15 Parameters: A Practical Worldview Toolkit for Christian Educators

15 Parameters: A Practical Worldview Toolkit for Christian Educators 

October 29, 2024
Katherine Schultz

Ever have trouble clearly defining what a Biblical worldview is to help your students understand it? Struggle with how to do that in light of a 3-D concept of worldview that addresses propositional (beliefs), behavioral, and heart-orientation (attitudes) dimensions?

Have trouble setting it up in a structure that allows you and your students to understand other worldviews better, too? (This article is based on the work of Rasi and Fisher, and Lindemann and Schultz)

A Helpful Approach for Worldview Understanding

If your goal is to help students understand a biblical worldview, you are set to go. Of course, there is more to say about each of the parameters, and if you and they are ready to explore comparative worldviews, it’s possible to summarize the way an adherent of another worldview would explain each parameter in a similar way. And despite it seeming counterintuitive, even secular worldviews like naturalism have a perspective on the parameters that make up a comprehensive worldview. 

Like worship, for instance: Centered on the wonder and creative capacity of human consciousness or agency. Think about the way a university campus is designed to inspire awe and wonder. 

Or symbol: A cultural icon that explains the essence of the universe and puts everything in its proper place. Think about the Darwin footed fish on car bumpers, or the pride flag.

See how much you and your students can fill in the details on another worldview, and you’ll be on the road to helping them discern biblical truth from alternate worldviews.

15 Parameters for a Biblical Christian Worldview

You and your class may appreciate seeing support for the Biblical Theist positions on these 15 parameters of worldview.

1. Ultimate Reality: An infinite, transcendent God, who acts in the universe and is knowable by human beings 

   1. Isaiah 55:8-9: ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.’
   2. Jeremiah 29:13: You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
   3. Psalm 145:3: Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.
   4. Colossians 1:17: He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
   5. Hebrews 11:6: And without faith, it is impossible to please God because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
   6. John 1:1-3: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him, nothing was made that has been made.
   7. Psalm 19:1: The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
   8. Proverbs 3:5-6: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
   9. 1 Corinthians 8:6: Yet for us, there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.
   10. Psalm 139:1-4: You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue, you, Lord, know it completely.

2. Nature of God: A personal (triune), creatively active, omniscient, sovereign being, who is the source of morality

   1. Matthew 28:19: Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
   2. Genesis 1:1: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
   3. Colossians 1:16: For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.
   4. Psalm 147:5: Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.
   5. Isaiah 46:10: I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’
   6. Daniel 4:35: All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: ‘What have you done?’
   7. Psalm 103:19: The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.
   8. Psalm 19:7: The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
   9. Matthew 5:48: Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
   10. James 1:17: Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

3. Origin of the universe and life: Created by God by the power of his word, to operate with a uniformity of cause and effect in an open system 

   1. Genesis 1:3: And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.
   2. Hebrews 11:3: By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
   3. Colossians 1:17: He is before all things, and in him, all things hold together.
   4. Jeremiah 10:12: But God made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding.
   5. Psalm 33:6: By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.
   6. Hebrews 1:3: The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.
   7. Acts 17:28: For in him we live and move and have our being.
   8. Psalm 104:30: When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground.
   9. Revelation 4:11: You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will, they were created and have their being.
   10. Jeremiah 33:25: This is what the Lord says: ‘If I have not established my covenant with day and night and the fixed laws of heaven and earth.’
   11. Psalm 119:89-91: Your word, Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. Your faithfulness continues through all generations; you established the earth, and it endures. Your laws endure to this day, for all things serve you.

4. Means of knowing truth: God’s self-disclosure in Jesus Christ and through the Bible, human conscience and reason illuminated by God the Holy Spirit, and confirmed by experience

   1. John 14:6: Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’
   2. John 8:31-32: To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’
   3. 2 Timothy 3:16-17: All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
   4. John 16:13: But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
   5. 1 Corinthians 2:12-14: What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.
   6. Romans 2:14-15: Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.
   7. Proverbs 3:5-6: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
   8. James 1:5: If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
   9. 1 Thessalonians 5:21: But test them all; hold on to what is good.

5. Nature of human beings: Physical-spiritual beings with personality, created in God’s image, capable of free moral decisions, now in a fallen condition

   1. Genesis 2:7: Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
   2. Genesis 1:27: So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
   3. Ecclesiastes 12:7: and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
   4. Jeremiah 17:9: The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?
   5. Romans 3:23: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
   6. Romans 5:12: Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people because all sinned—
   7. Romans 7:18: For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.
   8. Romans 6:23: For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
   9. Ephesians 2:1-3: As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.
   10. Psalm 51:5: Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

6. Purpose of human life: Establishing a loving relationship with God, realizing personal potential, serving fellow humans, enjoying this life, and preparing for eternal life 

   1. Matthew 22:37-39: Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
   2. Ecclesiastes 12:13: Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.
   3. Colossians 3:23-24: Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
   4. 1 Corinthians 10:31: So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
   5. Ephesians 2:10: For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
   6. John 10:10: The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
   7. Philippians 3:12-14: Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
   8. 1 Timothy 6:17: Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.
   9. 1 Peter 1:3-4: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy, he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you.

