In history class yesterday, discussing the difference between the Christian (God-centered) and Liberal (human-centered) worldview, something became clear to me. The main argument may be about whether or not one believes in God, but there is a more subtle argument underneath: what one believes about the nature of truth, the truth about reality, and how one accesses it.
Which is to say, what one believes about the nature of the human person.
- In the classic Liberal worldview, human reason alone is enough to objectively discover and understand truth, and thus reality. One does not need God, religion, tradition, or authority; such things are mere superstition and prevent full human development. Reason alone is sufficient.
- In the Christian worldview, human reason alone is incapable of fully grasping truth, and thus reality. For that, Revealed Truth is necessary, and Revealed Truth is the real truth about reality, and necessary for full human development. Without it, the human person can stray into serious error, with bad outcomes.
The main difference between the two is the different concepts of the human nature. The Liberal view does not admit to the reality of sin, which disorders the human nature and affects the reason. Faith is a hindrance to reason, and can even oppose reason. The Christian worldview does admit the reality of sin and its affects on reason (among other things), and realizes that the human person needs both the grace of God to be freed from sin, and the wisdom of God in order to understand reality. Faith and reason work together: faith enlightens reason, and reason in turn works to properly understand reality, with good outcomes.
These are two opposing and mutually exclusive worldviews, that affect not only how one views the person, but how one views everything, including how to order society. These two views exist side-by-side in our world today, and are creating heated, constant, and wearying cultural battles that are being carried on even as I type these words.
Where these current battles will end, I don’t know. But I pray that by the grace of God the Christian worldview will prevail and penetrate the hearts and minds of all people, because in it is the basis of reality, the reason for existence and the hope of mankind.
