Worldview Australia's Worldview
We encourage everyone to consider this handful of questions about their worldview.
Why? Because everyone, everyone, has a view of the world - what we think is real, and the connections we make about how life works. Our world view may be subconscious, it may be confused or conflicted, but it's what shapes our values and actions. That's important. So we all need to consciously evaluate our worldview. That's what we help our students do.
So here's how we answer these questions.
1. What would you say is your Worldview?
Biblical Christian.
Why? Because everyone, everyone, has a view of the world - what we think is real, and the connections we make about how life works. Our world view may be subconscious, it may be confused or conflicted, but it's what shapes our values and actions. That's important. So we all need to consciously evaluate our worldview. That's what we help our students do.
So here's how we answer these questions.
1. What would you say is your Worldview?
Biblical Christian.
2. What do you mean by that?
We mean the Message of the Bible. These coloured rings are one graphic way of summarising the Biblical storyline:-
3. How do you know it’s true?
We're convinced that the Creator revealed these truths to us in two significant ways: generally in Creation (though it is corrupted, it's still obvious that creation was created by a creator); and specially in the Bible. And here's how we know the Bible is a uniquely reliable revelation from God: MAPS...
Manuscripts: we have so many ancient manuscripts of eyewitness accounts, copied so soon after the events, which are so similar to each other, that they make an unbroken chain of communication from the events down to us. So we can be sure we're reading what was originally written.
Archaeology supports those histories too. So the Bible is reliably transmitted.
But why do we further think these texts are revealed from God?
Prophecies that were made centuries earlier in the Old Testament were fulfilled in New Testament. There are 50 major, specific prophecies about the Saviour to come, 300 other foreshadows, 100s about his second coming, and many more about other topics. That's unique in all literature, and can only have happened via divine revelation. Likewise...
Storyline of the Bible is comprehensive, covering all history from Creation to Eternity. And it's a coherent story, which is miraculous because it's a collection of 66 books written over 1600 yrs, by 40 authors, in very diverse settings. Yet despite all of these causes for disparity, the accounts clearly reveal the same Creator God.
That's why we conclude that God revealed himself to humanity in a special way through the Bible.
4. What difference does it make to your life?
Contrast life with Jesus vs without Jesus:
- We have the Creator’s revealed reference point for truth about everything: God, humanity, universe, truth, ethics, family, politics, work, rest, play, relationships, all of life so we can find our way. Without this true north, we're just guessing, self-referencing.
- Jesus puts us into a right relationship with The Creator. Without this relationship, all we have is our own self-righteousness.
- Jesus' own Spirit is at work in us, giving us the spiritual direction & strength to live out truth in love, for God and people. Without his Spirit, each of our own personal desires pull us in selfish directions.
- We have Hope for eternity, because we're trusting The Creator's way there. Without his way, all we have to hope in is our own efforts.
5. What if you turn out to be wrong when you die?
If Christians are wrong, we lose nothing - but if we're right we gain everything. But if non-Christians are wrong, they lose everything - and if they're right they gain nothing. This is Pascal's wager, and while it may not in itself be enough to choose Jesus, when added to the evidence (revelation in creation, the Bible, the Son, the Spirit, experience & consequences), it's reasonable to suggest that Jesus is our best bet.
So that's how we answer these 5 Worldview Questions. How do you?
We mean the Message of the Bible. These coloured rings are one graphic way of summarising the Biblical storyline:-
- The Creator created everything good.
- Humans corrupted it by our selfish desire to be our own gods. That's why we're all justly in mortal danger with the actual Creator.
But in the Old Testament God foreshadowed and prophesied a Saviour for us, to forge a people fit for heaven. - Christmas celebrates the birth of that Saviour in the flesh, God-with-us: Jesus (means "saviour") Christ (means "anointed one").
He showed us how to love God & people properly. Then at the Cross "he bore our sins on his own body," to put right with God anyone who trusts what he has done, rather than what we do. He Rose from death showing he really did overcome sin-&-death on our behalf. - He gives his Spirit to be in us, to help us live more rightly now, and forever.
- By re-turning and trusting him, we grow in this life. And we go to share it with others, too.
3. How do you know it’s true?
We're convinced that the Creator revealed these truths to us in two significant ways: generally in Creation (though it is corrupted, it's still obvious that creation was created by a creator); and specially in the Bible. And here's how we know the Bible is a uniquely reliable revelation from God: MAPS...
Manuscripts: we have so many ancient manuscripts of eyewitness accounts, copied so soon after the events, which are so similar to each other, that they make an unbroken chain of communication from the events down to us. So we can be sure we're reading what was originally written.
Archaeology supports those histories too. So the Bible is reliably transmitted.
But why do we further think these texts are revealed from God?
Prophecies that were made centuries earlier in the Old Testament were fulfilled in New Testament. There are 50 major, specific prophecies about the Saviour to come, 300 other foreshadows, 100s about his second coming, and many more about other topics. That's unique in all literature, and can only have happened via divine revelation. Likewise...
Storyline of the Bible is comprehensive, covering all history from Creation to Eternity. And it's a coherent story, which is miraculous because it's a collection of 66 books written over 1600 yrs, by 40 authors, in very diverse settings. Yet despite all of these causes for disparity, the accounts clearly reveal the same Creator God.
That's why we conclude that God revealed himself to humanity in a special way through the Bible.
4. What difference does it make to your life?
Contrast life with Jesus vs without Jesus:
- We have the Creator’s revealed reference point for truth about everything: God, humanity, universe, truth, ethics, family, politics, work, rest, play, relationships, all of life so we can find our way. Without this true north, we're just guessing, self-referencing.
- Jesus puts us into a right relationship with The Creator. Without this relationship, all we have is our own self-righteousness.
- Jesus' own Spirit is at work in us, giving us the spiritual direction & strength to live out truth in love, for God and people. Without his Spirit, each of our own personal desires pull us in selfish directions.
- We have Hope for eternity, because we're trusting The Creator's way there. Without his way, all we have to hope in is our own efforts.
5. What if you turn out to be wrong when you die?
If Christians are wrong, we lose nothing - but if we're right we gain everything. But if non-Christians are wrong, they lose everything - and if they're right they gain nothing. This is Pascal's wager, and while it may not in itself be enough to choose Jesus, when added to the evidence (revelation in creation, the Bible, the Son, the Spirit, experience & consequences), it's reasonable to suggest that Jesus is our best bet.
So that's how we answer these 5 Worldview Questions. How do you?
Everyone in our leadership team are Christians committed to this Biblical worldview. And align with the our Statement of Faith. And these Key Concepts.
