01 Seeking Wisdom

Grand Canyon University's One Foundation presents the beginning of wisdom and introduction to Christian thought and life, fourth edition by the faculty of GCU's College of Theology read by Eric Johnson. CHAPTER 1 Seeking Wisdom by James Waddle and Jeff Chibin The beginning of wisdom is this, get wisdom and whatever you get, get insight, prize her highly, and she will exalt you. She will honor you if you embrace her, Proverbs 4, 7-8. Introduction If, in essence, wisdom may be understood as the art of successful living, and it is important to consider what constitutes successful living. There are often strong disagreements between people when someone says that he or she knows better than someone else when it comes to how one should live. However, as mentioned in the introduction, everyone must choose to live in one way or another, because he or she believes that one way of living is better than others. People live according to fundamental convictions about the nature and purpose of the world around them, and they seek to make sense of the world based on those convictions. These convictions form what is called a world view, which is the central focus of this chapter. Fundamental convictions about reality reside deep within the human heart where passions, affections, and motives are impossible to see, but these convictions visibly shape the ways people behave. People's actions display the ways in which they think about themselves and the world around them. This is not to say that one's entire world view may be observed in each action a person makes. Rather, everything that one does is rooted in his or her views of the world, to such a degree that world views emerge intangible and observable ways throughout the course of everyday life. A couple of examples may be helpful in illustrating this concept. Considered Joan, an employee at a local humanitarian aid association located in a rough neighborhood in the downtown area of her city. Every day she interacts with the homeless, the mentally unstable, the broken, and the needy, as well as prostitutes and drug addicts. In meeting with people in crisis, Joan always makes sure to remind each of them of something that is also one of her core beliefs in life. Every person matters because every person has value and worth. In her car, however, Joan always seems to get intensely frustrated at those driving poorly around her on her commute home. It begins with a simple "Come on!" Then she grumbles, "Learn to drive! I can't believe this moron!" And finally, with much honking of her car horn, she screams, "Get off the road, you waste of space, along with several words that cannot be repeated here." Therefore, the questions arise. What does Joan really believe about the world around her and the people who live in it? Does she truly believe that every person matters because every person has value and worth? Or does she believe what she says and demonstrates in her car, namely that each person needs to learn to drive or get out of her way because they are seemingly not worth her time? Why does she sometimes think and act according to one belief and later think and act according to what appears to be an opposite belief? What ultimately drives her thoughts and actions in these ways? Perhaps her deepest convictions are more complex than the simplistic statements she articulates when she is in a professional setting. The nation's highest court offers a second example of the ways in which actions display fundamental convictions. It seems that every time the Supreme Court decides a politically charged case, social media explodes with diverse and extreme posts, pictures and articles. The court's decision is presented in a fairly objective way that involves a majority ruling and a minority dissent. Yet, as one reads the day loose of public opinions that follow the court's decision, it is possible to become confused. Many of the responses use language like victory or landmark decision, while others use language like travesty or reprehensible decision. For example, in waiting through the swamp of politically charged issues such as reproduction technologies, one quickly encounters claims that this or that action advances human potential as well as claims that it eliminates human life. Why do people describe the same issue in such radically divergent ways? Although people responding to these issues are clearly observing the same world, they seem to be evaluating it based on very different standards. These examples raise several questions about the ways that individuals and groups of individuals make sense of the world around them and things that happen during the course of their lives. In order to make sense of these complex dynamics, it will be necessary to bring the concept of worldview a little more clearly into focus. What in the world is world view? A good starting point for the exploration of any new concept is a clear definition. Essentially, a worldview is a foundational set of assumptions to which one commits that serves as a framework for understanding and interpreting reality and deeply shapes one's behavior. This definition can be divided roughly into four key parts. A set of assumptions, commitments, a framework, and how it impacts behavior. Each of these needs to be explained and expanded carefully. While worldview as a concept may initially seem rather straightforward, worldviews are diverse in content and incredibly complex at the functional level. In many ways, there is complex and mysterious as the people who hold them and everyone has a worldview. Therefore, before considering how a worldview shapes human action and interaction, it will be necessary to look at the individual elements that make up the concept of worldview further. Sidebar, worldview definitions. While this book provides a thorough explanation of worldview, interacting with a few other definitions may help with the process of understanding what worldview is. Three other definitions can provide a more robust picture of the concept of worldview. Through a brief