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The conclusion wraps up exploration of the Christian worldview by reflecting on wisdom from the biblical book of Proverbs. Because the way that a life is lived matters to individuals and to communities, it is entirely reasonable to pause on occasion to take conscious inventory of one's fundamental convictions and the implications of those convictions. While the investigation of worldviews may prove intellectually stimulating, worldviews are not ultimately about philosophical inquiry and theoretical discourse. They provide the foundation upon which lives are built and lived. Consciously or unconsciously, everyone has committed to a particular way of life and is living it out in community with others. It is worth considering, then, whether the chosen lifestyle leads down the path of wisdom or folly.
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Chapter 11 describes how following Jesus leads to the development of wisdom in life. Faith in Christ expresses itself in a complete love for God and for others. Every person needs wisdom, and each person must decide if they will trust in Christ as their foundation. From life-altering choices to daily choices, a person's worldview shapes his or her beliefs and behaviors, and it has major and lasting impacts on every aspect of life. For the Christian worldview, God has provided the opportunity for people to be restored to a right relationship with him through Christ. Those who trust in Jesus rest in a secure relationship of love with God, which leads to a daily transformation of their lives as they seek to follow Christ by the enabling power of God's Spirit.
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Chapter 10 centers on restoration, the fourth act of the biblical storyline, and focuses on God's continuing work of restoring broken people, and communities. Eventually, through Christ, all creation will be restored as God’s people are brought to wholeness characterized by his love, justice, beauty, and wisdom. Today, Jesus's followers share his mission to take the kingdom of justice and love to places of darkness and despair, to transform the values of the broken world by the practical wisdom revealed in God's design for his creation. Those who enter God’s Kingdom through faith in Jesus have the opportunity to become disciples, take on God's mission, and spread hope and healing to the world.
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Chapter 9 describes the resources that the Christian worldview offers in the midst of life’s storms. It does so by addressing some of the obstacles that may prevent people from placing faith in Christ and forming a worldview built on the wisdom he offers. The storms of life can intensify feelings of loneliness, meaninglessness, depression, guilt, and shame. But the Christian worldview offers a solution to all of these through a relationship with God through his Son and by his Spirit. Jesus shows people how to live. He endured the final storm of death and showed that his wisdom is adequate for everyone in his resurrection. Everyone is offered his destiny through faith.
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Chapter 8 interacts with intellectual and experiential objections to Christianity, demonstrating the Bible's clear teaching that Jesus is the only way of salvation. Because he is the one mediator between God and man, seekers and skeptics should patiently seek wisdom by observing his teachings while considering his life, his death, his resurrection, his ascension, and his offer of salvation to all who call upon him. Some of Jesus's followers have failed to live in ways that honor Jesus's perfect life while evil and suffering remain a blight upon humanity's peace and prosperity. Christianity, however, offers an understanding as to why evil exists, and it explains carefully how evil will ultimately be overcome through Jesus's finished work.
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Chapter 7 responds to the common criticism that Christianity was devised to control people's lives. This could not be more untrue. Jesus, his 12 apostles, as well as Mark, Luke, James, and Paul were pursued, persecuted, imprisoned, and tortured, and all but one were horrendously murdered for their beliefs. What control did they gain over others? None. Rather, these brave Christians risked everything in order to proclaim freedom. That is what absolute truth and absolute morality do—they bring freedom. Living in the wisdom of absolutes implies that people ought to study and analyze truth and discover universal principles for life.
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Chapter 6 discusses repentance and faith as the necessary responses to Jesus's redemption mission. When a person belongs to Jesus, they are declared righteous in God's sight, adopted into God's family, granted new creation life, and consecrated into God's service. The chapter also explains the holistic vision for the Christian life, which is sustained by God's corporate and personal means of grace, such as baptism, communion, the Word of God, and prayer. The Christian life affects every sphere and aspect of life. The Christian hope for restoration thus upholds a vision of glory, righteousness, and joy, a vision that demonstrates God's wisdom.
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Chapter 5 addresses the third act of the biblical storyline in which God reveals his wisdom in sending his Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to rescue his people from their sins. All the acts of the biblical storyline show God's character through his holiness and faithfulness to covenant relationships. Furthermore, Jesus's unique ministry shows that Jesus came to do what Israel could not do. Jesus lived a perfect life, died a sacrificial atoning death on the cross, and rose from the dead conquering sin, death, and the devil. In Christ, God calls fallen and broken humanity to respond to him in faith for the forgiveness of sins.
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Chapter 4 describes the second act of the biblical story which shows humanity's departure from wisdom through the fall of Adam and Eve into sin. After the fall, human history shows that the default nature of humanity is sinful idolatry. Nonetheless, God is always faithful to his covenant promises and his faithfulness should cause the Christian to live by faith. The hope and trust of Christians is not on themselves, but on God who is always faithful. Those who hold to a Christian worldview look forward to the divine promise of God and his kingdom.
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Chapter 3 traces the great wisdom of God as shown from the very beginning in the first act of the biblical storyline in which he created all things. The creation account reveals several important features of the Christian worldview regarding the nature of God, creation, and humanity. God is the sovereign Creator of all things. The universe that God created was ordered and good, and God created humanity in his image and gave them dominion over all that he created.
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Chapter 2 focuses on the ability to analyze and evaluate worldviews including the practical benefits for those who learn to recognize, understand, and evaluate worldview claims. All people develop foundational understandings about the world and build their lives upon those understandings. Worldviews are not all equally true, and, therefore, they do not all provide adequate foundations upon which to construct a life. In the end, everyone trusts in something. The vital question is not, "Who is trusting in something?" but, rather, "Who is trusting in something trustworthy?"
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Chapter 1 introduces the concept of worldview as a foundational set of assumptions to which one commits. This set of assumptions serves as a framework for understanding and interpreting reality. Everyone has a worldview. What we believe about the big questions of life affects our thought patterns, our attitudes, our decisions, and our behavior. The pursuit of wisdom calls us to more deeply investigate these big questions and our answers.
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The introduction to volume 1 of this audiobook sets forth the purpose of the book, introduces key concepts, and outlines the plan of the book as a whole. Two key concepts, worldview and wisdom, provide a framework for worldview studies by drawing on ancient, biblical wisdom in the exploration of contemporary worldview studies. Everyone has a worldview. What we believe about the big questions of life affects our thought patterns, our attitudes, our decisions, and our behavior. The pursuit of wisdom calls us to more deeply investigate these vital topics as we reflect on our own worldview commitments.
