Many people are aware of what a worldview is and does. A worldview explains a person's view about the world in a lense they are accustomed to. It is much harder to explain a certain kind of worldview, such as that of Christians or historians.These explanations require critical and analytical thought processes. Critical analysis requires a deep thought.
For people who are not as conscious, a worldview just describes how a person views the world and society around them through the lense of their life, beliefs, bias, culture, religion, or any other facet or condition of their life. For a Christian that means their lense is the Bible and its views. This lense is used as a approach in which a Christian lives his or her life. A Christian historian uses this in their work as a historian.
It is good to explain what Christian Historians should not do in their work. They should not only focus on Christianity. The study of history is more than a collection of names and dates. History is a story, and it is a story that must be interpreted. History is His story. God's main narrative. The Christian interprets history as being directed by God’s sovereign decrees. The Bible shows that God rules. God's rule is throughout history.
A Christian worldview is not built on religious or philosophical truths but on a universal principle and all-embracing system that shapes the world. A Christian worldview is not merely holding to Christian morals. Certainly, Christian morals flow from a Biblical worldview, but one could hold Christian morals without having the Biblical foundations to ground those morals.
A Christian historian can write about events or people that have nothing to do with religion. That move should be acceptable. Also when writing about these people or events, they should not attach the Bible to them to create meanings. Last, they should not focus on attempting to figure out what God is doing in the situation. When a historian approaches the topic with the goal to decide what God’s plan was, the topic will create an objective. This objective is dangerous. A Christian historian should always attempt to be as objective as possible and search for the truth because the Bible tells us that that is right.
A Christian worldview is important to myself and historians. It is important because it allows people to see that God is in complete control over all people. It also shows us that God has established the world. All people have access to the world and can use them in their life to succeed. Another important aspect of this worldview is that it allows people to see principles that the Bible provides. This is important because when we use these principles we know that we are always encountering others in the correct manner.
The history of Western civilization requires interaction with the church. It is impossible to study Western civilization without studying the church. Ever since the Roman Emperor Constantine’s conversion in 312 A.D. Western history has in a sense been church and Christian history. The New Testament has been so influential in Europe and America that to be ignorant of its literature actually makes one unknown of Western history. In the end, a worldview is important but Christian historians must be aware of their worldview even more because everything should be cleaned and explored through the Bible. Ultimately, history must be taught and conceived from a Christian worldview because Jesus is the Lord of all history and He rules the world within his own reign.
Bibliography
Chadwick, Henry. Augustine Of Hippo. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. Chapters 1, 4, 6, 7-9.
Esswein, Benjamin. "Beginnings of Western Civilization." Video Lecture at Liberty University, cross-referenced from CSTU 101 C01 Fall 2019.
Fea, John. Why Study History? Grand Rapids: Baker Academic. 2013
Garris, Zachary. "Six Reasons Why History Must Be Taught From A Christian Worldview". Teach Diligently, Last modified 2020. http://teachdiligently.com/articles/six-reasons-why-history-must-be-taught-from-a-christian-worldview.
Hamilton, Michael S. "How Faith has Mattered for Historical Scholarship in Christian Worldview Perspective." Fides Et Historia 49, no. 1 (2017): 109.
Ryken, Philip Graham. Christian Worldview : A Student’s Guide. Wheaton: Crossway, 2013.
Smith, Sam C. “Christian Worldview and History.” Video Lecture at Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA, 2020.
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| What do you believe? |
| John Luckas was a historian we studied earlier in the semester. |
| Herodotus was the first historian |
A Christian worldview is not built on religious or philosophical truths but on a universal principle and all-embracing system that shapes the world. A Christian worldview is not merely holding to Christian morals. Certainly, Christian morals flow from a Biblical worldview, but one could hold Christian morals without having the Biblical foundations to ground those morals.
A Christian historian can write about events or people that have nothing to do with religion. That move should be acceptable. Also when writing about these people or events, they should not attach the Bible to them to create meanings. Last, they should not focus on attempting to figure out what God is doing in the situation. When a historian approaches the topic with the goal to decide what God’s plan was, the topic will create an objective. This objective is dangerous. A Christian historian should always attempt to be as objective as possible and search for the truth because the Bible tells us that that is right.
| Augustine of Hippo was a very well known historian |
The history of Western civilization requires interaction with the church. It is impossible to study Western civilization without studying the church. Ever since the Roman Emperor Constantine’s conversion in 312 A.D. Western history has in a sense been church and Christian history. The New Testament has been so influential in Europe and America that to be ignorant of its literature actually makes one unknown of Western history. In the end, a worldview is important but Christian historians must be aware of their worldview even more because everything should be cleaned and explored through the Bible. Ultimately, history must be taught and conceived from a Christian worldview because Jesus is the Lord of all history and He rules the world within his own reign.Bibliography
Chadwick, Henry. Augustine Of Hippo. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. Chapters 1, 4, 6, 7-9.
Esswein, Benjamin. "Beginnings of Western Civilization." Video Lecture at Liberty University, cross-referenced from CSTU 101 C01 Fall 2019.
Fea, John. Why Study History? Grand Rapids: Baker Academic. 2013
Garris, Zachary. "Six Reasons Why History Must Be Taught From A Christian Worldview". Teach Diligently, Last modified 2020. http://teachdiligently.com/articles/six-reasons-why-history-must-be-taught-from-a-christian-worldview.
Hamilton, Michael S. "How Faith has Mattered for Historical Scholarship in Christian Worldview Perspective." Fides Et Historia 49, no. 1 (2017): 109.
Ryken, Philip Graham. Christian Worldview : A Student’s Guide. Wheaton: Crossway, 2013.
Smith, Sam C. “Christian Worldview and History.” Video Lecture at Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA, 2020.
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