Comments on: What's Your Worldview?

By: Steve N

Steve N — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

** Overall **
My classification is: Moderate Biblical Worldview Thinker
My score is: 91 points of 170 possible, 53%

** Section By Section **
Section: Civil Government: 12% Socialist Worldview Thinker
Section: Economics: 33% Secular Humanist Worldview Thinker
Section: education: 41% Secular Humanist Worldview Thinker
Section: family: 62% Moderate Biblical Worldview Thinker
Section: Law: 46% Secular Humanist Worldview Thinker
Section: Religion: 74% Moderate Biblical Worldview Thinker
Section: Science: 31% Secular Humanist Worldview Thinker
Section: Social Issues: 81% Strong Biblical Worldview Thinker

The funniest thing about the test is that the "right" answers (no pun intended :-)) are ALL either strongly agree or disagree. So its just downright unchristian to have a moderated ("tend to (dis)agree) attitude. God, and you wonder why the world hates us. They're supposed to hate us because we smell of Christ, but instead we smell of just good ol' bovine feces...

Another thing is that only "No Opinion" scores negative points (I only had 1 no opinion, but tons of "tend to"). If you strongly agree with something with which you "should" strongly disagree, you get -1. Amazing it's actually "worse" to reserve judgement and have "no opinion" than it is to have a strongly "incorrect" opinion.

So this means I'm a socialist, secular humanist, moderate Biblical, strong Biblical thinker. This is what I would have expected, and consider it to be the highest compliment I've received today.

The following two articles by Jack Heller in the The New Pantagruel offer significant insights, IMO, to this phenomenon:

Christian College Professor Flunks Christian Worldview Tests

Further Scandal: Christian College Professor Doesn't Teach from a Christian Worldview

This also has generated a lively (as always) banter in tNP discussion forums, in which Heller is a member. On the forum I had taken a soft position on "Christian Worldview" (that it could exist) vis-a-vis the view that there really is no such thing a unique Christian Worldview. Even in the soft position that there may be such a thing, I agreed up front that it certainly wouldn't be what these guys are selling.

By: Funky Dung

Funky Dung — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

"salvisific" ?? I assume you mean "salvific."

I had just woken up when I wrote that. Yes, of course I meant salvific. There's no spell check in Haloscan comments.

By: Steve N

Steve N — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

NOTA BENE: I do not necessarily support the positions of the test's authors.

As your scores reflect…

The question about sins is really about Original Sin. Do all humans bear the stain of sin and need a savior? The answer is yes (though a Catholic would say that Mary was cleansed by Christ's salvisific act in an anticipatory manner at conception).

Absolutely. But wouldn't the purveyors of Christian Worldview come up with a better way of framing the question?

"salvisific" ?? I assume you mean "salvific."

Cheers!

By: Steve N

Steve N — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

Did you notice that

George W. Bush is the President of the United States of America.

showed up under the "family" section? Ha! Yeah, like does lunacy run in your family?

Oh-n-this:

Every person that has ever lived on earth, but Jesus Christ, has committed sins.

Correct answer: Strongly Agree. But what about 1.4 million aborted fetuses each year? Am I do believe that they "committed sins"? This is two-sides-mouth talking, IMO. Why wouldn't they ask: "Anyone who has had the opportunity to commit sin, has done so." Or something like that?

And another simple test of knowledge that has nothing to do with "worldview":

The wording "separation of Church and State" is found in the U.S. Constitution.

Oh, enough ragging on this. It is clear that such a test is just as likely to confirm a Conservative Muslim as a "Strong Biblical Thinker" as it is to label a liberal, orthodox Christian a "Secular Humanist."

Peace!

By: h2

h2 — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

I scored 80 out of 170 (sorry, I didn't save the whole result)– disappointing results for someone who was raised in a relatively fundamental church (apparently they didn't teach me well enough about the sanctity of the exact form of government God prefers). Yes, I scored especially low because of answers to questions about why representative democracy was more Godly than a pure democracy — I made the mistake of not knowing God's exact feelings in the political sciences.

I was also befuddled by this question:
"Believers should not only base their philosophy in Christ, but they should know how to respond to the critics and skeptics of Christianity with the reasoning and basis of our biblical worldview."

I was a little unsure of what was meant by the words "our biblical worldview."

I did well (according to them) on the straight religion part, and apparently on social issues also, but I apparently missed the Bible's many nuanced cues on government.

By: Steve N

Steve N — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

I'd be really curious to see how Theo scores on this quiz. I'd bet he's more of a Biblical Worldview Thinker than Funky or I in certain areas! It might be enough to raise his overall score above mine (low end of moderate Biblical Worldview).

By: John

John — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

If you look at the rest of their website it would seem that this group adheres strongly to the belief that if you you want salvation you should, "give all your money to Jesus. But make the check out to me."

By: Steve N

Steve N — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

Lest anyone get the impression that I don't Christian Thought has any impact on the way we ought to view the world, let may state what I do believe about a "Christian Worldview".

Christian thought pervades our lives and should affect everything we believe about everything. More importantly it should affect everything we do. It is clear from Scripture, reason, and Tradition, that there are some non-negotiable viewpoints that every Christian ought to have. Some are proscriptive, others are prescriptive. Certainly they intrude upon and inform our thoughts & actions in the social & economic arenas. But such strictures do not rise to the level of a unique "Christian Worldview". There is no unique "Christian Answer" to the socialism-capitalism debate. There are definitely Christian answers to issues of greed, corruption, and charity, but no unique idea that says all Christians should support economic system X.

Cheers!

By: Funky Dung

Funky Dung — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

NOTA BENE: I do not necessarily support the positions of the test's authors.

The George Bush question is meant to sniff out those who do not trust the election results. Why it shows up in the family category is beyond me. I suspect it's a programming goof.

The question about sins is really about Original Sin. Do all humans bear the stain of sin and need a savior? The answer is yes (though a Catholic would say that Mary was cleansed by Christ's salvisific act in an anticipatory manner at conception).

By: alektra

alektra — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

The Lord apparently also doesn't hear the cry of the poor in the test, either. I'm praying that God softens these men's hearts to the evils they portray in the name of God.