Worldview

Education for life founded on a biblical worldview. I hope that sounds familiar to you, as it is Dalat’s mission statement. Over the last year and a half, Dalat teachers have worked hard to implement the second half of that statement. We’ve taken time to study exactly what a biblical worldview is and how to integrate that into our classrooms and school practices. You may have heard your kids talking about this as they come home and wondered what this is all about.

Today, I want to focus on just one word of this statement: worldview. We all have a worldview, whether we recognize it or not. In Creation Regained, Albert Wolter says that a worldview is a “framework of basic beliefs about things.” The beliefs we hold about core foundational issues are an important part of what makes us human. Worldview is much deeper than religion. In religion, we agree to accept and abide by a certain set of beliefs and practices. Our worldviews often exist on a more subconscious level. We don’t always take the time to examine or articulate what we really believe.

Why does worldview matter? It functions, according to Wolter, “as a guide to life.” Every time we make a decision, our choice is informed by our underlying worldview. Let me share a few real-life examples from the past week. A few of my colleagues are in the midst of the grieving process over the death or serious illness of a loved one. How do I respond to them? Whether I say, “he lived a good life,” or “you’ll see him again someday,” depends on my answer to the worldview question, “what happens to a person at death?” In a conversation with one of the music teachers, the question of emphasizing process or product came up. This leads to the worldview question, “what is the purpose of life?” As part of our professional development, the school leadership has been studying the Clifton Strengths Finder. This discussion led me back to the worldview question, “what is a human being?” 

Another important thing to understand is that our worldviews are very individual. Our upbringing, education, and life experiences shape our beliefs about the world. This gives all of us, as parents and educators, the enormous responsibility of passing a worldview on to our students. Worldview, however, is not learned like mathematics. Rather, it is acquired through the many interactions and conversations we have, even about topics that don’t seem very important. I encourage you to take some time to consider what message your conversations and actions are conveying to your students. When opportunities arise to discuss why you hold a certain belief, talk about it. When you face a conflict with your child, consider whether there is a worldview collision. If we don’t take the time to pass on our worldview to the students, they will acquire one from another source.