Response to “Vying World-views” by George Barna

Elijah Lofgren

September 10, 2006

BIBL-1003-04

Dr. Bill Hansen

In his article “Vying World-views”, George Barna takes a very hard look at how most people claiming to be Christians are not living any differently from the culture around them. This worrisome trend can be changed, but it will only happen if we take the time to study the Bible in order to understand how it applies to our unique situations. We will then be able to start making our decisions based on the principles found in God's word instead of responding like clones of our culture.

At times, I am guilty of the very thing that this article is against: making decisions based on what I think is best instead of thinking about what God would want. In a way, I have let the culture infect my decision making process. My main problem is being so busy with the details of life that I don't think about what life is really all about. I think my Cornerstone's mentor put it best when he said, “Our calling is to be in relationship with Christ and be about His work in the world.” Regrettably, I often focus just on my work.

As Barna points out, the answer to my problem is train myself to rely on “a biblical filter for interpreting daily events, information, experiences, and opportunities.” But how does one begin to rely on a biblical filter? The main step is to know what the Bible really says about the experiences and decisions that we make on a daily basis.

One way that I try to go about learning what God has to say is to read the entire Bible through each year. Each morning, I try to read three or four chapters. Although reading that much each day may sound impressive to some people, it has its serious downsides. By attempting to read such large passages, I often will rush through what the text says without taking the time to think about what God's word is really saying.

My hope is that I will apply the methods I am learning in this Bible course in order to start digging into what the Bible is really saying on a level that is not immediately discernible at first glance. Thus, I want to stop just reading the Bible, but start identifying the theological principle that is presented in the text. Once I identify the theological principle, I need to take that and apply it to my life. Only after understanding how the Bible applies to my daily life will I be able to have a truly biblical world-view.