look, these definitions can emphasize various aspects of a book's explanation of worldview. Ronald Nash defines worldview as "a conceptual framework, pattern, or arrangement of a person's beliefs. The best worldviews are comprehensive, systematic, and supposedly true views of life and the world." One can note the key terms in the approach to worldview, such as conceptual, framework, and beliefs. Nash focuses on the mind and the assumptions that make up worldview and that drive beliefs, and his approach is more philosophical in nature. Kenneth Samples defines worldview as "how one sees life and the world at large," and "samples focuses primarily on how worldview affects one's perspectives. Though each person holds to his or her worldview with commitment, Samples also emphasizes that one's worldview commitments could be incorrect or could rest on faulty assumptions." James Sires' definitions serve as a more comprehensive picture of worldview, attempting to encompass as many elements of worldview studies as possible. A commitment, a fundamental orientation of the heart that can be expressed as a story or in a set of presuppositions, assumptions which may be true, partially true, or entirely false, which we hold, consciously or subconsciously, consistently or inconsistently, about the basic constitution of reality and that provides the foundation on which we live and move and have our being." While he includes the rational element of worldview, a set of presuppositions, Sires' underlying point attempts to go deeper into the heart, commitment, a fundamental orientation of the heart. Sires also emphasizes the narrative element of worldview in that they, quote, "can be expressed as a story," which is explained in more detail in this chapter. A set of assumptions First, worldviews are composed of assumptions that form something like a foundation for every individual. World views should not be thought of only as intellectual frameworks or philosophies that are simply made up of ideas and theories. worldviews certainly provide an intellectual framework that enables the individual to make sense of data and interpret experience, but they are more fundamental than theories and philosophies. Before a person begins to theorize or develop a philosophy, that person already has in place a set of assumptions that he or she uses to develop ideas and understandings. Theories are always built on the basis of these underlying assumptions that enable the development of ideas into a larger system of thought. An assumption is an underlying belief that is presupposed or presumed in advance of careful reason and reflection. A person's fundamental assumptions serve as a framework for thoughtful analysis and judgment that make it possible to develop ideas and theories. When people interact with one another, they do not simply discuss ideas and opinions as if they have no preconceived notion about what they believe. They interact with others' ideas and opinions on the basis of the ideas and opinions that they have already assumed to be true. In other words, assumptions are in play from the beginning of each conversation. They may be shaped through interaction with others, but everyone starts with underlying beliefs that enable meaningful interaction in the first place. In this way, world views provide the intellectual foundation upon which people build as they encounter and engage the world. World view assumptions provide answers to life's core questions, including, "Who is God? What is behind everything? What forces are active in the universe? What is a human being really? How do we know the difference between right and wrong? What is really true and how can we know it? What is the purpose of life?" These core questions and their answers are typically related to the following categories, theology, God, metaphysics, universe, anthropology, humanity, eternity, afterlife, epistemology, knowledge, epithetics, morality, teleology, purpose, and personal commitments. The assumptions that one has concerning these categories form the essential foundations of a person's world view. Commitments Second, a world view is composed of assumptions to which a person is committed. It is difficult to overemphasize the significance of this aspect of a world view. One does not hold to a set of assumptions coldly and dispassionately as if they are merely a matter of theoretical significance. These commitments form the basis for the conceptual and imaginative world in which a person thinks and feels, lives and breathes, and acts and interacts with others. A person's entire life is lived out through commitment to particular ways of seeing, understanding, and evaluating the world. In this respect, one's fundamental assumptions function as beliefs, whether religious or non-religious, because the person who holds the assumptions must trust in them and live by them. When considering world view commitments, it is also important to note that a world view relates to the whole person, not just the mind. A world view is shaped by an individual's passions, beliefs, affections, and experiences in addition to the ideas that a person finds compelling. Individuals reason on the basis of world view assumptions with their minds, but they also commit to assumptions with their hearts. This emphasis on both the mind and the heart helps people to understand what differentiates world view from opinions and reasoning. World view is much more than just one's opinion on a variety of topics. While the mind reasons to discern what is true, the heart brings innate patterns of desires and passion to questions of truth. Whenever forced to choose between the heart and the mind, people tend to follow their hearts and then develop a rationale to support their decisions at a later time. The process normally does not work in the other direction, for example. Suppose the Nightly News reports scientific data related to the structure of the human mind that somehow challenges an individual's assumptions about an ethical issue. The individual may choose to accept or reject the