Understanding the Times

Understanding the Times

The Collision of Today's Competing Worldviews

by David A. Noebel
Publisher: Summit Ministries
2nd Edition, ©2006, ISBN: 9780936163000
Softcover Textbook, 510 pages
Current Retail Price: $21.95
Not in stock

Newly revised and updated 2nd edition with two more worldviews surveyed: Islam and Postmodernism!

This book is about competing worldviews. Its goal is to help Christian students recognize the significance of some of the most influential yet damaging ideas and values prevalent in our non-Christian culture and to understand the unbiblical, unrealistic, yes, even irrational assumptions about reality from which they arise. If we understand the real differences between the biblical Christian worldview and the Secular, Marxist, Cosmic (New Age), Postmodern, and Islamic worldviews we will be better prepared to love, live, and defend God's truth as revealed in the Bible and in His Creation. A clear understanding of these six worldviews will not only help protect us from deception by grounding us more firmly in the Christian faith, but it will also give us tools to more effectively witness for Christ in these conflicting times.

The abridged hardcover textbook analyzes and compares the six major worldviews impacting our world. This book is a landmark guide to understanding the ideas and forces that are shaping our times. From Christianity to Islam to Humanism to Marxism to the New Age to Postmodernism, Understanding the Times provides Christians with a readable, comprehensive treatment of the most significant religious worldviews operating in Western Civilization.

Note: This textbook accompanies the Understanding the Times curriculum and does not stand alone.

Also Available:

Did you find this review helpful?
Series Description
Related Categories
Recommended for...
Customer Reviews
Write a Review Click here to write a review
  Excellent Worldview Study
TammyA of Oregon, 4/14/2010
Understanding the Times is an excellent source for worldview study, something that is more and more crucial for all Christians to do. I highly recommend this book for all homeschooling libraries and Christians.

I personally find the student text is very useable as a standalone spine (although not recommended as such by the publishers).

What is unique about this text is that it compares various worldviews alongside each other in 10 different subject disciplines rather than developing the worldviews chronologically throughout their appearance in history, or along the lines of philosophical schools, or through discussing specific philosophical abstracts.

These 10 sections are comprised of what is commonly known as the traditional humanities courses: Theology, Philosophy, Ethics, Biology, Psychology, Sociology, Law, Politics, Economics and History.

This subject-specific organization allows each separate subject area to be read as whole within itself making the book highly useful as a reference supplement to coordinate with humanities courses as you teach them...ie if your student is studying government, have them read Understanding the Times' sections in politics and law to gain perspective about different government worldviews; if they are taking a psychology course, have them read Understanding the Times' psychology section to discern the different worldviews about psychology.

The most important element about Understanding the Times is that it doesn't simply compare the different worldviews providing knowledge about each but it also acts as an apologetics course showing how Christianity alone holds the Truth necessary for our lives and society.