There are these two young fish swimming along, and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says, “Morning, boys. How’s the water?” And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes, “What… is water?” [1]

I am currently teaching a Bible class on the Johannine Literature, looking at major themes throughout these important writings. A couple of weeks ago we discussed the humanity of Jesus, Docetism, and Platonic Dualism. As we discussed these ideas, someone finally voiced what so many were thinking: “This just seems crazy… What would make them believe ideas like these?” The conversation then allowed us to talk about the power of worldviews—all of us have them, but because they are the way that we understand the world around us, they are ingrained in who we are and thus can be invisible to us. 

Oxford Dictionary defines worldview as "a largely unconscious but generally coherent set of presuppositions and beliefs that every person has which shape how we make sense of the world and everything in it. This in turn influences such things as how we see ourselves as individuals, how we interpret our role in society, how we deal with social issues, and what we regard as truth.” [2] It is unconscious—we must think and reflect deeply before we can even begin to comprehend it is there. It is formative, shaping how we perceive, discern, and make meaning of all around us. It is our truth… because it is the set of lenses through which we make sense of everything else.

What is your worldview? And how do you know?

There are many that permeate our American mindset. Here’s just a sample:

• Rabid nationalism: The belief that America is exceptional and God’s gift to the world. We exist to keep world order and “peace,” and our way is the best way. To anyone who does not recognize that or is not on board with our agenda, you better stay out of our way.

• Upward Mobility: Life is about achieving, gaining, spending. The good life is having all that you could ever want—the best clothes, the nicest car, the trophy significant other, the best job and more promotions at work, money in the bank, social power and clout, etc. Those who have these things are “good,” and anyone who doesn’t is “bad” or “lazy” or “less.”

• Consumerism: Things must always be bigger, newer, better. And it’s all about me. I do the things that meet my needs. In church, that means a place with a worship style I like and a preacher who doesn’t say anything too challenging. In faith, it’s about what Jesus has done for me, not necessarily what I can do for the Kingdom as I live out of faith and grace. In life, it means getting as much as I can and using whatever resources may be available, even if it might be detrimental to someone else. 

• Rampant individualism: This runs through so many of the others, but it’s the idea that the individual is more important than the group. From the very beginning of our lives, we are taught that we are separate individuals who are responsible for our own outcomes and destinies. Henley’s Invictus fits so well here—“I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul.” [3] But this even comes down to how we view history and current events; it’s as though we say, “I didn’t do those things… So why should I be taught about them?” We hold loose associations and cut ties when it is inconvenient. 

These just scratch the surface of the American worldview… And they are so ingrained in our culture that we might feel slightly uneasy or defensive at even having them called out. 

But as people who follow Jesus, we are called to “take every thought captive to obey Christ” and “not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” [4] We must begin to view the world through a different lens, one that adopts the priorities of the Kingdom over those of our culture.

How do we develop a Christian worldview that begins to transform our lives?

1. Prayer: It begins with God’s guidance. Ask God to reveal what areas of your life still need to be given over to him. Where do our hearts and minds need to be transformed?

2. Discover what is discipling you: We are all being formed by the things we watch, read, converse about, and get angry over, and by the people that we are around. Discover where you are being shaped.

3. Pick one area to work on: You cannot fix everything all at once. Instead, through God’s grace and by the Spirit, start looking for ways to get incrementally better. That may mean consuming less or focusing on relationships over time-management. It will be different for each of us. But work to improve 1% each day.

4. Allow Scripture to permeate your life: Find small ways to be in God’s word. This could mean memorizing a Scripture you reflect on each day, or listening to a chapter on an app, listening to a podcast about Scripture, etc. If God’s word truly is a “a lamp to my feet and a light to my path,” [5] then we should focus on letting Scripture shape the way we interpret and interact with our world.

At the beginning of this post, I noted that Wallace asks, “What is water?” What we need is for the water we swim in to be baptized by the work of Jesus.

1. Parable attributed to David Foster Wallace. As read in https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/this-is-water; slightly edited. 
2. https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803124830471
3. William Ernest Henley, “Invictus.” In In Hospital.
4.  2 Corinthians 10:5 and Romans 12:2, respectively.
5.  Psalms 119:105