Mercy

By Justin Gray


I remember a time, shortly after moving to Nashville, that I was without a job. Slowing sipping from the puddle of my savings I began searching for new employment. One day, between my daily resume drop-offs, I stopped for lunch. Outside of McDonald's sat a man on the curb. His hair was disheveled, his clothes were ratty, and his face was smeared with dirt. Our eyes met as I approached the entrance.

I wanted to look away, just as I had many times before; but something was different.

He said he needed help. I asked him if he was hungry. He said yes.

I wanted to leave him with some food on my way out; but something was different.

I asked him to come inside. The cashier gawked at him as we placed our order. Then she said: "Will that be for here, or to go?"

I wanted to say "to go" and simply part ways in peace; but something was different.

I said "for here". The man from the curb gawked at me as I motioned to an open table. At this point, there was no turning back; eating in silence was not an option.

We talked and we ate. We both stood over the ruins of his life staring in disbelief. He wanted to start over. He wanted a job. He no longer wanted to sleep in the woods. I told him by the grace of God he could start over. I told him there was hope in Christ. We dumped our empty trays and walked out into the parking lot.

I felt that I had done enough; but something was different.

There was a consignment store in my periphery. I asked him to follow me. His eyes grew bigger as we approached the store. I invited him in. His eyes filled up with water, but didn't overflow their banks.

We walked the aisles and filled our basket. The cashier tried not to stare at him as she entered our total. We grabbed our bags and were once again in the parking lot.

He thanked me. I prayed for him and we parted ways.

That day I thought long and hard about my encounter with the man on the curb. Why couldn't I just look away? Why couldn't I just leave him food? What was so different this time?

Mercy.

I wept that night because I realized that every one of us is a man on a curb waiting for mercy.

Thank God that he did not pass by our desperation.

Luke 18:35-42

A Simple Appeal

By Justin Gray

I am not a theologian. I am not a scientist. I am not a doctor. I'm just a person.

When I was growing up, my father often said of himself jokingly: "I am not a Rhodes scholar, but I am a road scholar because I've learned a lot on this road of life" - I feel much the same way.

To be clear, by no means do I think he opposed education or the greatly educated; nor do I for that matter. On the contrary, I do honor and admire those who have given their lives in order to scale the lofty heights of academia that they may breathe that rarefied air.

It is often these men and women who share with us valley dwelling villagers a perspective from the mountain tops. And I admit that I often dare to dip my face to drink from the fire hydrant of their knowledge, albeit at the risk of being smothered; a very refreshing and yet overwhelming expense.

So in light of my intellectual mortality, I'd like to apologize in advance to those giants who may stumble upon the pebble of this post.

Now on to my simple appeal.

I beg my fellow villagers to listen carefully.

Have you not noticed that there is something wrong?

We rise in the morning and set about our days with great concern for our time, grooming, and business travel. Once to work we are daily pressed by our occupations for better results despite our greatest efforts.

Have you not heard this call of excellence from within and without?

We return home only to spend our evenings fighting back the disarray which creeps into our homes also known as "cleaning". 

Do we not also with great exertion pull together tightly the fabric of our relationships as to avoid the threat of a breach? What is this force that tries to tear us away from each other?

Have you not noticed the many temper tantrums of nature?

Too often are we subject to her meteorological mood swings. Violent waves and swirling winds. Angry storms and the quaking earth. What has made her so upset that she seems to rail against us?

Have you not noticed that there is something wrong? I have.

I have wrestled long with this question only to discover that in asking the question I acknowledge that things are not as they should be. Everyday I notice a little more that something is wrong and everyday I do try to make things right; I think we all do.

Do you see it now?

Haven't you noticed that in all of our trying it seems as though something is still wrong. So we find ourselves waiting, but we are not sure for what. Hoping, maybe one day, it will get better.

Now I make my appeal.

You may not be a theologian. You may not be a scientist. You may not be a doctor. So I simply appeal to your person.

Could it be that the call of excellence to us both from within and without points to a goodness beyond ourselves?

Could it be that the wrong we notice creeping in us and over us only indicates our great need for things to be made right?

Could it be that nature is upset (just as we are) and awaits the day when things will be as they should.

