Worldviews

I started CollegePlus about a month ago (woot!), and have been doing various beginning things with that, including writing synthesis that form the foundation of my belief system and where I want to go with my life, reading articles and watching lectures, listening to a few courses (including a speed reading course where the lecturer has a heavy Brooklyn accent and it always sounded like he was mad at me; SO glad to be done!), and developing my critical reasoning by doing various exercises.  It's been fun!  A few minutes ago, I was reading an essay on worldviews by Nancy Pearcy titled Total Truth that I'd like to share with you guys!

 

"As the concept of worldview becomes common currency, it can all too easily be misunderstood. Some treat it as merely another academic subject to master — a mental exercise or "how to" strategy. Others handle worldview as if it were a weapon in the culture war, a tool for more effective activism. Still others, alas, treat it as little more than a new buzzword or marketing gimmick to dazzle the public and attract donors.

Genuine worldview thinking is far more than a mental strategy or a new spin on current events. At the core, it is a deepening of our spiritual character and the character of our lives. It begins with the submission of our minds to the Lord of the universe - a willingness to be taught by Him. The driving force in worldview studies should be a commitment to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind" (see Luke 10:27).

That's why the crucial condition for intellectual growth is spiritual growth, asking God for the grace to "take every thought captive to obey Christ" (2 Cor. 10:5). God is not just the Savior of souls, He is also the Lord of creation. One way we acknowledge His Lordship is by interpreting every aspect of creation in the light of His truth. God's Word becomes a set of glasses offering a new perspective on all our thoughts and actions.

As with every aspect of sanctification, the renewal of the mind may be painful and difficult. It requires hard work and discipline, inspired by a sacrificial love for Christ and a burning desire to build up His Body, the Church. In order to have the mind of Christ, we must be willing to be crucified with Christ, following wherever He might lead - whatever the cost. "Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22). As we undergo refining in the fires of suffering, our desires are purified and we find ourselves wanting nothing more than to bend every fiber of our being, including our mental powers, to fulfill the Lord's Prayer: "Thy Kingdom come." We yearn to lay all our talents and gifts at His feet in order to advance His purposes in the world. Developing a Christian worldview means submitting our entire self to God, in an act of devotion and service to Him."

 

Now I'm off to make a yummy chocolate something for myself as a prize for studying so hard today and motivation to study more!  C :

~Eowyn~