves because of the negativity of this karma.” 11 His interpretation was based on his view of universal, cosmic “one- ness.” So, with this one event there were (at least) three different interpretations. Theists conclude that somehow God allowed this. Atheists assert that there is no God, bad things just happen, or religion is the problem. And the transcendentalists point to some rip in the fabric of the cosmic universe. The various worldviews interpreted the event in various ways. Not only is your worldview your view of the world, but it’s your view for the world. It is active, and that’s where we get the word “application.” You may not live what you profess, but you will live what you believe. It’s inescapable. We are great at professing things, but the way we live really demonstrates what’s at the root of what we believe. Your worldview is not just a mindset; it is a will set. It’s how we live our lives, how we choose our priorities, and how we adopt preferences. Look at it like this. Imagine that a triangle represents everybody’s life. At the base of the triangle is your worldview, the way that you see the world and understand the world. Then built on that are your values, the preferences and priorities you have about life in the world. Everybody has values. I often get asked to come to a school system and help them set up a values education curriculum. And I’ll say, “Whose values do want me to teach?” And they say, “Well, you know, values.” And I’ll say, “Adolf Hitler’s?” And they’ll say, “No, not his.” Well, whose values then? It’s not a question of values — everybody has values derived from our basic fundamental view of the way the world is and the way the world works. Then, of course, built on our values is our behavior. We do what is important to us. The reason it is important to us is because that is how we see the world. I believe the biblical concept of sanctification has to do with having all three — worldviews, values, and behavior — working together in concert. The key to remember is that you can determine a person’s Spring 2004 / TORCH 7 continued on page 12