Worldviews of the Fall
We have a cultural crisis. There is a void between what Christians say they believe and their influence on the culture. What is the source of this influence gap?
The Theology of Pietism (recently as the 1830’s)
This worldview of retreat said, “We will stay in our corner and be holy and let the rest of the world fend for themselves. After all, we don’t want our children corrupted by the world.”
Therefore, we had no cultural impact on the world around us and the culture our children were forced to grow up in became more and more wicked and worldly. They were left a world without godly influence, and many of them became more influenced by the culture than protected from it.
The Theology of Escapism (after the 1860’s and then again after WWII)
This worldview of escape said, “We are not permanent residents here —the world is not our home. Therefore, we have no moral obligation to the world.”
This means I don’t have to plan for my retirement, plan for my economic future, plan for a way to leave houses and lands to my children’s children (Proverbs 13:22) because there is no future.
Escapism breeds hopelessness over several generations. Don’t think that the reason young people take drugs is the fault of the wicked. They are just doing what is logical for someone without a future and a hope. The reason for the hopelessness is both the result of existentialism and escapism. They both send a message to the next generation: get all you can now, there is no future, there is no hope.
Escapism leads to Epicureanism, which is alive and well.
But God says, “For I know the plans I have for you… plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11) You can choose to live in God’s reality.
The Theology of Compartmentalization
This worldview allows there to be some areas of life labeled “secular” and some “sacred.”
In this worldview, the Bible only has influence over certain areas, and the idea that it could be the standard for all areas of life is incomprehensible. This has resulted in allowing even the idea of a partition between the “secular” and “sacred” to permeate our world.
This dichotomy of thought has resulted in a moral void whose fruit can be seen on billboards on the side of the road or on TV or in public where you see what people are not wearing these days. This compartmentalization explains why the appearance of Christians is practically no different from everyone else.
This worldview says things like, “How dare you push your religion over on me.” Christians have not adequately addressed this.
The Theology of Utopians (the nowhere worldview)
Secular utopians think they can create a society without us, and in their utopian world there is no sin nature so there is no need of a Savior since there is nothing to be saved from. They believe the cause of any evil in the world is either religion or the cultural influences that are still residual from the broken world Christianity has left them. They see their utopia as feasible, realistic, and under construction.
Secular utopians see anyone who believes in absolute Truth as an obstructionist to their “perfect world.” They would prefer all of us convert to their worldview, but if that is not possible, then they intend to marginalize us and keep us irrelevant. It looks like they have done a pretty good job of that. Utopianism requires a culture without biblical norms. In order for that to happen, masters of the Dialectic Process require innocent followers who are easily dialected. (deceived)
The goals of the utopians include a One World Government and a One World Religion in which man (or the environment or anything other than God) is god. They do not believe Christians should have any cultural influence, and more and more people agree with them.
How do we address these worldviews?
Love is not pushy. Jesus did not not force Himself on people. They had a choice to accept Him or reject Him. The message was clearly presented. If they rejected His message, that was their choice.
Simply put, the more you understand the cultural answers found in the Bible the more compassionate you will be toward the needless pain and suffering of those around us. When you are committed to the power of the Scriptures, you’re committed to redeeming the culture.