Could it be that what we call 'wrong' could be called 'sin'?

Could it be that the only hope of better things is from God?

This is my simple appeal. Please consider it carefully.

Romans 8:18-25

How To Love: Christians and Homosexuality

By Justin Gray


After much consideration I have decided to attempt the death-defying act of writing on a very controversial topic. A topic which elicits conflicting thoughts and emotions for many who have experienced its social, political, and spiritual effects.

Homosexuality is a very sensitive subject. Shame, disappointment, and confusion are just some of the feelings often associated with this issue. Furthermore, homosexuality is becoming more pervasive in our culture with gay rights activism growing out of its epicenter.

So engaging this conversation is virtually unavoidable. 

In all honesty, as a Christian I have struggled deeply with how to express love and develop relationships with those of the LGTBQ community because of our differences.

This post represents some of my own conclusions after a time of deep personal reflection on this all important topic.

Here goes nothing...

1. “Homosexuality is an abomination!”

I have found that this is a phrase that is often misinterpreted and
taken out of context.

I will spare you the great theological detail and just say that there is consensus among biblical scholars, both conservative and liberal, on the prohibition of intimate same-sex relations.

So I agree that Christians should have sure moral footing on this issue. However, it seems that one of the more prevalent Christian positions concerning homosexuality is that it is a "cardinal sin". And by virtue of this position many have elevated this prohibited lifestyle above all others; consequently producing an unfair social stigma for people of the LGTBQ community.

In the minds of many Christians if you are gay, you are REALLY BAD.

This leads me to believe that some who claim strong religious convictions are probably more homophobic than overtly Christian.

We should be reminded that Jesus often found himself among the outcasts of society. The gay community, though increasing in prominence, is still a fringe social group or ‘outcasts’ to a certain degree. In order to share the love of Christ, we must be willing to put our fears and stereotypes aside to share the gospel message and discuss openly the implications of this message with regard to sexual lifestyle.

2. “Love the person, hate the sin.” 

This philosophy has become an extremely convoluted Christian ideal.

The American social landscape is changing. A society once shaped by traditional Christian values seems to be no more. Today, we are beginning to see those traditional views being challenged with what many would consider to be “more progressive” thinking. The homosexual lifestyle is no longer treated as a psychological disorder or shunned as a sexually deviant behavior as it was just a few generations ago.

The LGTBQ community has now risen to a level of public acceptance on the grounds that sexual orientation is not “what you do” but “who you are”. Many people who live a homosexual lifestyle embrace the idea that they were born with a predisposition toward the same sex. So in the mind of this person it is impossible to separate their sexual behavior or deep same-sex attraction from their personal identity.

So the phrase "love the person, hate the sin" is interpreted as "hate the person who loves the sin".

Unfortunately, in frustration many Christians either turn their backs on this community all together, or take the “just-give-your-life-to-Jesus-and-stop-sinning” position when engaging their homosexual family members, friends or acquaintances. In my opinion, these attitudes are cold, harsh, and even accusatory.

I believe that Christ would be better represented in these relationships if we learned to pray and be patient.

God has been incredibly patient with mankind throughout the course of history. One person after another failing to live up to God’s standard of true righteousness, and yet, He has continued to be merciful and forbearing.

We have a lot to learn about grace where this is concerned.

Our desire for the restoration of one's personal identity should never override or violate one’s human dignity. People have the right to choose and we must be loving and patient even when they do not choose to our liking.

3. "Speak the truth in love."

I once heard a preacher give an interesting analogy to describe the process of delivering truth to a person.

And it went something like this:

Truth is like an eighteen wheeler truck in that it is usually very heavy. Truth needs a road to travel in order to reach the person.

In a sense, our relationships act as the bridge or that road upon which truth travels. If the relationship is not strong enough to support the weight of the truth, then it will collapse before it reaches the person. The stronger the relationship, the more weight or truth can be supported. Heavy truth is more likely to be received when there is a strong relationship upon which it may cross.  

I've found these to be very wise words, which typically hold true with one exception - situations of dire urgency.

