Foundations of Faith: Understanding Worldviews to Impact the World

By Dr. Paul Boling, Professor of Christian Thought and Philosophy

One of the first courses that all students take when they come to Bryan College is a survey of worldviews course. The reason for this is that understanding worldviews is foundational to the overarching mission of the college: Educating students to become servants of Christ to make a difference in today’s world. This worldview class is not strictly a Bible or theology course; we refer to it as a Christian thought class.

The way we conduct this course is quite unique among Christian colleges. In brief, we examine three major worldviews that encompass virtually all the religions and sects that exist in the world. We seek to understand their major fundamental metaphysical claims, such as: What is the nature of reality? Is it merely physical, or is there a reality beyond the senses? What does it mean to be human? What is humanness? How do we know the difference between right and wrong? These are worldview questions, and we study how major worldviews answer them.

We then examine the challenges and problems associated with each worldview. For example, how does naturalism or materialism explain moral intuitions, which are undeniable in human beings? How does the Christian worldview respond to the problem of evil and pain in the world? Following this discussion, we explore how each worldview answers or responds to these challenges.

Next, we spend time evaluating worldview presuppositions. We ask which worldview is to be preferred and why. Which worldview system is most satisfactory in its responses to fundamental questions about the nature of reality, the existence of God, and other key topics? Which is the most consistent and most adequate? But we do not stop there; we also ask which worldview is the most satisfying. In other words, which system of thought best promotes human flourishing and meaning? We are convinced that the answer to these questions is the Christian worldview.

There is no textbook available that does what we do in this class, the way we do it, so I am writing a textbook to fill this void. I am praying that God will use this book not only in our course at Bryan College but also in courses elsewhere and among the general population. I hope it will challenge and encourage people to think deeply about what they believe and why.

To learn more about Bryan College and our mission, visit https://www.bryan.edu/about/.