Christianity can save the world.

I can’t help it. I’m an outsider in this country and though I try not to, in the end I have this critiquing bias to how I engage with our culture. You would be like this if you left the US to live in my country. I hope it is an objective critiquing and not some shallow subjective opinioning.
I’m not the only one like this. In reality – every time we step out of our known culture into an unknown, foreign culture our critiquing antennas start rapidly signaling. This is the way we are made.

Add to this that I am a Christ follower – and you have a double whammy …..I not only critique our culture from my birth culture, but I critique our culture from my new birth culture.

I am a Scottish pastor with a huge interest in people’s “worldviews”.
If unfamiliar with that term, you could say a world view is somebody's beliefs; their understanding of life; their philosophy; their narrative identity; or (to quote Wendell Berry) “what works”.

Recently I’ve been reading about the clash some people feel between religious people bringing their ‘worldview’ into the marketplace, and especially into the public square.
This is not a new clash. In some senses it is a core value of America’s public policy – the separation of church and state.
[That topic is another blog some time but for the sake of the church I am an ardent supporter of such a separation.]

Here’s what I’m finding fascinating. Out of all world views – the Christian world view truly can save the world.

If the main argument against such views being brought into the public square is that they are sectarian and therefore divisive and controversial – Christianity stands distinct.

Think about it.

Let me share this stirring quote from Timothy Keller:

“Christianity not only leads its members to believe people of other faiths have goodness and wisdom to offer, it also leads them to expect that many will live lives morally superior to their own.”
[The Reason For God @ Timothy Keller]

Keller is insightful.
A Christian’s dual belief in both the doctrine of the universal image of God and the doctrine of universal sinfulness provides the Christian world view the best foundation for mutual cooperation. We believe everybody is capable of goodness and wisdom and at the same time expect ourselves only to sin!
As Keller writes - we should expect to find nonbelievers who are much nicer, kinder, wiser and better than us …because Christians are not accepted by God because of our moral perfection but because of Christ’s work on our behalf.

He continues, of all world views, Christianity most holds the ability “to explain and expunge the divisive tendencies within the human heart.”

This was most seen in the early church. Think how radically different a world view they practiced. In a culture were people were excluded and that was highly divisive based upon race, class or sex, Christians welcomed all irrespective of race, class or sex. At every layer of society outside the church there was division, superiority, exclusivity …but the world view of the early church, the ‘way that works’ ……was completely inclusive, so open to others.

This kind of world view soaked in forgiveness, mercy, grace, generosity, selfless giving, sacrificial giving – true love ……can save the world.

So returning to my critiquing bias. What gets me the most. Why is the church in our country (and in my birth country) so known for espousing an exclusive, divisive world view!!!!

Christianity can save the world …but maybe first Christianity needs to relearn its true worldview.