For example, we all would probably agree that a fire fighter doesn't need a strong relationship with those he urges to flee a burning building. And we can be equally sure that those who are perishing in the flames, would prefer an abrupt rescue over a friendly marshmallow roast.

However, given the full context of a persons situation we must be balanced in how we engage people. Generally speaking, I feel that even in our attempts to communicate truth with urgency a great deal of loving carefulness is vitally important.

I find too often that instead of making a personal investment in a relationship with a person of differing values, many Christians only care about delivering their precious cargo.

Some may disagree with this statement, but ultimately I'd prefer a visitor to knock at the door of my life rather than try to kicked it down. In scripture, Jesus knocks on our door (Rev 3:20), and he also invites us to knock on his (Matt 7:8, Luke 11:10).

Wherever you stand on this topic I pray that my words will be taken to heart. This is an issue that we can't ignore, if for no other reason because it touches so many of us on multiple levels.

We must recognize that there is more at stake than a right or wrong position in the growing debate over sexual lifestyle. Learning how to love our homosexual neighbor could be the difference between life and death both temporal and eternal.

Our Grandfather Who Art In Heaven

By Justin Gray

After a week of casual observations from social media, co-workers, etc.  I asked myself the following question:

'If I were to rewrite the "Lord's Prayer" according to the standards of American culture, how would it read?'

This question provides the basic premise for the rest of this post.

I believe the rewrite of Jesus' words would sound something like this:

Our grandfather who art in heaven, inaccurate is your name, my kingdom come, my will be done, on earth as it should be in heaven’… and so on.   

Interestingly, in C.S. Lewis’ book The Problem of Pain he says that most humans want “…not so much a Father in Heaven as a grandfather in heaven…” this is an incredible insight, and I feel, very much ahead of its time. 

Many people bristle at the notion of a holy God, because so many of us hold fast and live according to the idea that ‘nobody’s perfect’. 

This presents a great dilemma for most people. If we are in fact called as Christians to live holy or (morally perfect) then it would seem that God has placed a demand upon us to conform to an impossible standard.  And for non-Christians this concept seems even more ludicrous in light of the notion that 'nobody's perfect'.

In reaction to God's demand for holiness, I believe we have created a God in the likeness of a spoiling and passive grandfather.  

Primarily, because the great expectations and correction of a loving heavenly Father is seen as being far too lofty a concept, or too unbelievable for our post-modern sensibilities.   

As Lewis puts it, "He (God) has paid us the intolerable compliment of loving us, in the deepest, most tragic, most inexorable sense.” 

So what are the implications of living out the CRV (culturally revised version) of "The Lord’s Prayer"?  What are the results of a “grandfather in heaven”? 

I believe the simple answer is moral relativism.

Moral relativism has been incubated by post-modernity. And represents a shift in categorical thinking particularly concerning 'truth', fostering a belief that an individual’s worldview is all there is apart from any governing standard.

A world with no governing standard is the equivalent of a completely unsupervised universe. 

We can do whatever we want, because our heavenly grandfather doesn’t care as long as we’re having fun. 

We can eat our fill from the cookie jar, and have ice cream on demand. If we hurt ourselves, he will come running to attend to our wounds only admonishing us to ‘be careful.’ 

However, what it means to actually ‘be careful’ is undefined and left for us to decide.  

In our culture there seems to be no definitions; only applications. We create our own sense of reality based upon the way we choose to do things.

In light of this point, imagine what it would be like to be invited to dinner only to find the table spread with ice cream, candy bars, and fruit snacks- for most people this would be strange and even unappetizing. 

However, "dinner" in post-modern terms is nothing more than a word to describe a meal served at the end of the day; so “dinner" is what we make it.   And the host of this "dinner" smiles with his rotten teeth and invites you to partake in the meal he has so graciously prepared for you.

If moral relativism is truly the order of the day, we are all doomed to dine at its buffet of beliefs. 

And what’s more, our heavenly grandfather chuckles with delight to see us eat our fill, oblivious to the fact that we are rotting away.

By creating a “grandfather in heaven” we have lost what it truly means to ‘be careful’.  And only a holy God can define for us what being careful truly means.

