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What is a Christian Worldview?
Right now, I see the world as very full of darkness and very full of light. There are shades of gray, of course, but at times, those extremes are so clear to me that I can't ignore them. However, in our society, it seems like they regularly blend into the background. They are all too often taken for granted, on both ends.
The darkness is so pervasive that we've become immune to it. Violence, murder, abuse, and cruelty are glamorized. People throw huge amounts of money away on petty things on a daily basis when millions are starving. But true evil can be much more subtle. It blends into everyday life so easily. The fact that we treat people as objects and commodities every day. That our society is obsessed with physical beauty, money, and power, and that it's not a new thing, by any means. That our daily activities slowly suffocate the planet and that those who have the least are the most vulnerable to environmental change. That many people turn in on themselves in a cycle of destruction because they believe there is no one to reach out to. That 12 percent of college women in one survey claimed to agree with the statement, "sometimes it is easier to have sex with a guy than to talk to him" and that the lyric "It's easier to make love to a stranger / Than to ask a friend to call" strikes true for many people. The amount of darkness in this world breaks my heart on a regular basis. I find it terrible that it is ignored and am ashamed of myself when I ignore it. Darkness is pervasive, and constantly reminds me why we need Jesus's sacrifice on the cross.
Fortunately, Jesus is the Light of the World. God's love is the source of all light, all goodness, all beauty and truth. In a Christian's life, this light guides the path on which we walk. Through the Holy Spirit, we ourselves have light - "No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead he puts it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light....Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be completely lighted, as when the light of a lamp shines on you." Luke 11:33-36. We shine with the love of God, that we could never earn, but has been given to us through grace. That quote calls on us to share this light with all people and to love the One who gave it to us.
But Christians aren't the only ones who can see and experience God's light. In part, this is the idea of common grace - that everyone can see at least a bit of God's love, because God has created all good things. When someone who isn't Christian truly loves someone, or is loved by someone, they know a bit of God's love. When he sees beauty and dignity in nature, he is seeing goodness as God expressed it in creation. Even people who deny the existence of God still have access to experiencing His goodness. It's an incredible, crazy thought. Christians seem to ignore this expression of God's goodness too much, in my opinion. Truth is God's truth and true beauty is God's beauty, no matter what form it takes.
Yet we take all of this goodness and beauty for granted, just as we take the darkness for granted. It is not that we are overwhelmed by darkness - no, we are more often overwhelmed by our own self-obsession. We - including myself - get caught up in the little, ridiculous dramas of life that don't really matter in the end. What celebrity did something, or how we did on our homework that day. We forget the big picture. Even Christians forget who is in charge on a regular basis - that it's not us, it's God. That life isn't about one paper or even our future career paths - that it is all part of a larger picture of serving God and loving others. This self-preoccupation leads us to become apathetic to those around us. And apathy only fosters darkness. Eli Wiesel said it best in this quote: "The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference....And the opposite of life is not death, it’s indifference." Sometimes, even when we are doing good things, we become so preoccupied in what we have to get done, that we forget why we are doing it. The light is covered over by a bowl.
Personally, I want see the world without all of these silly, petty things getting in the way. I know I don't have it now, but I want to have clear vision. To acknowledge the dark and the light, and to be light in the darkness. Essentially, I want my worldview to be how God sees the world. To quote Einstein, "I want to see God's thoughts, the rest are details." The true Christian perspective is Jesus's - full of pain and darkness, but overwhelmed by light in the end. I want this worldview - I want to be overwhelmed by light, despite the darkness.
"I'm startled or taken aback when people walk up to me and tell me they are Christians. My first response is the question, 'Already?' It seems to me a lifelong endeavor to try to live the life of a Christian" - Maya Angelou
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