Understanding Worldviews: The Lens Shaping Our Perception of Reality

Adapted with permission from the book - Effective Cross-Cultural Living. A guide for missionaries relocating to a new culture.

Introduction

Everyone has a worldview, a conception of what the world is like. A worldview is a collection of beliefs, values, attitudes, interpretations, and stories about the world around you. Worldviews inform your thoughts, behaviour, vision, relationships, knowledge, and actions. It is your picture of reality. Your worldview represents the reality of the world in which you live, your perception and your interconnectedness (on a physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual level).

Worldview is like a lens through which we interpret everything that we see, hear and experience. There are many different models for understanding worldviews. We will look at a basic model which is very helpful for missions. Some communities look at life from the perspective of Guilt and Innocence, some from Honour and Shame and others from Power and Fear

Guilt and innocence

This worldview is most common in Western Countries/Cultures and the main values consist of the following:

Your Rights

You can do what you want as long as you do not break the Law

Life is mainly evaluated through right and wrong

If you do wrong, you will receive punishment

Individualism

When sharing the gospel to people within this worldview, Timothy Robbins in his article, Engaging the 3 Major Worldviews in Evangelism Training , explains it as follows:

“The dominant gospel image that communicates most powerfully to western audiences is a legal one. Because a perfect sacrifice has been offered for sin, a debt has been paid, and those who co-opt this payment for sin are judicially set free. Therefore, western theologians have gravitated towards this “penal substitution” model of Christ’s atoning sacrifice, believing this to be the heart and soul of the gospel.”

HONOUR AN SHAME

Young Muslim girl sitting in dark room feeling pain with life problem. Crying muslim female holding painful hand, suffering from husband violence

This worldview is mainly observed in Middle eastern and Asian Countries/Cultures and the main values comprise of the following:

Family and community is most important. There is very little focus on the individual. How we do things is more important than how I do something.

Reputation and status in the community is especially important

Doing the right things and following the norms of the community will bring honour to you and your family

Doing something or having something happen to you that dishonours you and your family will bring shame on you, your family and community

Shame must be avoided at all costs and saving face is of upmost importance

Societies that have this worldview are looking for the solution to Shame

In most honour-shame cultures something like killing a relative for doing something shameful might not be considered as “sinful”. Doing it will not make you guilty, as what you have done restored honour and dignity to a community that was shamed.

When sharing the Gospel, the starting point is not preaching guilt, as someone from this worldview may not even understand that they stand guilty before God. A more fruitful approach in sharing the gospel here is to highlight the truth that we as humans acted shamefully, and that Jesus had to die to remove the shame of mankind. Without Him being our substitute to restore our honour we will forever be shunned from the presence of God but now we can be part of God’s family and community.

POWER AND FEAR

This worldview is mostly found in Latin America, Africa, some parts of Asia and among various tribal groups. These are the values subscribed to:

The spiritual realm and its influence on daily lives is especially important

Decisions are determined by what could be the physical as well as spiritual consequences

Because of this, life is influenced by superstitions, spells, people with spiritual power, as well as sacrifices that can help to ward off any negative influences from the spiritual realm.

Societies that have this worldview are looking for the solution to Fear

When sharing the Gospel with this group, it is often a powerful testimony to them to experience God’s power over the things that keep them in submission to a life of fear . This can include deliverance from evil spirits, healings etc.

How do we Explore Worldviews

Before entering your host culture it is essential to explore and learn as much of the culture as possible. Some think that it is enough to just understand the religion. That is important but behind the religion there is also a broader cultural worldview. For example, when people in the Middle East come to Christ their way of life, the way they look at and experience everyday life, will certainly change but their worldview will not totally disappear. •

According to Dr. Pat Zukeran, a worldview must be able to answer the following 7 questions . If it cannot answer all seven questions, it is an incomplete worldview. It will be a very helpful exercise for you, as you study and discover the nation or group that you feel called to, to answer all these questions. Start answering it from your own worldview and then from the other group’s worldview. If you do this, it will help you to understand so much more of how you need to adjust your thinking and how you need to adjust the way of sharing the gospel.

Question 1

“What is the nature of God?” Does a God exist? Is the material cosmos all that exists? If God does exist, how does one describe God? Are there many gods?

Question 2

“What is the nature of reality?” Is the external world an illusion? Is the world chaotic or is it orderly and intelligently designed? Are God and the universe eternal and dependent on one another? Did God create the universe, and can He intervene in time and space? If God can intervene, then are miracles possible?

Question 3

“How do you explain human nature?” How do we explain this paradox of human nature? Are we evolved animals? Are we gods in embryo form? Have we been created in the image of God but fallen in sin?

Question 4

“How do you know that you know?” Is knowledge attained primarily through the senses? Is scientific knowledge the best method of attaining knowledge? Is it the only method? Can we know truth, or is truth relative?

Question 5

“What happens to a person at death?” Is there life beyond the grave, or does a person cease to exist? Can we know if there is life beyond the grave? Although this is a question about death, our beliefs regarding death undoubtedly affect the way we live today.

Question 6

“How do you determine right and wrong?” Is there an absolute moral law code by which all people are to abide? Some believe that right and wrong are determined by the situation and so right and wrong changes depending on the situation in which one finds oneself. Others believe that right and wrong are relative and determined by the individual.

Question 7

“What is the meaning of history?” Is human history moving in a linear fashion toward some meaningful purpose? Does human history revolve in a never-ending circular cycle? If human history has a purpose, what is my role in this story? If human history has no ultimate purpose, we are forced to face the logical conclusion that our lives have no ultimate purpose.

When Worldviews Clash

Jerry Nagel in his TED Talk, “A Way Forward when Worldviews Collide ”, points out two important aspects of worldviews in which we tend to make major mistakes:

Making Assumptions

Forcing down our worldviews on others.

It is very important to confront assumptions, stereotypes and perceptions that you personally have of a culture. It is so easy to carry it in the back of your mind. We tend to act in a way that our perceptions dictate.

Nagel also mentioned we tend to force down our worldviews on others and it takes humility to lay down our understanding of life to build bridges to your host culture. This does not mean that you change your beliefs or principles, but in grace to not make it a point of contention in relationships.

We must understand that our host culture might also have preconceived ideas of you and might want to force down their worldview on you. You are the stranger. You need to understand that as much as you come with an attitude of humility, you cannot expect the same from them. This will require a deeper level of humility in following our Lord’s example of love and grace when you find yourself being discriminated against. It was a hard lesson for me and will most probably be for you as well.

Conclusion

In our everyday lives, recognizing the diversity of worldviews can foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of the people and cultures around us. This awareness can be especially valuable when it comes to building connections, resolving conflicts, and fostering cooperation in an increasingly interconnected world. Whether we're engaging in cross-cultural communication, addressing social issues, or simply navigating the complexities of our globalized society, understanding the lenses through which different individuals and communities view the world can be a powerful tool for empathy, cooperation, and meaningful engagement. By embracing the richness of diverse worldviews, we can truly bridge gaps, promote tolerance, and work together to create a more harmonious and inclusive world.

https://www.imb.org/2018/02/21/engaging-major-worldviews-evangelism/

https://youtu.be/n2XNoAFtqOw

https://evidenceandanswers.org/article/clash-worldviews/