To be clear, God did not leave us to fend for ourselves in this world but he sent his son to live amongst us exhibiting all the attributes of a holy life.  Not to set the bar of achievement, but so through Christ's sinless life, death, and resurrection God’s righteous standard would be satisfied in Him.  And we by faith in Christ have become holy and have been empowered to ‘be careful’.  

So let us forsake the way of the orphan,
which leads to loneliness and despair,
and turn to the One who will embrace us,
the One through Christ who makes us heirs.

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed will be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.

The Last Words of An Atheist

By Justin Gray

I

’ve often wondered what the last words of an Atheist would be. As they lie helplessly upon their bed, writhing in pain or slowly withering away as death creeps over them. What happens when they are faced with the rigid finality of death and the potential annihilation of their being?

If there were someone dear to listen, what would they say? The words "I love you" would seem most appropriate. However, such a statement would imply that love transcends life and there are no transcendent realities according to the Atheist. For him, love does fade with the lover. And even if they should decide to persist in love, how can they be assured that it would endure beyond their demise? That would require faith, and faith is for the foolish. “I love you” just doesn’t work.

What words, if any, could force their way through the harsh philosophical matrix of the Atheist to touch the one who attends their bedside?

I imagine that in this moment death makes a world once ripe with answers, seem shrunken beyond words.

For if “I love you” doesn’t work then what is left to say? To speak of any enduring virtues would be a lie, but to stare defiantly into the darkness saying nothing would be equally shameful. All the doors seem to slam shut on what can be said, however one possibility remains. They may dare to be honest.

“I love you, but soon I will love you no more. Love is only for this life, and so I must leave it behind. So enjoy love while you have it, because one day you will surrender it to death. Goodbye.” – the Atheist

1 Corinthians 13:13

Our Deep Secret

By Justin Gray

I

f we're honest, (honesty probably being the most elusive of all virtues) beneath the Band-Aid of our lives there is a blistering reality that plagues us. A tender wound we nurse grows deeper; and we know that no salve or bandage of our making is adequate for its healing. Oh how weary and cynical we have become because our energies fail us in treating this issue. Continually seeking refreshment and finding none.

Day after day we lift the cup of life to our lips, and are surprised by its bitter taste. Even moments of sweetness are fleeting and far too sporadic to bask in; much like the sun setting only minutes after it has risen.

This trouble in our souls is such a painful puncture.

Always trying to clothe our consternation, but the changing season dictates our attire and inevitably the wound is exposed once again. 'I'm doing fine' is but a conditioned response used to draw the attention of others away from our plight, and we also find the question 'how are you doing?' equally as superficial.

It seems as if no one really knows us. 

Does anyone care to know us?

When will this charade end?

Can’t they see that something is wrong?

These are the screaming questions we silence with a smile. And another day passes; and yet another. And time feels like a snowball becoming an avalanche sweeping over us, burying our pain even deeper.  A pain so deep and indescribable, we prefer that it go unnamed. If we dare name it, we may call this ‘our deep secret’, but its real name is ‘loneliness.’

God sets the lonely in families,
he leads out the prisoners with singing;

but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.

Psalm 68:6

Living By Design

By Justin Gray

W

hen God gives us life, that life has purpose.  Our movement toward that ultimate purpose is the fulfillment of God's intention in creating us, and of our own desire for happiness.  Regardless of what we may desire for ourselves, fulfilling God's purpose is our greatest good.  To rebel against the purpose for which we were created is a violation of our design, and consequently an incredibly miserable condition. 

A man convinced he can fly will spread his arms and jump from a stool, and then a ladder, and then the roof of his home, until he attempts a height from which there is no recovery. There will be great frustration and pain until he accepts the fact that he is naturally destined to walk. 

He must not despise his legs, but rather yield to their function.  In the same way, we must yield to God's purpose for our lives.  With time, we will discover that fulfilling His design is a higher calling, much higher than any birds of the air.

The Master's Key

 By Justin Gray

We are all in jail and forgiveness is like God's master key. 

This key frees us from the imprisonment of God, the offenses of others, and also frees those whom we have imprisoned for our unjust treatment.

