It seems that the idea of studying, teaching, and emphasizing the development of a Christian worldview is, for some people, intricately related to the “culture war.” (Disclaimer: I do not think that this is the case at SBTS.) Worldview classes and seminars, so construed, become a sort of boot camp in which citizen-Christians go through basic training for the broader cultural conflict. And so the political overtones (usually Republican) in much of the worldview conversation are difficult to miss.
I am not interested in that kind of approach to developing a Christian worldview. Does such a worldview influence one’s political philosophy? Of course it does – just as it should influence one’s work, family, marriage, leisure time, art, and everything else. And herein is the larger point. My goal in emphasizing the necessity of developing a comprehensive world-and-life-view transcends politics. I desire for men and women to understand, for example, that their vocation, their work matters to God and that it should be shaped by biblical teaching. The same is true in every sphere of one’s life.
We tend to compartmentalize our lives, to draw false dichotomies, such as those between the sacred and the secular. The point of a Christian worldview is that it is comprehensive. I do not mean to suggest that political issues are unimportant. Surely some of the hot-button issues in the “culture war” are issues which a biblical worldview will see in black and white (ie abortion is wrong). I do mean to suggest that a Christian worldview ought not be disproportionately consumed with secular politics. We ought not be surprised when those who are lost act and think sinfully, and legislate accordingly. The mandate of the Christian worldview is not to win elections or appoint judges, but to hold out the Word of Truth for those who will hear.
That is what I have in mind when I talk about a Christian worldview. It is a total, comprehensive approach to life. Worldview education could be thought of as another word for or at least a component of discipleship. It is learning to think biblically about all of life.