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Christian WorldviewThe Christian Worldview is the worldview of Christianity. Usually it is formulated as a story expressed through either three or four themes: either the triple themes Creation, Fall, and Redemption; or the quadruple themes Creation, Fall, Incarnation, and Redemption. Creation The story begins with creation ex nihilo (creation out of nothing) by God of the universe. Mankind is created in the image of God, or the imago dei in Latin. As such, the Christian Worldview holds that human beings are created to know (mind), feel (both body and emotions), love (emotions), and work--and all of this to the glory of God. Both human beings and the universe are good in their essence. Creation is described in the earlier chapters of the book of Genesis, though the theme resounds throughout the Bible. For instance, the eighth song in the book of Psalms deals with the doctrine of creation. In Worldview terms, the theme of creation implies that the Christian is to think of all the world as being originally created good for the glory of God. Fall According to the Christian Worldview the perfect state of creation was marred by mankind's sin. The term most commonly used to describe this event is "the Fall," also described in the book of Genesis. The Fall is not said to have destroyed or unmade God's creation, but to have corrupted it so that what was created to be entirely good is now no longer entirely good. In mankind sin is manifested as rebellion against the authority of God. Effects of the Fall resound throughout the creation, as described in the eighth chapter of the book of Romans, resulting in disease, destruction, and decay. In Worldview terms, the theme of the Fall means that the Christian is to look at all of the universe as being marred and damaged compared to its original creational goodness. Incarnation Although some Christian philosophers simplify the Christian Worldview so that it does not the Incarnation along with the other three themes, it is a necessary part of the story of the theology of Christianity. According to the prologue to the Gospel of John, God became a part of his own creation in the person of Jesus. The Incarnation draws attention to what the Christian Worldview believes about the immense value of God's creation: according to the story, God was willing to become part of his own creation in order to redeem; furthermore, God's having taken the form of a human being (see the epistle of Paul to the Phillipians) further highlights the value of being human. Redemption This allowed for redemption, the final theme of the story of the Christian Worldview. Through his death on the Cross, the Christian Worldview alleges that Jesus Christ paid the legal penalty for Mankind's sin, allowing for the negation of the effects of the Fall and a restoration of the original creational goodness. According to the Christian Worldview this work of redemption is ongoing; some aspects of redemption are already completed and some will not be completed until the end of this epoch of history, when the prophecies of the book of Revelation are complete. According to the Christian Worldview, or way of looking at the world, all the universe is to be thought of as having been created good, having fallen, and being capable of redemption and restoration to its creational goodness. The Christian Worldview then provides a framework for the explanation of all of reality: theology, philosophy, ethics, economics, politics, psychology, sociology and biology, law and history. Each discipline can be expained and understood from a Biblical perspective, and as a whole makes up the Christian worldview.
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