However, the greatest difficulty is remembering that we are all guilty and begin in the same prison. When our chains are broken and the cell doors are flung open to us, our first instinct is to run free..."Hooray, I've been forgiven!!" I'm sure you would agree that it would be rather shameful to ignore the desperate clamoring of the other inmates as you escape with the key.

Herein lies the struggle. As we make a hasty exit from this dreadful bondage, there are some prisoners we deem more worthy of freedom than others, although we know all should be freed.

So to be honest, sometimes we are moved with compassion to forgive and in other instances we are compelled by bias. Jesus said "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you." (Matt 6:14) I enjoy my freedom, so I must remember to always give away the Master's key.

Mirror, Mirror On The Wall

By Justin


But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. (James 1:22-25 ESV)

Mirrors are reflective surfaces which provide a clear image of an object...or at least they should. 

Daily we arise from our beds; groom and dress ourselves with the aid of this reflective surface and some are more meticulous than others in this practice.  When a person looks in the mirror they are not only seeing what they are in the moment, but also comparing themselves to an acceptable visual standard. 

For example: I fix my neck tie because I know instinctively that it can and should be straight.  I do this not only because I want the appearance of the tie to meet my standard, but because others will see that it is crooked if I don't fix it. 

So the mirror is constantly telling us something of what we think about ourselves and what we think others can or will think about us.  However, mirrors are shallow in that they only reflect what we see of ourselves, but they don't provide us with the standard by which to judge what we actually see. 

When I look in the mirror I see myself compared to what I think I should be. The mirror doesn't tell me what I should be, it only helps me to see what I am now.  Wouldn't it be nice to have a mirror that not only allowed you and I to see who we are in the moment, but also provided us the image of who we should be.  The Word of God is such a surface. 

Each God breathed page acts as a mirror to our souls.  Every smudge, every blot and blemish is clearly reflected to us, but never without the clear image of our redemption. This image of redemption is not only spiritual but physical and psychological, because the true condition of our inner appearance is the source of how we perceive our outer appearance. 

The mirror in my bedroom can tell me that my tie is crooked, but only the mirror in God's throne room can show me that my heart is crooked and only Christ can straighten it out.  

Simply put, the mirror for the eyes is no good without the mirror for the soul.  May we incline ourselves to reflect upon God's Word, so that Christ might be reflected in all we are and all we do.

The Movie Theater Massacre & The Problem of Pain

By Justin Gray         


On July 20, 2012 a young man entered a crowded movie theater in Aurora, Colorado and opened fire on the audience. During this violent episode, seventy people were shot and 12 were killed. The effects of this tragedy were felt throughout the United States by loved ones and observers alike.

In C.S. Lewis' book The Problem of Pain, he seeks to answer the question so many people have asked in similar moments of crisis: "If an all-loving, all-powerful God exists, then why is there suffering in the world?”

In an attempt to satisfy this question many people assume the following: 1) that God is not loving, and therefore either indifferent and even possibly evil, or 2) he is not all-powerful and therefore impotent in dealing with human suffering. 

In the opening passage of Chapter 2 Lewis states:

"...if God is wiser than we His judgment must differ from ours on many things...What seems to us to be good may therefore not be good in His eyes, and what seems to us evil may not be evil."
Could it be that our concept of good and evil is so divergent from God's standard that we are completely out of touch with the true essence of these concepts? Lewis goes on to discuss several factors that help to unstick a seemingly sticky issue.

In terms of our understanding of good and evil, in order for any semblance of true good to exist in our world God must accommodate Himself to our reality. 

It would be wholly improper for God to leave us barren of any moral point of reference, so He has peppered throughout humanity certain exemplary qualities consistent with His nature. These qualities prompt us to make a distinction between inferior and superior moral standards.

"...a man of inferior moral standards enters the society of those who are better and wiser than he and gradually learns to accept their standards" (Lewis) 

It is precisely this phenomenon that proves existentially that man is aware of his inadequacies and tries to move in the direction of a more acceptable moral standard.

However, in the case of the Colorado gunman his rejection of such a standard stands in stark contrast to Lewis' assertion. If we are all prone to conform to the standards of those who are better and wiser, then how could someone blatantly violate such a common inclination?

Upon further analysis, it would seem that the answer is found in God's gift to humanity of free moral choice.

