Worldview Training

WORLDVIEW FOR TEENAGERS

The process for formalizing worldview for adults also works effectively for teenagers. The key is to help them give structure to what they believe and why they believe it at a level they can understand.

This can be done in the home, or through church groups and Bible studies using specific worldview curricula or teaching. A number of national ministries, including Summit Ministry and Worldview Academy, offer excellent worldview training ranging from semester and summer programs, weeklong camps, and weekend seminars across the country. All of these resources are helpful in equipping teens to be discerning in a culture oozing with falsehood. (For a list of these and other resources, see "Worldview Resources" at the end of the article.)

Seven Worldview Questions

Many worldview materials focus on answering these seven questions, first from a Christian perspective, then by applying them to competing worldviews. All worldview resources answer basic questions about deity, origins, human nature and moral rules.

1. Is there a god, and what is he like?
2. What is the nature and origin of the universe?
3. What is the nature and origin of man?
4. What happens to man after death?
5. Where does knowledge come from?
6. What is the basis of ethics and morality?
7. What is the meaning of human history?

*Sources - The Universe Next Door/Worldviews of the Western World

Worldview training can prompt teenagers to examine their ideas of religion and faith against the backdrop of biblical truth. It equips them to be discerning consumers of modern culture. Only after teenagers understand the biblical worldview and are able to apply it, can they take ownership of their entertainment choices. God's standard for these choices is clear in Philippians 4:8: "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things" (NAS).

It is impossible to expect teenagers to meet this standard if they don't understand it in light of the biblical worldview.

WORLDVIEW FOR TODDLERS TO PRE-TEENS

It's never too early to begin equipping your children to understand worldview. Even at an early age, they can begin to understand the nature of God and simple truths of the Bible. You can help them apply these truths to movies, books, music and other aspects of culture. But rather than formalized teaching, worldview for toddlers to preteens is best accomplished through discussion. Parents can "teach" worldview by asking questions and helping kids think about what they watch, read or listen to from the perspective of what they know to be true about God and the teachings of the Bible.

It is effective for a parent to use simplified versions of the worldview questions to train a child to think "worldview-ishly," as James W. Sire puts it, As they watch a Veggie Tales video or other Christian entertainment, the biblical worldview can be reinforced by asking questions about the characters being used by God, or how God is viewed in the movie, or by raising issues that correspond with their level of understanding.

Unfortunately, the worldview of much of today's children's popular culture is clearly at odds with God's truth. The most popular children's movies typically fall outside the biblical worldview. Is it OK for young children to watch these movies? Obviously, a steady dose of false ideas will negatively impact a child and distort his worldview. Yet determining boundaries of what a child watches and setting the standard for the entertainment choices for their family are the parents' responsibility.

If your children watch these movies, be prepared to help them discern through what they're viewing. In the movie Pocahontas, for example, Pocahontas asks Grandma Willow (the wizened, talking tree) for wise counsel and sees her as a sort of guiding spirit for her life. As your children watch the movie, you can ask them whether a tree really has spiritual powers. Can a tree really be like the God we know? If you had a problem, would you go to an old tree for advice? Where can we, as Christians, get the best advice?

Similarly, in watching the Land Before Time series, parents can ask children, "Who created the Earth and all the creatures? " The questions you ask your toddler can be very simplistic. As your child matures, your discussions and the questions you pose can become more complex. You can also apply worldview evaluation to your child's education and school setting. For example, you can walk them through the evolutionary discussions in their public school science text, bringing them back to the truth of the origins of man and offering suggestions to counter it.

As a parent, there's no need to be intimidated with trying to identify all the "-isms" in your child's world. It's not important that your child understand the Eastern pantheism in Pocahontas or the naturalism in Tarzan. But it is vital that they understand what is true and what is false. Like the old story about how authorities identify counterfeit money-by studying and becoming so familiar with true coins and bills that any deviation from legal tender is easily identifiable-you can equip your children best by teaching them the true Christian worldview.

Identifying the worldview of children's movies and literature is easier than in movies for older viewers because the ideas are simplified for the audience. I often use clips from popular children's movies in teaching junior high and high school students about competing worldviews because they have little difficulty identifying the ideas.

THE CHALLENGE

You are your child's first worldview teacher. What you teach him about God, about where he came from, about why we sin, and about right and wrong, will form the foundation of his view of the world. Although some Christian parents do this early training instinctively, the challenge is to approach this aspect of parenting in a strategic way. In our culture of falsehood, it is important to get your child thinking about truth and applying it at an early age.

Establishing your children's worldview is like equipping them with a radar screen constructed with God's truth. You provide them with a grid of truth so that their alarm goes off as soon as any false idea passes across their screen. If there is no radar screen, there's no mechanism for distinguishing or discarding false ideas.

As they go through their lives, they will encounter many false ideas and worldviews. It is impossible for parents to anticipate what these will be, only that they will come. But with worldview training, we can confidently equip the next generation with the standard of truth that never changes.

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