Sand in Your Pockets (Worldview 2)
I’ve never built a building. But those in the know say that before you build up, you need to dig down. Before you lay a brick on the wall, you need to dig a hole in the ground and you need to fill that hole with concrete. In other words, if you want the building to stick around for a while, you need to make sure it has a good foundation.
Jesus knew this. He uses it in a parable. He talks about the wise man building his house on a rock while the rookie builder builds on the sand. The house on the rock remained. The house on the sand - well, that guy had to relocate, he’s still finding sand in his pockets.
Jesus wasn’t simply giving architectural tips. Foundations aren’t just important for buildings, they are also important for worldviews.
Foundations
Every worldview must begin with a foundation. In other words, every worldview must have, at bottom, something to believe before believing anything else. The philosophers call this one thing, this starting point, the ultimate or final reference point in predication.
The alternative to a foundational starting point is what the philosophers call an infinite regress. No one wants an infinite regress right? This simply means that there is no starting point, there is no one thing to believe before believing anything else. There is no final, at bottom, foundational Because. It is “a is true because b is true because c is true...” times infinity. An infinite regress is a sequence of reasoning which never comes to an end, it is like constantly adding 0’s to each other to try and get a 1.
To not have a starting point, an ultimate Because, is the first ‘sin’ in worldview.
3 Other Deadly Sins
Meaningful Explanation. Every worldview must provide a meaningful explanation, justification and understanding of the Big Three from the last article. They must explain what is real, what is true and what is good and how we can know it. If a worldview cannot account for and explain these things then it must be discarded as an invalid worldview.
Arbitrary. Further, a worldview cannot explain or account for something without an authoritative objective source. In other words, the moment the words “in my opinion” or “I just feel” is used in a worldview discussion, we should be concerned. This is what is known as arbitrariness and it automatically invalidates your worldview. To
Inconsistent. Finally, if a worldview clashes with itself in some areas then we have problems. A worldview cannot contradict itself. It must be consistent. Inconsistency in a worldview immediately makes it invalid.
Summary
To conclude, the four sins of worldview are as follows:
having no foundational Because
having no adequate explanation for one or all of the Big Three
having an arbitrary reason for what you believe
having an inconsistency in your worldview
What Next?
My goal is to show you that the Christian worldview does not commit any of these sins and that the no-god worldviews do. I want to show you that the Christian worldview is built on a solid rock while the no-god worldview holders have built on the sand. And remember, it’s starting to rain.
Alan Campbell is from Belfast, Northern Ireland. He came to Christ as a young adult and trained for ministry at Bethesda Free Church, Sunderland. Alan ministered in Bethesda as the Associate Pastor until 2019 and now ministers at Union Chapel, Bath. From time to time he teaches at North Cotes (NTM/Ethnos 360) College and The Theological College of North Staffordshire. Alan travels across the UK, Ireland, Europe and the States speaking at universities and equipping churches and campus ministries to share the gospel in a post-modern context. He is passionate about helping the believer to root their identity more and more into the person and work of Jesus Christ. Alan is married to Victoria.
Click here for Part 1 - Paper Bags in the Rain
Click here for Part 2 - Sand in Your Pockets
Click here for Part 3 - The Shoe Fits
Click here for Part 4 - Sir, there is a Rabbit in your Hat
Click here for Part 5 - The Brief on Unbelief
Click here for Part 6 - Where Shall I Hang My Hat?
Click here for Part 7 - I'm Only Human After All
Click here for Part 8 - The Prodigal West
Click here for Part 9 - The Gospel Worldview Filter
Click here for Part 10 - Bright and Salty