Experiencing divine goodness, as Lewis posits, would not be possible unless a man was irrevocably endowed with the ability to choose for himself which standards to follow. God would be unjust if he through absolute force, or subversive manipulation, constrained humanity to actions only consistent with His will.

Man must be free in order for love to be pure- for true goodness to be experienced.

Consequently, if man is ever to experience God's love he must endure the challenge of becoming lovable which is itself a great pain.

Unfortunately, moral autonomy is a blade that cuts both ways.

If man is free to choose, then it is possible for him not to choose the more acceptable moral standard. However, the freedom of man, is not a freedom from rules, but provides the possibility for one to agree to the terms of an all-loving God. 

The Colorado gunman, in a moment, chose to reject God's terms of grace, kindness, charity and the value of human life in order to satisfy his own desires. His murderous binge, was against the natural order of things and consequently against God. This is what Lewis suggests as the essence of human wickedness.

"God is good...he made all things good and for the sake of their goodness; that one of the good things He made, namely, the free will of rational creatures, by its very nature included the possibility of evil; and the creatures, availing themselves of this possibility, have become evil." (Lewis)

In other words, true freedom includes the possibility of injury to the one through whom freedom is given. Every day we walk a forked path, which demands a decision:

Right? or left?

Right? or wrong?

We may wish to redefine 'right' and 'left' for ourselves, but despite our frantic shuffling of the cups God always knows under which one the ball lies. On this road called life, right and left are permanent, just as good and evil- and God has made it so.



Works Cited

ABC NEWS on the internet. Colorado Movie Theater Shooting: Suspect Bought 4 Guns, 6,000 Rounds of Ammunition in Past 60 Days. http://abcnews.go.com/US/colorado-movie-theater-shooting-suspect-bought-guns-6000/story?id=16817842

Lewis, C.S. The Problem of Pain. New York: HarperCollins. 1940. Print.

Biblical Worldview

 By Justin Gray

“As a man thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7, NIV)

 

The “heart” in this context can be defined as the mind, will, and emotions of a person.  I believe that this is the domain where a worldview ultimately develops.  

 

I would define a biblical worldview as: perceiving reality by general experience, knowledge, and faith through the Word of God as revealed in the person of Jesus Christ.

 

Scripture sets forth Jesus as the ultimate revelation of God to humanity and the incarnation of God’s word.  Faith in this reality is the starting point of a sound biblical worldview.  

Furthermore, one's biblical worldview is affected by understanding God’s plan of redemption as unfolded throughout history. This is vital in the process of the Holy Spirit reorienting our minds. Instead of continuing in a detached, self-absorbed, darkened, and ultimately meaningless existence; the truth as revealed in Scripture transforms us to life, purpose, and community in the kingdom of God.  
 

Paul speaks concerning this shift in worldview when he writes to the church at Ephesus:

 

“...remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.” (Ephesians 2:11-13, NIV) 
 

This premise gives us a precedent for how we should think, and consequently how we should live.  However, this is just the beginning of the process.

 

Again, Paul writes in Romans 12:2:

 

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."

 

This passage implies that right thinking is not immediately produced in its fullness, but is a process in which a person actively participates. Therefore, every Christian is largely responsible for the condition of their mind and ultimately their worldview.

Reflecting upon my own past Christian experience I see a life littered with inconsistent beliefs and actions. The moral discontinuity of my past, although consistent with the human condition, has been dark and deeply troubling. 

Growing up in church as a child, 'truth' was relegated to what my mother or grandmother said.  Playing basketball in the gymnasium and taking a nap in the balcony were my favorite parts of the worship service.  With no anchor for my soul, it was relatively easy to be led astray. 

My worldview was not founded in the Word of Truth, but in the whims of people and my own situational reasoning. 

God’s goodness was usually based on how good my life seemed at the moment.  I forgave offenses as long as I deemed the person as deserving, and I looked at the world through my “religious glasses” only on Sunday. 

This was to my detriment. 

I discovered some years later that anything resembling good moral character was quickly eroding and many lies were necessary to maintain my duplicitous way of life. 