findings, but likely will do so without personally studying the scientific data because of heartfelt convictions about right and wrong. This is not to suggest that world views are uninformed or that they are formed without reference to information that a person perceives through the senses or gathers through experience. Rather, it is to suggest that many fundamental convictions cannot be proven by gathering data or accumulating experience. People also generally believe that basic logical and mathematical principles are self-evident and that red, blue and yellow are colors they have seen, although these things need not and indeed cannot be proven. Properly speaking, these are basic beliefs because they must be believed before other beliefs can be formed. Several other significant assumptions are equally difficult to prove on the basis of empirical data and reason, but nonetheless, they are trusted by those who hold them. Most people assume that the universe has existed for more than five minutes and that physical pain is real when they experience it. They trust that places like Delaware exist even if they have not visited the state personally. They tend to believe that several of their recently formed memories are authentic rather than illusions of the mind and so on. All people begin with basic assumptions to which they must commit before they can think and act meaningfully. People commit to certain assumptions about life and build their worldview on the foundation of these assumptions. If questions such as "why do you believe this" or "what makes you think that" are pressed far enough, it will eventually become apparent that some convictions are embraced on the basis of something more akin to "faith" than "reason" or "observation". People commit at points because they must, not because they have sufficient proof. Thus, at the deepest level, worldviews involve faith commitments. Although again, these may or may not be religious in the classical sense of the word. Sidebar - A closer look at faith. Faith is a word that can be used differently in different contexts. Sometimes the word "faith" is used to mean a wish or hope without evidence. In Christianity, the word "faith" focuses on something different. If people would say that they have faith in their spouses, they would not mean that they believe their spouses exist without any evidence for that existence. Rather, to have faith in one's spouse is to trust in the spouse because of evidence and experience. Importantly, this trust is not the absence of all doubt. There are a few things in the universe for which there is entirely no doubt. Doubt is simply the invitation for more investigation. Furthermore, if people were to say that someone was a faithful employee, they would not mean that they believe this employee exists without evidence. Rather, they would mean that the employee is loyal. Because of these two definitions, faith is trust in and loyalty to a set of core worldview beliefs or in a person. For example, Christians have faith in the person of Jesus Christ, trusting Christ for forgiveness and to transform them more and more from selfishness to selflessness. All worldviews, Christianity and the other theistic worldviews, atheism and pantheism include both belief before evidence as well as trust and loyalty. Framework for understanding and interpretation. Third, worldviews form the conceptual framework that enables a person to make sense of information that is gathered through observation and experience. Whenever a person looks at the world and begins taking in information, that person intuitively processes the data in order to develop useful understandings. Categories are formed by the way in which data is sorted in order to form a mental picture of reality. This picture may be refined through additional observation and additional experience. But the end result is a description that serves as a basic framework for understanding. While bits of knowledge are being placed in mental categories and compared with other bits of data for the sake of description, the data is also evaluated. Some things seem important to notice while others are regarded as insignificant. people pass judgment on what they see and hear at the same time that they are processing information to gain understanding. The process of gathering knowledge about the world always involves the application of values, and those values represent a key aspect of each person's worldview. Evaluation is never neutral. As a person attempts to make sense of the world, he or she also interprets what is seen based on his or her fundamental assumptions. World view impacts behavior. Finally, world views deeply affect behavior. The set of assumptions that provides a foundational framework for thought also guides speech and action. In a sense, the implications of fundamental convictions trickle down to the level of behaviors that are expressed through everyday activities. For example, a person who believes that God exists will, to some degree, orient how he or she thinks about the purpose of life so that his or her life aligns with what God wants. Another person who does not believe in a supernatural being will conceive of purpose in a more human-centered way that does not emphasize God's will, and instead will order his or her life accordingly. At a deeper level, world view shapes underlying values, motivations, and attitudes that give rise to particular actions. For example, a person may believe that no absolute and universal moral values exist. As a result, this person may not regard consensual sex outside of marriage to be an immoral activity, and therefore will seek to find sexual fulfillment outside of a marital relationship. By contrast, one who believes that a divine being has articulated guidelines for morality, including sexual morality and marriage, may believe that one should conform his or her life to those guidelines. This person also believes that sexual fulfillment is desirable, but should only be pursued within the context of marriage. This person reasons that if God created human sexuality, then God knows the best means through which to pursue it. No matter which of these views one personally holds, the point should be clear. Underlying assumptions, motives, values, and attitudes are reflected in behavior. Thoughts and actions give expression to world view commitments, which means that world views are continually displayed through everyday behavior. In order to illustrate the relationship between world view commitments and behavior, consider an iceberg. Only the tip of an iceberg appears above the water at any point, which means that most of an iceberg remains hidden below the surface. While the top of an iceberg may be formidable in its own right, in proportion to the larger mass that remains invisible, it is relatively small. In a similar way, a person's actions give outward evidence of thoughts and convictions that lie deep below the surface. 