Worldview Essay Instructions
Rationale for the Worldview Essay
Every person has a worldview whether he realizes it or not.
What is a worldview? James W. Sire defines a worldview as:
[A] commitment, a fundamental
orientation of the heart, that can be expressed as a story or in a set of
presuppositions (assumptions which may be true, partially true or entirely
false) that we hold (consciously or subconsciously, consistently or inconsistently)
about the basicconstitution of reality, and that provides the foundation on
which we live and move and have our being.[1]
Stated more succinctly, “…[A] worldview is simply the total
set of beliefs that a person has about the biggest questions in life.”[2] F.
Leroy Forlines describes such questions as the “inescapable questions of life.”[3]
Life’s inescapable questions include the following: “Is there a God? If so,
what is He like? How can I know Him? Who am I? Where am I? How can I tell right
from wrong? Is there life after death? What should I and what can I do about
guilt? How can I deal with my inner pain?”[4]
Life’s biggest, inescapable questions relate to whether there is a God, human
origins, identity, purpose, and the hereafter, just to mention a few.
Satisfying answers to the “inescapable questions of life”
are provided by the Holy Scriptures. The Holy Scriptures, consisting of the Old
and New Testaments, form the starting point and foundation for the biblicalworldview.More
specifically related to our purposes, the apostle Paul reflects several
components of the biblical worldview in his letter to the Romans.
The apostle Paul authored Romans toward the end of his third
missionary journey, about 57 A.D. He addressed this letter specifically to the
Christians in Rome. At the time the church in Rome consisted of Jewish and
Gentile believers, with Gentile Christians in the majority. Paul wrote to the
Christians in Rome in order to address specific concerns and challenges they
were facing. While Romans was an occasional letter (not a systematic theology),
Paul presents the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a very systematic fashion. The
Gospel is actually the overarching theme of Romans as Paul spells this out in
his programmatic statement in 1:16–17. As the systematic presentation of the
Gospel of Jesus Christ, Romans is foundational to the biblical/Christian worldview.
Recognizing that Romans is not a systematic theology and
does not contain all the essential truths that are relevant to a worldview per
se, the apostle Paul articulates truths that are foundational to the biblical worldview.
In Romans 1–8, Paul addresses certain components of a worldview that relate to
the natural world, human identity, human relationships, and culture.
In a 750–1000-word essay, describe what Romans 1–8 teaches
regarding the natural world, human identity, human relationships, and culture.
Furthermore, explain how this teaching ofthese topics affects your worldview.
Make sure that you address each of these topics in your essay.
·
As an essay, it must be written with excellent
grammar, spelling, and style.
·
Begin your essay with an interesting
introduction that contains a precisely stated thesis. End your essay with a
strong conclusion that summarizes your main points succinctly.
·
The body of your essay must address the
specified components of the assignment in excellent grammatical style. Build
your essay with solid topic paragraphs.
·
Your essay must be typed in a Microsoft Word
document using Times New Roman, 12-point font.
·
It mustbe single spaced, and must contain 750–1000
words.
·
All sources must be cited, and a bibliography
must be included.
·
Do not footnote Scripture references; cite them
parenthetically within the essay body following the quotation or allusion to
the biblical text.
[1]
James W. Sire, The Universe Next Door,
5th ed. (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2009), 20.
[2]
Jonathan Morrow, Think Christianly:
Looking at the Intersection of Faith and Culture (Grand Rapids: Zondervan,
2011), 69.
[3] F.
Leroy Forlines, The Quest for Truth:
Answering Life’s Inescapable Questions (Nashville: Randall House, 2001), 1.
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