In my early twenties I turned to Christ and as I began to grow in my relationship with the Lord, my worldview began to change.  It was still skewed, but slowly evolving. 

I can distinctly remember times when my perception of the world around me was still not quite what I would call “biblical".  I continued to struggle with the false perception that my “sacred” and “secular” life were irreconcilable.

In addition, I had little knowledge of God’s activity throughout history and in other cultures.  Most unsettling was my lack of understanding in how my faith applied to the seemingly mundane matters of everyday life.

However, today by the grace of God I have a much clearer understanding of a sound biblical worldview.  This has been shaped by the significance of the gospel message and its implications for both spiritual and practical life.  My thinking has further been affected by being able to identify the remaining vestiges of other worldviews at work in my life and the surrounding culture.  

Not to be glib, but I believe that there are many worldviews (including thoses of some Christians) that can be classified as either lies or a rejection of the truth. 

And I speak from experience, as one whose boots were often muddied while sojourning the path of darkness. Even now I still find the lens through which I see things to be quite a bit hazy. But what clarity I do enjoy I dare not place to my credit, for it is in the light of the gospel that I bask and only to Christ that I owe my deepest gratitude.

As I observe American culture, much like Paul in Athens, I am indeed grieved at our superstitious Western way of life.  The god of the West is truly a god of our own making; created in our own image.  Some may call it ‘moralistic therapeutic deism’, but it is nothing more than an anthropomorphism of the worst kind; a god gumbo made with the ingredients of culture and the recipes of men.  

I, like many, have stood in line to taste of this concoction and cleaned my plate only to be hungrily dissatisfied.  Much like the ‘turkish delights’ in C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, we insatiably desire to be consumers and adopters of we know not what until it almost kills us.

In a culture pervaded by moral subjectivity, there is a great need to revive the ontological depth of Christianity.  In many ways, the privatization of faith and commercialization of the church has reduced our spiritual heritage to sound bites and social media. 

Not many think critically about what they believe or how the implications of their beliefs affect others. Now, at the age of 32, I can say that by seeking to know Christ through the careful study of scripture and the writings of men like Lewis, Tozer, Packer and others, I have come to understand more deeply what it means to truly have a biblical worldview.  I am confident that as my perspective continues to expand the foundation of my life will be securely based upon the truth; in the Word of God.

A Brief Review of Worldviews

By Justin Gray


Christian Theism

Traditionally, the main features of Christian theism are as follows: God is infinite, personal, transcendent, omniscient, sovereign and good. The implications of these propositions provide a framework for the Christian narrative. The overarching story of the Christian faith can be described in the following historical epochs: creation, the fall, redemption and glorification.

The Bible is considered the Word of God and is not exhaustive when addressing God’s interaction throughout history, but is comprehensive in providing an understanding of who God is and how He has revealed Himself.

Generally speaking, according to Christian theism most significant among God’s qualities is His goodness expressed in holiness and love.

“God’s goodness means then, first, that there is an absolute standard of righteousness (it is found in God’s character) and, second, that there is hope for humanity (because God is love and will not abandon His creation).” (Sire)

Upon these truths hinge both morality and purpose which is binding upon all humanity. Adam and Eve, the original man and woman, sinned against God by disobeying His command and from this point the very essence of humanity was marred, this is referred to as the fall. Due to the demands of God's nature, from the time of the fall mankind has been implicitly separated from God and without hope in the world.

However, the love of God has been extended toward humanity in the person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

"Our role is to respond by repentance for our wrong attitudes and acts, to accept God's provisions and to follow Christ as Lord as well as Savior." (Sire)

Furthermore, the consummation of our redemption will happen in conjunction with the bodily resurrection at Christ's future return to earth. Redemption in its fullness will purge the creation of sin and its effects, and will renew every facet of humanity and this world that God created.

Deism

The Deist views the universe as a sophisticated clockwork mechanism. Within this worldview are two streams of thought, warm and cold deism, which both concede the existence of God but differ in terms of His continued involvement in the universe.

The warm deist posits a semi-personal God who has set the activities of nature in motion but is largely uninvolved. He can be understood through the natural order by exercise of “God-given” reason.

