Mind Wars
The
Surveying the Field
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory
of God;” (Romans
The
continuous evil acts of men are blatantly apparent to everyone, but many
explanations are given for them. It is
obvious that man commits wrong, but why? An even more important question is how
do we solve this problem? Both of these
questions strike at the heart of a worldview, and the answers reveal a person’s
deepest beliefs. While people answer these questions in many different ways,
there is one particular framework of answers that stands above the rest.
Biblical
Christianity is a unique worldview in regards to its view of the nature of man.
While every other philosophy gives people some or all of the responsibility to
solve the overarching problems of the world, Christianity alone renders people
useless and even sees each of us as a major part of the problem. According to
Biblical Christianity, every man and woman is conceived in sin and totally evil
at his or her core. This view makes sense out of the evil we see every day, and
that is because it is the truth.
People
inevitably make certain assumptions before attempting to examine their
experiences. The reason for this is that at the center of each of our minds
there are beliefs that we accept without regard to facts and evidence. We don’t
hold to them because they are true, we believe them to be true and use them as
a starting point in determining every other verity. These presuppositions
deeply affect our actions and thoughts, and every one of us has them. They form the framework that we use to
understand our existence and this framework is often called a “worldview.”
Since
everyone has a worldview, no one is completely impartial. None of us can look
at facts without applying to those facts ideas that were formed independently
and beforehand. This is why two people can look at the same evidence, and come
up with entirely different ideas. As J. F. Baldwin states, “No one is neutral –
everyone makes certain assumptions about the nature of man and the nature of
God, and these assumptions impact the way we behave every day” (72). These
assumptions “mold our way of thinking, shape our conclusions, and direct the
decisions that lie behind our actions and attitudes” (Overman
16).
There
is a sense in which every worldview could be called a religion. In fact, the
idea of a religion is really synonymous with the idea of a worldview. This is
because a person’s worldview is believed before the person encounters facts. “Every worldview begins with faith; therefore every worldview
is religious” (
Forming a Strategy
“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy
and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world,
and not after Christ” (Colossians 2:8).
Though
a plurality of worldviews exists, they are not all equal. The laws of logic and
common sense necessitate transcendent objective truth, because without truth,
everything would be meaningless. There would be no reason to communicate,
because common ground would not exist. Every action, thought, and word would be
completely hollow and pointless because nothing would tie them together. It is
reasonable to deduce that you assume continuity between the thoughts that
created these words and your own thoughts merely by the fact you are reading
these words. You must acknowledge absolute truth which exists outside both your
mind and these words. So the question becomes, how does one determine the true
worldview? Worldviews must be tested on the basis of their consistency to
reality. That worldview which conforms most closely to reality should be
assumed and accepted.
Falsehood
will show itself to be false. Worldviews such as atheistic naturalism can be
easily tested and found erroneous because no sane person can really live
consistently with this worldview. As I stated, without transcendent objective
truth, everything becomes futile and our lives have no meaning. There is no way
for an atheistic naturalist to explain the existence of self-evident
transcendent aspects of our lives, such as thought and emotions. These things
are a mystery to the atheist, because they cannot be explained by rational and
empirical science. Atheists have no idea where everything came from, so they
will usually put faith in the weak theory of eternal matter. In the end, every
person who believes in a false worldview has to borrow from Christianity to
some extent in forming their presuppositions in order to live in reality.
The
truth proves itself. Since Christianity is true, human experience inevitably
lines up with what the Bible teaches. The Biblical worldview is comprehensive
because it alone can adequately account for evil, logic, thought, emotions,
science, morality, and human nature. And it is rational because it is based on
the historical fact of Christ’s resurrection. Ironically, however, the Bible
itself teaches that since man is depraved and sinful from birth, he suppresses
the truth that is obvious to him. Unless a person’s life is redeemed, their
thoughts are naturally flawed. It is only by the grace of God that a person’s
mind is opened, and the light of God’s Word is revealed to Him.
Knowing the War
“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye
might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer;
I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
Believers
in Jesus Christ have been transformed by His grace and redeemed by His blood, and
we have entered into a war. According to
Bill Jack, “The Christian is in a fight – a battle – for the hearts and souls
and the minds of men. We are called to fight continuously against the world,
the flesh and the devil” (54). We are to put on the armor of God and take a
stand against the false philosophies of the world. No matter what, we are to
prepare ourselves to “be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you” (1 Peter
“Our struggle is not
against flesh and blood” (Ephesians
Once the battle field is
surveyed, the strategy must be laid out. Speaking from the Christian
perspective, our call is to rely upon our faithful God and communicate His
truth with love. This is the strategy God has given us in His Word, and it will
be successful.
First, and foremost, we
have to trust in the God of our faith. He alone can and will win the mind wars.
Our faith starts with the fact that we are, in ourselves, hopelessly flawed so
that we produce no positive eternal good.
But the joy of our salvation is that through Christ’s work on the cross,
our lives are redeemed and transformed so that we are able to produce positive
eternal good. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above,” (James
Though God alone can change
people’s hearts and He will win the battle, He has amazingly chosen to use us
in completing these tasks. It is through
the communication of truth that God calls people unto Himself. Specifically, it is the “feet of them that
preach the gospel of peace” (Romans
But what is the truth, the
good news? And how do we communicate it? The
truth is found in the Holy Scriptures. In a Biblical worldview, the Bible is
the only reliable source of absolute truth. And this is the central message of
the Bible: In the pivotal point in all of history, God’s love was manifested in
Jesus Christ when He willingly gave his life for us on the cross. He died a
horrible, painful, death so that we didn’t have to. Then He proved that He was
God by rising from the death, giving us hope for the future resurrection. It is
that message that Christians bring to the world. The gospel command is to trust Jesus as
Savior and Lord of your life. Relying upon His sufficiency and submitting to
His leadership form the essence of becoming a Christian.
Preparing for
“Study to shew thyself
approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be
ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)
The
remembrance of Christ’s atoning sacrifice and the hope of everlasting life is
what should motivate the believer to hold nothing back and give everything they
have in service to Christ. It is vital that Christians apply a distinctly
Biblical worldview to every area of their lives. “The Christian is called to
think, and act, in accord with his worldview all the time. We must learn to
apply our faith to every arena, not just the so-called ‘sacred’ arenas” (
Since the Bible should be
applied to all of life, Christians must live, speak, write, work, and study
from the perspective of a Biblical worldview.
As we do every little task, we must be mindful of the truth and be willing
to change our behavior based upon what God has said. Not only must our behavior
change, but our thoughts as well. We must “bring into captivity every thought
to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). In whatever we do, we are to
“do all in the name of the Lord Jesus.” In this way, we communicate to the
world of the power of the truth of God’s Word.
Finally, and most
importantly, we must “overcome evil with good” (Romans
The strategy of reliance
upon God, and communicating His truth to those around us in love will be
successful because God Word commands and affirms it. Now we must commit
ourselves to this task. Fulfilling this mission is the most important thing we
can do in life; in fact, it should consume our entire life as Christians. The
battle for truth is so vital because the outcome lasts for eternity. Has this
battle consumed your life? Are you living
life from a Christian worldview? Are you
spreading the message of hope in Christ? The time is now; the battle has
already begun. I know not what course others may take; but as for me, I have
been given liberty so I choose to live for Christ until death.
Works Cited
Baldwin, J. F.
The Deadliest Monster.
Foster, Marshall, and Mary Elaine Swanson. The American Covenant.
Jack, Bill, et al.
No Retreats No Reserves No Regrets.
Noebel, David A. Understanding The Times.
Overman, Christian. Assumptions That Affect Our Lives.