It is not difficult to tell what worldview someone holds on to. There is nothing magical about it. As I interact with people from various walks of life, I am intrigued at the "lenses" through which they view life around them, even those who profess faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Quite a few embrace a secular worldview. To them, what they see and feel is all there is to life. There is nothing beyond what we relate to with our five senses (remember, it is not five brains). Others (probably these are the majority among both Christians and non-Christians) hold to a "spiritual" worldview that is tilted towards African tradition rather than biblical teaching. They dread dreaming about snakes, owls sitting on their roofs, black cats running through their yard/garden (whichever you prefer) and entertain the weird belief of spiritual spouses. Yes, you read me right. Quite a number of Christians also hold on to this type of "spiritual" worldview.

We need to understand that it is not automatic that just because one professes faith in Jesus Christ, one will invariably assume a biblical worldview, not at all. Of course with true conversion, the process towards embracing a biblical worldview starts, but we need to work hard at it. The apostle Paul strongly appeals to us: " Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." (Romans 12:2 ESV). That's a constant and consistent battle of non-conformity to the world and active mind renewal. This present evil age still threatens all those who belong to Christ, so they must resist its moulding influence and pressure. As Christians, our lives are changed as our minds are made new through the Word of God. That's how we begin the process of assuming a biblical worldview. But does it really matter if one does have a biblical worldview or not?

It is important that we have a good handle on what a worldview is so that we can grow in our own commitment to the truth.  It is important that we help one another love and grow in our commitment to the truth.

So what's a worldview?

A worldview is that unavoidable framework from which we view reality and make sense of life and the world around us. I say unavoidable because we all hold on to a worldview of sorts. For example, TJ, my little toddler grandson believes he's the centre of the universe.  A secular humanist believes that the world is all that exists, and someone holding on to a traditional African worldview believes they will only marry or get married if they are delivered from a "spiritual spouse." ¹  Someone with a biblical worldview believes his primary reason for existence is to love and serve God.

Whether conscious or subconscious, every person has some type of worldview. A personal worldview is a combination of all you believe to be true, and what you believe becomes the driving force behind every emotion, decision and action. Therefore, it affects your response to every area of life: from philosophy to science, theology and anthropology to economics, law, politics, art and social order - literally everything! It is the interpretive "lenses" we use for understanding what we believe is real. From our personal worldview springs all of our actions and thoughts, and it is in unguarded moments when we can really see what we believe to be true.

For example, on Sunday morning the pastor asks for a show of hands from everyone who believes that God is the Provider of everything that we have or need now and for the rest of our lives. However, like many of the others who raised their hands, let's suppose you struggle with anxiety and worry. The important question then is, "Do you really believe that what you believe about God being the Provider is really real?" Worldview speaks about these core beliefs.

What's a biblical worldview and how does a biblical worldview get diluted?

A biblical worldview is based on the infallible Word of God. When you believe the Bible is entirely true, it must of necessity become the foundation of everything you say and do. That means, for instance, you take seriously the mandate in Romans 13 to honour the governing authorities by researching the candidates and issues, making voting a priority.

Here is the big problem. Non-biblical worldview ideas don't just sit in a book somewhere waiting for people to examine them. They bombard us constantly, as we noted above in Romans 12:2 through the media, movies, music, magazine, books and academia. Because we live in a fallen and sinful world, these ideas seductively appeal to our flesh, and we often end up incorporating them into our personal worldview - often without even knowing it.

For example, most Christians would agree with I Thessalonians 4:3 and other Scriptures that command us to avoid sexual immorality, but how often do Christians fall into lust or premarital and extramarital sexual sin? Is it simply because they are weak when tempted? Or did it begin much earlier, with the seductive lies from our sexualised society?

Why does a biblical worldview matter?

If we don't really believe and live the truth of God, then our witness will be confusing and misleading. Most of us go through life not recognizing that our personal worldviews have been deeply affected by the world. Through the media and other influences, the "spiritualised" Zambian view of history, law, politics, religion, science, God and man affect our thinking more than we realise. We then are taken "... captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ" (Colossians 2:8).

How do we address this great need?

It will take a monumental effort to change the course of our nation, starting first with our own understanding of God's truth. This will be by diligently learning, applying and trusting God's truth in every area of our lives; we can begin to develop a deep biblical faith that will stand against the unrelenting tide of our fallen culture's nonbiblical notions. If we capture and embrace more of God's worldview and trust it with unwavering faith, then we begin to make the right decisions and form the appropriate responses to questions on politics, music, movies, sex and marriage, even on weird belief systems like that of "spiritual spouses," same-sex marriage, and a host of other strange things. Because, in the end, we need to understand, it is our decisions and actions that reveal what we really believe. Our decisions and actions impact the lives of those around us.