The cold deist embraces a view that: “...eliminates most features of personality God is said to display. He is only a transcendent force or energy, a Prime Mover or First Cause, a beginning to the otherwise infinite regress of past causes.” (Sire)

These views differ starkly from a Christian biblical worldview in that Christ is the ultimate self-disclosure of God; the exact representation of His activity and personality in human history.

Naturalism (Materialism)

Naturalism as a worldview was spawned as scientific discovery slowly gave way to the elevation of autonomous human reason above conceptions of God. Over time, piety was exchanged for pragmatism and the existence of God was supplanted by probing the mysteries of nature.

The nature of the cosmos became the primary subject of investigation: "...with an eternal Creator God out of the picture, the cosmos itself becomes eternal- always there though not in its present form, in fact certainly not in its present form." (Sire)

From this premise it would follow that because the cosmos is self-existent then the universe is a closed system.

"It is not open to reordering from the outside- either by a transcendent Being (for there is none) or...by self-transcendent or autonomous human beings (for they are a part of the uniformity)." (Sire)

However, the Bible sets forth that the universe is created by God and He is eternally self-existent and immanent in the material world. Furthermore, the biblical narrative is primarily concerned with God’s interaction with His creation, especially humanity, which places the primary emphasis upon God rather than nature.

Nihilism

"Nihilism is more a feeling than a philosophy, more a solitary stance before the universe than a worldview." (Sire)

The only reasonable conclusion of a closed system, as held by Naturalist, is the complete meaninglessness of life itself.

If self-existent matter is all there is, and the universe operates with uniformity apart from any supernatural, self-transcendent or autonomous influences then humans are just biological machines. Concepts such as morality or human freedom become nothing more than empty ideals which have no significance in the final analysis of life.

Whereas, the Christian biblical worldview holds that God has created man is His image as being sacred- both temporally and eternally significant, and therefore intrinsically valuable. As a free moral agent, man is capable of affecting meaningful change in his environment (e.g. love and service) as well as in his person (e.g. ethics and self-control).

Existentialism

Simply put, existentialism is a worldview to transcend nihilism and takes on two basic forms: atheistic and theistic.

Existentialism embraces the majority of naturalist views, especially regarding matter and uniformity, but differs on the state of human beings in its two forms.

In the atheistic form, the constitution of a human being is held as insignificant until by self-consciousness one becomes something significant as one defines it.

In the theistic form, one is self-consciously searching for significance in a hostile and indifferent world apart from any divine assistance.

In contrast, God is inherent in the Christian biblical worldview and man has God-given purpose which he seeks to realize through a personal relationship with God.

Eastern Pantheistic Monism

“Atman is Brahman”, is the statement which most accurately encapsulates Eastern Monism.

"Atman", or the soul of the individual, is a part of a greater essence of the universe known as "Brahman." The Eastern Monist believes that the ultimate goal of any person is to achieve “oneness” with "Brahman" by virtue of emptying oneself of desire.

However, from the Christian biblical standpoint, God is volitional and has made man in His image to be desirous. Christianity teaches that desire centered in Christ is good for both spiritual and practical life.

Furthermore, according to Christian tradition God is immaterially distinct from man, meaning that in every state of affairs God and man are separate in essence.

New Age

New Age philosophy is a milieu of many religions and worldviews, leaning heavily upon Eastern Pantheistic Monism.

Primarily, New Age thought focuses its attention on “a new consciousness” which comes about through a process of enlightened thinking which will ultimately precipitate a “superhuman” race.

According to Sire’s analysis of this worldview, “the 'self' is the kingpin” and history is peppered with sages, prophets and gurus who are representative of the “new consciousness” or “super humanity."

The Bible establishes Jesus of Nazareth as the only true superhuman, the first fruits so to speak, of a renewed creation under His authority and rule. Because of sin the consciousness of mankind is marred and incapable of self-actualizing superhuman qualities. Only by faith in the person and work of Christ is one able to participate in this new state of being (or divine nature), partially experienced in this present age, but then fully in the age to come.


Works Cited

Sire, James. The Universe Next Door. InterVarsity Press: 2009. Google Books file.

Packer, J. I. Knowing God. InterVarsity Press: 1993. Google Books file.