Our Operating System
So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. – Phil. 2:1-7
What is a Christian worldview? And, if it is a thing, is it even possible to live out?
These were two questions that spurred on a lively discussion in a recent cohort I was in with pastors and ministry leaders from all over the globe. As you can imagine, when you get a group of pastors and leaders together, there will be no shortage of thoughts! LOL!
So, you might ask, what were the conclusions of the cohort? Yes, it is a thing, and yes, it is possible. But, it is more about sanctification (the process of becoming like Jesus) in the life of the believer than it is about conforming the prevailing cultural systems to the values of Jesus. Let’s unpack that a little.
The simple phrase, belief corresponds in behavior, is the foundation of a worldview. Or, as Thorvald Madsen states, “A person’s worldview is his operating system.”[1] It is the thing that dictates behavior and actions. And ultimately, the expressed behavior gives proof of what is actually believed. Worldview demands that your beliefs answer and live out the answers to the basic questions of theology, anthropology, and ethics.
Christianity at its core, demands the same practice as a worldview. It requires that belief corresponds in behavior. Specifically, it requires that belief in Jesus corresponds in distinctly Christian behavior (I Jn. 2:6). This can be called an ethos of demonstration.[2] This ethos can be traced from Jesus himself and then seen in the lives and teachings of the Apostles. Peter reminds a group of Christians of this very reality in 1 Peter when he says, “Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.”[3] He reminds them that they have a new set of values and a new set of lenses to see the world. And because of that, they are to live accordingly, even if the prevailing culture around them won’t conform to the values of Jesus. This is also what Paul means when he tells the Philippian church to “have this mind among yourselves.” They are to be conformed to the ethical values (the ethos) of Jesus, and it is to be visible in their everyday lives.
Back to Peter, he is writing to believers who are facing social pressure, being mocked, and pressed out because of their faith. He doesn’t tell them to wage a culture war or political campaigns (those would never have worked in Rome). Instead, he tells them to hold to a Christian worldview that was established by Christ Jesus himself and one that now defines them as exiles in this age. Their culture at large may never change. Things are going to get worse before they get better. But if they live out their faith through their worldview, Jesus will be glorified, and that is the most important thing (1 Pet. 2:12).
So, yes, there is such a thing as a Christian worldview. And we are to be conformed to it because we are to have the mind of Christ among us. We also need to examine if there are any parts of our worldview that conflate the values of Jesus with the values of the prevailing culture. Is there any way we are getting those two things mixed up? If so, let us be more about Jesus today than we were yesterday… not for our glory, but for His.
[1] Thorvald G. Madsen, “Worldviews and Christianity,” (via a lecture at MBTS)
[2] Craig J.Hazen, “Defending the Defense of the Faith,” ed. Francis J. Beckwith and William Lane Craig, To Everyone an Answer, A case for the Christian worldview. (Downers Grove, IL; IVP, 2004), 38.
[3] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), 1 Pe 2:11.