屬ions are visible, whereas thoughts and the convictions that guide them remain hidden from sight. The sorts of things that are going on below the surface must be analyzed in order to arrive at a fuller understanding of how people see and understand the world in which they live. Putting it all together. A world view is a foundational set of assumptions to which one commits that creates a framework of understanding and interpretation. These commitments form our core beliefs and shape our behaviors. We may have thought of these issues deeply, or they can be a set of assumptions we have made almost subconsciously. While people may be very sure of their beliefs or very open-minded and seeking more evidence, everyone operates on these core beliefs to make sense of the world and to guide our thoughts and actions. Because of this trust, there is commitment to our worldview beliefs. The core beliefs of worldview shape our motives, values, and attitudes, which all shape our everyday behavior. As noted earlier in the chapter, all worldviews rely upon faith and reason. World view beliefs begin to form before people are aware they are trusting in anything. As people begin to think analytically, explore evidence, and grow in experience, they may support their initial beliefs, modify their beliefs, or change their worldview beliefs. World view beliefs can grow in depth, they can be refined, or they can be changed. Sidebar. A closer look at reason. Reason is the reliance on tested evidence and the rules of logic to evaluate assumptions. All worldviews involve reason in their assessment. Christianity and other worldviews all rely on scientific evidence, historical evidence, and philosophical evidence as a support of their reasoning for their beliefs. For example, some may say that they will not believe something unless they see it. They seek visual evidence, however, we each believe many unseen things, and that is perfectly rational. We believe that people have thoughts in their heads, though we have never actually seen them. We believe that subatomic particles exist, even though no one has ever seen them. We believe that far away cities exist, even if we have not personally seen them. We believe that love exists, even though we have never seen the raw emotion itself. We believe that water molecules are composed of two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen, H2O, even though we may have never done the experiment ourselves. We believe these unseen things, based on the experience of others, seeing the effects of these unseen things, and sound reasoning. Seeing the very same evidence and reasoning, core worldview beliefs are evaluated. Reason is the process of evaluating and then supporting, modifying, or rejecting particular presuppositions. How does worldview work? Glasses In the movie National Treasure from 2004 with Nicholas Cage, the characters discovered glasses that were key to solving the mystery. These glasses, called the Benjamin Franklin glasses, had multiple lenses. When the main character moved the various lenses of the glasses, he discovered clues to find the treasure. Our worldview is a lot like these glasses. Each of the six core worldview beliefs adds another lens through which we view the world differently. We each have one worldview that consists of many beliefs. These lenses of core beliefs allow the wearer to see the world clearly. At the same time, with our worldview glasses, we see life, ourselves, others, and society differently than others do. Each of the core beliefs of worldview are a means to see reality, as well as a means to interpret and assess reality. Chapter 2 includes worldview tests that are designed to evaluate how well worldview sees reality. Foundation of a building World view beliefs are also like a foundation of a building. They form the basis that supports and gives shape to the entire structure that is upon them. Just as the foundation of a building is often hidden from view, core worldview beliefs can be below the surface as well. With the foundation in place, the structure above begins to take shape in a way that is consistent with the foundation. In the same way, worldview beliefs are the foundation of values, attitudes, and actions that will be built upon it. A building's foundation must be strong enough to hold up the building above it. The strength of the foundation determines the strength of the building. Even if the upper parts of the structure appear to be secure, the entire building is at risk if there are cracks in the foundation. Similarly, the strength of a worldview determines whether all that is built upon it can endure the many challenges that individuals face during the course of their lives. If inconsistencies or errors plague one's worldview, the entire structure of beliefs will be at risk when trials and tribulations come. This means that an individual who hopes to build something magnificent would be wise to give careful attention to the sort of foundation that is being built. A Jigsaw puzzle A worldview is also like a Jigsaw puzzle. The pieces of a Jigsaw puzzle fit together to form a larger hole. If pieces from a different puzzle are added