7. Basis of morality: Unchanging character of God (just and merciful), revealed in Christ and in the Bible 

   1. Exodus 34:6-7: And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, ‘The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.’
   2. Micah 6:8: He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
   3. Matthew 22:37-40: Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.
   4. Romans 2:4: Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance, and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?
   5. James 1:27: Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
   6. 1 John 4:7-8: Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
   7. Psalm 19:7: The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
   8. Proverbs 21:3: To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.

8. Human predicament: Sin is a conscious rebellion against God and his principles; an attempt to enthrone humans as autonomous and self-sufficient creatures; as a result, the image of God became defaced, and the entire world suffered 

   1. Genesis 3:6-7: When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
   2. Romans 3:23: For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
   3. Romans 5:12: Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—
   4. Romans 6:23: For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
   5. Ephesians 2:1-3: As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.
   6. Isaiah 53:6: We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
   7. Colossians 1:21: Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.
   8. Romans 8:20-21: For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

9. Solution to the human predicament: Spiritual rebirth involves faith in divine redemption through Jesus Christ. It leads to a new life of loving obedience to God, adequate self-understanding, proper human relationships and care of earth and its environments 

   1. John 3:3: Jesus replied, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.’
   2. John 3:16: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
   3. Romans 10:9: If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
   4. 2 Corinthians 5:17: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
   5. Ephesians 2:8-9: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.
   6. Titus 3:5: He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.
   7. Galatians 2:20: I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
   8. Romans 12:2: Do not conform 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.
   9. Ephesians 4:24: and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
   10. Colossians 3:10: and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

10. Death: For Christians, it is an entrance into another conscious state

    1. 2 Corinthians 5:8: We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
    2. Philippians 1:21-23: For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far.
    3. John 11:25-26: Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?’
    4. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14: Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
    5. Revelation 14:13: Then I heard a voice from heaven say, ‘Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’ ‘Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.’
    6. 1 Corinthians 15:54-55: When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?’

11. Human history: A meaningful sequence of events, guided by free human decisions, but also supervised by God, moving toward the fulfillment of God’s overall plan

    1. Proverbs 19:21: Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.
    2. Isaiah 46:10: I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’
    3. Romans 8:28: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
    4. Ephesians 1:11: In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will.
    5. Acts 17:26-27: From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.
    6. Psalm 33:10-11: The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.
    7. Daniel 4:35: All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: ‘What have you done?’
    8. Psalm 139:16: Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
    9. Revelation 22:13: I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

12. Worship: Reinforces the worthiness of God, and humanity’s sense of gratitude and awe in his presence

    1. Psalm 95:6: Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
    2. Psalm 29:2: Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.
    3. John 4:23-24: Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.
    4. Hebrews 12:28: Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.
    5. Psalm 100:2-4: Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
    6. Exodus 34:14: Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.
    7. Matthew 4:10: Jesus said to him, ‘Away from me, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only. ‘
    8. Philippians 3:3: For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh.

13. Embodiment: A tangible expression of God’s grace and a revelation of his truth

    1. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20: Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies.
    2. Romans 12:1-2: Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform 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.
    3. 1 Corinthians 3:16: Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?
    4. Matthew 5:16: In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
    5. Ephesians 2:10: For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
    6. 2 Corinthians 4:7: But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.
    7. Colossians 3:17: And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
    8. Philippians 2:14-16: Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, ‘children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.’ Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life.

14. Symbols: Objects or actions that signify an all-encompassing reconciliation, bridging the gap between humanity and God 

    1. Genesis 9:13: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.
    2. Exodus 12:13: The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.
    3. Colossians 2:11-12: In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.
    4. 1 Corinthians 11:23-26: For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
    5. Matthew 28:19-20: Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
    6. John 13:4-5, 14-15: So he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.

15. Rituals : Acts that either convey God’s grace or commemorate his actions.  

    1. Leviticus 16:30: because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the Lord, you will be clean from all your sins.
    2. Exodus 12:14: This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord—a lasting ordinance.
    3. Matthew 28:19-20: Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
    4. 1 Corinthians 11:23-26: For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way, after supper, he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
    5. John 13:4-5, 14-15: so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.
    6. Acts 2:42: They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

Looking for more resources about a 3-dimensional concept of worldview? Check out the article A Framework for the Heart-Orientation Dimension of Worldview.

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