Developing a Biblical Worldview in Our Children

Fuzzy, muddled, blurry, foggy. These words describe how people see when they have misplaced their glasses. Glasses help bring the world around us into focus. And when our prescription is correct, glasses allow us to see the physical world as it really is.

The metaphor of eyeglasses is an appropriate way to describe a worldview. A worldview is the way we see the world—the lens through which we interpret the events and circumstances around us. A biblical worldview interprets the world from a biblical perspective, understanding that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God, that God is the almighty Creator and sustainer of the universe and that our present world is suffering the effects of the Fall. Our worldview influences our understanding of God, morality, history and even ourselves.

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Every person has a worldview. Most worldviews— except Christianity—are based on the concept of evolution. How we filter our understanding of the world begins to develop early in life. Parents, teachers and peers have a major impact on the worldview of children. The Barna Group found in a USA survey that the worldview of most people was established by the time they are 13, and that only 4% of adults have a biblical worldview.1

The Bible teaches that parents are primarily responsible for the education of children (Deuteronomy 6:4–9; Ephesians 6:4). Whether sending them to public school, private school or choosing to homeschool, it is vital that children are given a biblical worldview.

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It is important that they see their parents reading the Bible and consulting it when making decisions. Parents should read it to their children and have family devotions centered on it. They should also talk about and critique movies, television programs, books or even sermons that conflict with a biblical worldview, while they also provide materials that reinforce a biblical worldview.