to the puzzle box, they would not fit within the puzzle unless they were forced. This would make an awkward and confusing puzzle. World view beliefs fit together and make sense together, like a puzzle. World view beliefs come together, align with each other, and form a larger hole. If one picks and chooses beliefs from different world views, those beliefs can clash, misalign, and can form a confusing hole, like trying to combine pieces from two different puzzles. Puzzles come in a box with a picture on that box of what the hole is to look like. Without that final picture, it would be difficult to put the individual pieces together to form the final hole. This picture on the top of the box offers guidance in putting together the hole. Similarly, a world view offers guidance on how to respond to questions, evaluate ideas, and interpret experiences that one encounters in life. The big questions of life have been around for a very long time. It is good for us to wrestle with these questions. At the very same time, these questions have already been answered well. World view offers guidance on how to put together core world view beliefs. An overarching story. Finally, each world view functions like an overarching story that enables individuals to gather various data and experiences into a coherent scheme that makes sense. This analogy is more complicated than the others, but it draws out the fact that various aspects of individual experience or one's individual story can be interpreted only in light of an overarching story about reality. In this way, a world view offers a grand narrative of the world that enables individuals to grasp the significance of their individual story as it unfolds. In attempting to understand world view as story, one must appreciate the significance of discovering the overarching story of reality. A world view can find expression as a comprehensive story of reality that attempts to explain the meaning of life, the origins and nature of the universe, human destiny, and issues of knowledge and morality. It is a grand narrative and all-encompassing explanatory story that makes sense of reality. In other words, a world view answers all of life's biggest questions. People have a story about their lives that shapes who they are and forms their interpretations of the world, and each individual's life bears the characteristics of a good story, characters, key people who influence one's life, setting the cultural and social factors that influence beliefs, plot the events that one experiences, and conflict, the crises or sufferings that one faces. As a person's life story unfolds, he or she forms core beliefs and guiding principles about what reality is and how the world works, and overarching story. For example, when people become seriously ill, they tend to connect to the experience to their broader understandings of reality as they try to make sense of unwelcome pain and suffering. A person who envisions a world governed by a vindictive God, for instance, may interpret the sickness as a result of God's anger for something the person has done. In this telling of the story, the individual lives in a setting in which a vindictive God is a major character who brings down afflictions on those who offend him. Resolution of the crisis would require that this God relents or that the afflicted individual figure out a way to placate him. By contrast, a person who believes God is a rescuer of broken people in a broken world would tell the story very differently, as would a person who does not believe God exists at all. Essentially, the way that individuals tell their stories depends significantly on their understanding of a much larger story of reality. The core beliefs of worldview, no matter the worldview, can be arranged to tell an overarching congruent story of reality. Interestingly, proponents of each worldview claim to present the most accurate story of reality, either explicitly or implicitly. For example, J.R.R. Tolkien, in his essay On Fairy Stories, explained that Christianity is the tale that has "the interconsistency of reality" "making it the true story of the universe". At this early point in the discussion, it is not possible to evaluate any of these stories adequately. Rather, it is important to note that people think and act within a particular narrative framework that they believe to be the true story. Whether true or false, accurate or inaccurate, this framework provides a powerful means of understanding and expressing fundamental convictions about the nature and purposes of human life. Worldview, developed in a personal journey and in community. The study of worldview must address the personal and the shared nature of worldview. Worldview is developed both as a personal journey and also as part of a community with a shared worldview. As often as we like to consider ourselves unique, on the big question of life and in the core worldview beliefs, people generally align with a major worldview. Worldview is a firm and developed in community, where foundational beliefs are held in common by a group of people. These core beliefs are shaped by community thinkers across times and places. This community with a shared worldview will have a history of thought, a shared vocabulary, a common set of core beliefs, and common behaviors. An individual would identify themselves as having a certain worldview and would also identify with a larger group of people who share their same convictions. Importantly, people with the same worldview will not agree on every single issue. At the same time, worldview is also a personal journey. Sometimes it is a very personal journey. People begin to develop their worldview early in life and with limited experience and information. Worldview begins to take shape early in childhood as one begins to try to make sense of the world. As one grows in experiences, worldview beliefs form often without much conscious thought. Worldview grows most rapidly during the challenges of adolescence and early adulthood as people mature mentally, physically