How Can I Get Better Informed in My Biblical Worldview?
October 3, 2023
Katherine Schultz
If your work involves helping people develop a mature biblical worldview, you may find yourself wondering at some point how you can get better informed in your own worldview. You may feel like you have a good grasp on the basics, but you want to go deeper.
When Your Own Worldview Needs Work
Maybe you have a lot of knowledge about worldview, but you’ve encountered the idea of a 3-Dimensional Worldview, and you realize you want to work on better understanding what that involves beyond knowledge and beliefs. Or you want to be more consistent in living it out.
You might have a highly consistent practice in spiritual disciplines like prayer, worship, generosity, or serving others. But when you think about a 3-Dimensional worldview, you want to improve your knowledge or your attitudes.
Or perhaps you have a deep and abiding love for Jesus, but when you reflect on your beliefs and behaviors, that’s the area you want to grow.
3-Dimensional Worldview for Leaders
Developing a mature, biblical, 3-Dimensional worldview will take time and work. But there is a path that can help you develop your own worldview, and in turn, have a powerful effect on those you teach and disciple.
That path involves working on all three dimensions of your worldview: beliefs, behaviors, and attitudes.
Beliefs: the Propositional Dimension
To develop your worldview in the propositional dimension, we’ll work on beliefs, knowledge, assumptions, and what you think is true. But we are not just talking about religious beliefs and theology. We want to think about a comprehensive understanding of worldview. This will include religious beliefs, but also topics like history, science, economics, hermeneutics, morality, aesthetics, and more.
- The best place to start is with targeted Bible Reading and Study. Let’s start with the most obvious. If you want to grow your own biblical worldview, and you are not yet spending deliberate time reading and studying the Bible, that’s the first step, perhaps with a topical bible, bible dictionary, or concordance.
Then get reading. Here are a few suggestions:
- Noebel, D. Understanding the Times. Extensive resource with comparative worldviews across multiple parameters. Particularly effective for understanding the propositional dimension of worldview.
- Pearcey, N. Total Truth. Good resource for teachers to get more confident in their own worldview, and has an extensive bibliography of resources organized by subject area for those who want to develop their worldview in their own field.
- Sire, J. The Universe Next Door. A great introductory text that can be used in a classroom setting to help students understand worldview by comparing the Truth of biblical theism with competing worldviews in several key parameters.
- Wilkens, S. and Sanford, M. Hidden Worldviews. Challenges Christians who have adopted various worldviews that masquerade as biblical, but are off the mark, including individualism and salvation by therapy to name a couple.
Behavioral Dimension
The behavioral dimension of worldview addresses personal conduct, consistency, persistence, and compassion; it is concerned with what a person actually does rather than only what he or she aspires to do.
Again, get reading, first in the Bible, with the help of bible study tools. Some additional suggestions for reading:
- Foster, Richard. Celebration of Discipline. A classic. The inward, outward, and corporate disciplines of the Christian life.
- Whitney, D. Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. Biblical action steps for developing a mature behavioral worldview through prayer, worship, and more.
Attitudes: the Heart-Orientation Dimension
Heart-orientation is about a person’s attitudes, feelings, values, and preferences. The four parameters of heart orientation are worship, embodiment, symbol, and ritual.
Understanding what the bible has to say about our hearts is a good start. Then expand your reading with these suggestions:
- Sire, J. Naming the Elephant. An updated investigation of worldview that addresses why worldview is not simply an academic concept.
- Naugle, D. Worldview: The History of Concept. Very thorough resource for teachers who want an intense foundation for how to understand worldview.
- Whitney, D. Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health. Reflection questions for heart attitudes like the questions posed in this book, including “Do you delight in the bride of Christ?”
Other Resources for Worldview
Here are a few organizations that focus on worldview.
- 3-D Worldview Survey has a weekly article about developing a biblical worldview, and is directly connected to the 3DWS, so it may be a good place to start with specific questions about a 3-Dimensional Worldview.
- Truth Project. Small group study helps develop a biblical worldview in daily life.
- Summit Ministries has summer sessions every year for teens to young adults, and a 1-day adult seminar, Summit Basecamp. See also Understanding the Times curriculum.
- Worldview Academy runs events of their own and hosted by churches.
- Renew a Nation works with the whole family to develop a biblical worldview.
- Colson Center offers several (free) digital courses on topics like Worldview Formation, Cultural Fluency, and more. Also offers more intense year-long programs.
Now What?
Developing your own worldview is essential to your effectiveness in helping your students develop theirs. Remember, “The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher” (Luke 6:40). Set yourself a deliberate path for growth, starting with studying the Bible. Then keep reading the resources suggested above.
And if you are looking for a way to get a more objective perspective on your worldview, check out the 3-Dimensional Worldview Survey.
- What Is the 3-D Worldview Survey?
- Take the 3-D Worldview for yourself
If you haven’t yet used the 3-D Worldview Survey with your class, check out the pdf below for some questions to get you started.
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