Christian apologetics begins with our children, and we start by imparting to them a thoroughly Christian worldview. Every parent, whether consciously or through neglect, teaches their beliefs and outlook to their sons and daughters. If we really believe (as we profess we do) that Christ is the only path to salvation from sin and death, how can we neglect to impart to our kids everything we know about Him, and show them how His truth ought to guide every part of our lives?
This is the chief task of worldview education. It isn't an end in itself--if we understand a worldview to reflect everything one believes and understands about God, sin, the problem of evil, human behavior, etc., then the importance of it extends from this life straight on to the next, and makes worldview an eternal (rather than merely a temporal) matter.
In other words, we don't strive to articulate a Christian worldview simply for the fun of it, or as merely an intellectual activity. While it can be fun, and it is partly intellectual, we study and form our worldview according to Christ's principles primarily so that it will inform and guide our behavior. If our worldview is skewed or unbiblical, there's a good chance our behavior will not be what God requires of His children. Jesus said that what one thinks will eventually manifest itself in one's actions; as people called to be His imitators, we need to think like Him in order to be like Him.
When someone becomes a Christian, they die to the old self and are born a new person, a reflection of Christ's own death and resurrection from the dead. This means that however worldly peopleact, and whatever they believe, is the product of death--having yet undergone no transformation, how can they be called alive? They're dead in sin. Secular philosophies and secular ethics must be rejected by Christians, who live as the Lord's redeemed people, called out of "Egypt" into the liberty of righteousness.
But it goes further than that: the great Dutch theologian Abraham Kuyper said, "There is no square inch in all creation over which the Lord Jesus Christ does not say, 'That belongs to me!'" Christ has redeemed the whole world for Himself, and claims it as His due; as His representatives on earth, we are to "take" or "transform" every aspect of culture in His name.
This is the task we must impart to our children--to live apart from the world in their thought and practice, yet to infiltrate, subvert, and often outright attack those elements not yet under Christ's direct rule. We don't do this with swords or machine guns, we do it with prayer, evangelism, righteousness, anda coherent, fully-formed Christian worldview. We do it, in short, with our lives.
Constructing such a durable worldview isn't easy, but there are plenty of resources to help you. Our Worldview Resources section includes numerous supplemental materials, as well as books for older students and adults, both from an introductory and in-depth perspective. This section (Worldview Curriculum) was designed to house primarily student courses of an introductory nature.
Here is a quick summary of the Worldview curricula we offer, in alphabetical order:
|
Answers for Kids Grades 1-6
Answers for Kids is Bible-oriented, providing kids some good principles for rejecting secular philosophies that don't reflect Christian ideals or truths. Lessons are fully scripted in the teacher book, and there is an array of charts, CD-ROM activities, etc. to present a positive Christian worldview.
|
|
Apologia What We Believe Grades K-8
The four volumes of Apologia's What We Believe Series constitute an excellent God-centered general (conceptual) worldview introduction for younger students. This isn't primarily about pointing out the flaws in secular philosophies, but about forming a radically biblical worldview.
|
|
Lifepac: Foundations for Living Grades 9-12
Lifepac: Foundations for Living is a ten-workbook set for high school students that they read and work through on their own. Thisis okay for families that regularly discuss important issues, but for many this won't be enough to provide kids with a well-rounded understanding.
|
|
Summit Worldview Curriculum Grades 6-12
Summit Ministries offers a pair of excellent overview courses for middleand high school that clearly present major anti-Christian worldviews and critique them biblically. Both programs include video lectures, workbooks, text to read, and written assignments. Summit is currently "beta" testing a digital revision of the high school program Understanding the Times and plan to release a hard copy version in the summer of 2015. We currently offer the 2nd edition text with curriculum.
|
|
Thinking Like a Christian Grades 9-12
David Noebel's Thinking Like a Christianis agood single-volume workbook-style introduction (with teacher edition)that should only be used if you intend to have your kids pursue more worldview study. Kids learn to critique secular philosophies, and to compare them to Scripture.
|
|
Tools for Young Historians Grades 3-9
Less a worldview curriculum than a philosophy of history / basic theology course, the products from Brimwood Press offer a unified understanding of biblical thinking. Author Marcia Brim's goal is simply to present a biblical overview of history and how we should think about it.
|
Our Worldview Curriculum section isn't huge, largely because we want to be careful only to carry those products that reflect a fundamentally consistent and Christian approach. We aren't looking to provide "popular" resources, or materials that might be fun but ultimately don't do a very good job of instruction. We offer books that guide students toward Christ, that exhort them to purity and righteous behavior, and that impress on them the necessity of preaching Christ and challenging culture in a world decidedly vision-impaired.
|
Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he is a husband and father, teaches adult Sunday school in his Presbyterian congregation, and likes weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur.Read more of his reviews here.
|
Did you find this review helpful?