and emotionally. Before understanding what is happening, a person will begin thinking and acting by forming patterns of underlying beliefs. Worldview is continually shaped throughout an individual's life as those core beliefs are refined. Worldview is a personal journey that is shaped by an individual's life story, experience, cultural context, and relationships. Delving into one's personal worldview journey. As a personal journey, one's worldview is developed through life experiences. These life experiences can be very positive interactions with individual people or groups. A person's worldview can also be shaped by reactions to some negative interactions with people or groups. Understanding key influences will help an individual to discover and understand his or her core worldview beliefs. For someone to understand his or her core worldview beliefs, it requires reflecting on one's personal story by delving below the surface to uncover the source and nature of major values and convictions. These values have been instilled in a person over time through interactions with family, friends, teachers, influential figures, and the culture in which one is raised. Delving into one's personal journey can reveal how some key life events had an impact in positive or negative ways. As worldview is studied in detail, sometimes emotional reactions due to the very personal nature of one's worldview journey can arise. That is quite normal. Regardless of which worldview we personally hold, we are not neutral, and personal psychology does have a real effect. Some important questions to ask include, what key experiences and relationships led to personal core worldview beliefs? Are those experiences and relationships positive or negative? How might positive experiences change one's personal perception over negative ones? Developing worldview with community. World views are also shaped or formed within community. World views also are shared in the sense that people tend to affiliate with others of like-mind and conviction. This can be seen on social media, in politics, in clubs, and in religion. As a result, shared worldviews typically involve shared views. One example of shared beliefs within the Christian worldview is found in the Nicene Creed, which articulates the core beliefs of Christians throughout the centuries. The Nicene Creed articulates some of the most foundational essentials of what Christians believe. It is a creed and confession that has been memorized, recited, and publicly read at Christian gatherings since the 4th century AD. Sidebar Nicene Creed Christians have shared worldview and worldview commitments. Some of the most basic shared beliefs can be found in an early formulation of the faith known as the Nicene Creed. More than 98% of those who call themselves Christian fall into three groups, Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestants. Catholicism includes Roman Catholics and other Catholic groups. Eastern Orthodox includes Greek Orthodox and Russian Orthodox, and Protestantism includes Lutherans, Presbyterians, Methodists, Episcopal, Baptists, Pentecostals, and non-denominational churches. All three groups affirm the Nicene Creed, which is a collection of belief statements that affirm the essential beliefs of the Christian worldview. The Nicene Creed is, "I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, God of God, light of light, very God of very God. Begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father by whom all things were made. Who for us men for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man, and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried, and the third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father, and he shall come again with glory to judge the quick and the dead, whose kingdom shall have no end. And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. And I believe one holy Catholic and epistolic church, I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins, and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come, amen. Individuals are a product of both their personal experiences and their choices, therefore world views take form as a result of personal and shared influences. Recognizing that both types of influence shape the ways people see, think, and live, should prove helpful by providing a more balanced and complete picture of the dynamics that shape world view. In general, one who intends to understand both the personal journey and shared world view beliefs of community will be wise to explore both carefully. World view tests described in chapter 2 are helpful in evaluating shared world views as a whole. Each of the core beliefs of world views can also be tested with information and experience. World view analysis and the pursuit of wisdom. As people consider how they think about the basic nature of the world in which they live and their core beliefs, they may be surprised to discover that they already approach life with certain assumptions. Although these do not often enter one's conscious mind, they still guide thought and action. This may be surprising because, as noted earlier, a person's world view begins to take shape before critical thought and careful reflection are possible. In some ways, the process of drawing out unconscious assumptions and reflecting on them can be uncomfortable at first because the assumptions typically function in the background of one's thinking and thus may go unnoticed. For the Christian, the wisdom of God affects each of the core world view beliefs. Not only that, but these beliefs also affect how Christians see life and society in a way that also affects behavior. The Bible and the Christian life speak to the big questions of life. As C.S. Lewis states, "I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen. Not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else." Self-analysis Although it may be difficult, self-analysis is an important starting point for anyone who seeks to live an examined life on the basis of carefully and consciously chosen