What a World of Difference a Worldview Makes

*Disclaimer* To the readers of this blog: Even though some of the ideas in this entry may seem somewhat animistic and religiously relativistic, I do believe in the Christ, the resurrection of the body, and being saved by and only by the grace of God. However, I think it would be wrong for us to completely and uncritically believe everything that has developed and evolved in Western Christianty and at the same time completely throw away and discard all the other ideas of other religions and belief systems.

This semester I will be taking a class on colonial and revolutionary American and I kind of came across a very interesting observation as I studied. As I read and studied the beginning of the textbook, I realized that the book took a very multi-cultural viewpoint and emphasized the importance of gaining a balanced view of the cultures and history around us. At first, I was a little surprised, considering that I was expecting to be learning about the founding fathers and the creators of our nation. As I thought about it further, I realized that most of the history is very centered on the people of our own ethnicity, with a few sprinkles of other nationalities spread throughout. It was hard for me to realize how much things change when not seen through the lens of our own culture, but it was really eye-opening when I took a different look at it.

It really is amazing when to think about how world history really has been changed by the different world views of cultures. It has caused conflicts and sometimes has prevented some people from understanding each other at all. As a historian, the writing of history will soon begin a huge revolution in how it writes and perceives the world. I was a little confused when I saw that I wasn't going to totally be studying the history that I though I would be, but later I realized that it is my duty to study the history of the world...through the eyes of every man, woman, and child.

With this in mind, it is very easy for me to become muddled in worldview interpretation and cultural relativism. So how can we know the complete and full truth? What if the truth is so complicated we can't even begin to wrap our minds around it? In light of these ideas, I believe that absolute truth is out there...if we only ask for it. Perhaps we can pick and choose what is real truth from our culture and other cultures we will see and grow closer to God...through the eyes of all his people. Perhaps the Tower of Babel was something bigger, not just a seperation of superficial language, but also a mixing of understanding, perception, and worldview. All this can only make God bigger in our eyes, thoughts and hearts.

Perhaps thinking this way may muddy the waters of an already complex issue, but in another way it brings me closer to worship of God, that we have an extremely big God who is using all of his children all over the world to reveal His glory.