Musings of a Follower
Thoughts on life, culture, politics, and following Christ in the 21st century
A Worldview That Works
It was 1975 and we were wrapping up a course on Sociological Theory when our professor, asked our class this question: “After studying these various theories, what do you think is the basic problem of society?”
Hands went up all over the class – all with different answers. “Poverty”, said one. “Injustice!” said another. A few other students piped in with “Social Inequality!” and “Bigotry!”. All the answers were met with approving nods from our professor.
I was a new Christian at the time and felt the answers were falling short – so I raised my hand. Our professor motioned his hand toward me and queried, “David?” I answered (with fear and trembling), “Sin!” The good doctor just shook his head and told me that I could not prove my answer empirically (by the way, the other answers couldn’t be proved empirically either!)
Later, when talking with that professor and my adviser, he asked me a question. “Unlike most of the other students in this department, you have had a conversion experience. How has this affected your view of Sociology?” I responded with my hands and said, “Sociology looks at a problem this big (holding my hands above each other about 18″ apart), but only sees this much of it (holding up one hand – thumb and forefinger 1″ apart).”
Forty-one years later, I still believe the same way. . . and even more so.
In this story lies the difference between an education that leaves God and His Word out of the equation and an education that seeks to see the world from His point of view. Without His perspective we can only truly understand an “inch” of a reality that is really a “foot and a half” deep. Approaching education with this flawed view of the world actually hinders the acquisition of knowledge and leaves us to deal with life’s challenges only superficially – leaving the roots totally untouched.
A wise man tells us in Proverbs 1:7 that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Why is this? Investigation, experimentation, and research can only give us data – lots and lots of data. That data needs to be filtered, organized, and interpreted to be of any use. Our worldview is what gives us the framework to organize and interpret that information. If our worldview does not “frame up” like reality is “framed up”, then our understanding of the world will be skewed, no matter how good the data may be.
Everyone has a worldview, but everyone’s worldview does not square with reality. Any view of creation that does not acknowledge the Creator in His proper place will only lead us away, not toward a true and coherent view of the world.
As parents (and grandparents) we have a responsibility to help our children (and grandchildren) form a worldview that works. They need a framework of the mind and heart that will hold them true and steady as they walk through a world that seems to be growing darker by the minute. A Christian education is a tool that can help us achieve that goal – and that is why I have always found Christian education exciting.
Most Christian schools will probably never have the facilities, programs, and equipment that can be found in public schools. But I am convinced that an education from a Christian worldview (whether through homeschool or a Christian school) can do more to prepare a young person for life than any other.
If you haven’t already considered the possibility of a Christian education for your children or grandchildren, why not now?
Musings of a Follower 
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