core world view beliefs. A self-analysis will not only help in evaluating the reasons behind choosing core world view beliefs, but sometimes it can also reveal that one's stated beliefs are aspirational and the beliefs that actually govern are different. It is important to remember that everyone is inconsistent in living out the ideals of their world view. Consider the example of Joan from the introduction of this chapter. She is a nice enough person in most encounters with people. However, in the frustration of traffic, a very different persona emerges. She begins to shout things toward other drivers that betray her stated belief that all humans are intrinsically valuable and worthy of dignity and respect. Her unkind words reveal a very different kind of belief about humanity. When asked about it, Joan becomes hostile and defensive. Is this merely an inconsistency that she should address? Which belief is her real belief that humans are valuable no matter what or that people need to behave a certain way to be valuable? What events are behind her conflicting beliefs and behavior? Studying world view can lead to a more objective pursuit of wisdom that concerns itself more with understanding reality than saving face or holding onto one's initial beliefs. Importantly, reality is objective. Reality is objective even if one's perceptions are subjective. And objective reality exists outside of one's perceptions. And this objective reality will continue to exist even if one does not like what is observed. While we must be respectful of people, regardless of their worldview beliefs, our goal in self-reflection ought to discover core beliefs that align with objective reality. The pursuit of wisdom. Many live out their lives based on subconscious assumptions that, for the most part, remain unexamined. Until these assumptions are drawn out and carefully evaluated, it is difficult, if not impossible, to live in ways that are intentionally chosen and purposeful at the deepest levels. Those who make an effort to investigate the underlying convictions that shape their lives will find themselves in a better position to evaluate and adjust patterns of thought and behavior. World view analysis can play a key role in the challenging process of understanding and evaluating the core beliefs that shape one's life. These are initial steps toward what Socrates famously referred to as an "examined life". The "examined life" offers an individual several advantages over an unexamined existence. More importantly, choosing to live an examined life affords an individual the opportunity to pursue wisdom intentionally. In the search for wisdom, one must begin with a careful examination of the foundational framework that is already in place. Each person possesses a worldview and is currently living based on that basic framework. This means that no one begins to pursue wisdom as a casual observer who looks out at the world from a position of neutrality. Everyone has already committed to core worldview beliefs and is living them out when the process begins. World view at school and at work. One of the real benefits of understanding worldview is that we can understand others. When we understand the core worldview beliefs of others, we can better understand how they see themselves, other people, life, and society differently with those beliefs. Among the goals of this textbook is to understand why Christians have the core worldview beliefs they do, to understand and challenge our own worldview beliefs, and to understand the worldview beliefs in others. As we engage in understanding worldview, some very important and helpful insight emerges. World view is influential and expressed seemingly everywhere. As we study worldview, we may see how different worldviews can affect the interpretation or presentation of the facts of any academic discipline. We may see how students with different worldviews approach a topic differently. We can see how clients coerce. workers, supervisors, and vendors approach service differently based on World View. Importantly, we will have opportunity to positively express our World View in school, work, and in all areas of life. As our world becomes more connected, there is both challenge and opportunity to understand our own World View and the World View of others more. Conclusion As this chapter has explained, a World View is a foundational set of assumptions to which one commits. This set of assumptions serves as a framework for understanding and interpreting reality. Everyone has a World View. Perhaps that World View has been deeply thought through, or perhaps it has not been given much thought. The examined life requires that we closely investigate our core World View beliefs. What we believe about the big questions of life affects our thought patterns, our attitudes, our decisions, and our behavior. The pursuit of wisdom calls us to more deeply investigate these big questions and our answers. The person we will become and the goals we seek to achieve rely on a more examined life. For the Christian, the wisdom of God, as revealed in the Bible, addresses all of the core beliefs of World View. These core beliefs, working together, ought to affect behavior in a positive way. Analyzing every possible World View is well beyond the scope of this book. Still, it will be possible to build upon initial understandings of what a World View is and how it functions by outlining the key elements that make up a World View and identifying major World View families. Additionally, it will be necessary to consider how one can objectively analyze and evaluate any particular World View. These topics are the focus of the next chapter. GCU's One Foundation supports the University's commitment to biblical Christianity, including doctrine and practices deeply rooted in the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. For more information about GCU, visit gcu.edu. Additional chapters of this audiobook, chapter notes, and other resources related to the Christian World View are available at TheologyCommons.org.