This whole idea of penetrating Christian insight rests on a basic supposition: A biblical world view is the perspective for all real discernment. Philosophy then becomes extremely important. The way a man looks at the world determines what he sees, our paradigms anticipate our understandings.

The humanist has elevated man to the throne. Man's good has thus become the essence of all real purpose in the world; the ultimate good has then become whatever seems to be good for man.

The hedonist has his philosophy, too. The flesh is all that matters. Beautiful bodies and orchestrated passions bring the real meaning to life. He must always be leering and selfish because his playboy philosophy causes him to look at this world through sensuous glasses.

The existentialist sees experience as the only reality. To him, all that matters is what he feels at any given moment. This philosophical system has made deep inroads upon modern thought.

The materialist (who may or may not be a Marxist) is required by this world view to discount Christian discernment immediately. He believes that the only things that are real are those which are seen or those things which can be felt.

The Christian, by his very nature, by his faith, believes otherwise. He looks at those things which are tangible and real, and he says, "All these things will pass away." The Christian believes the invisible is a reality and that it is more permanent than that which is seen and sensed.

So the philosophic base becomes very important here. There are a thousand philosophies, and they all might be discussed. They will not be, of course.

But the importance of philosophy to Christian belief can hardly be overestimated.

The comparatively peaceful nineteenth century reflected the substantial unanimity of opinion and educational aims of western civilization. Particularly in Great Britain and America the prevailing philosophy was broadly Christian. People rather erroneously believed that God more or less directly governs the universe, and the curricula of American colleges usually culminated in a course in Theism. For over a century Bishop Butler's famous Analogy of Religion was a standard textbook, and toward the end of that era James Orr's The Christian View of God and the World became almost as popular.¹

It is not difficult to surmise that the books by Butler and Orr are no longer popular due to the decline of Christian influence. Popularity, however, does not have much to do with truth. And if Christian truth has not changed, then these authors' ideas are essential even today. They certainly supply a philosophic base upon which Christian thought and discernment may safely rest.

But what did they postulate? What makes Orr's ideas, for example, unacceptable to today's world? Below are listed the nine major statements that Dr. Orr felt would best summarize the Christian world view.

I.        First, then, the Christian view affirms the existence of a Personal, Ethical, Self-Revealing God. It is thus at the outset a system of Theism, and as such is opposed to all systems of Atheism, Agnosticism, Pantheism, or mere Deism.

II.       The Christian view affirms the creation of the world by God, His immanent presence in it. His transcendence over it, and His holy and wise government of it for moral ends.

III.      The Christian view affirms the spiritual nature and dignity of man - his creation in the Divine image, and destination to bear the likeness of God in a perfected relation of sonship.

IV.      The Christian view affirms the fact of the sin and disorder of the world, not as something belonging to the Divine idea of it, and inherent in it by necessity, but as something which has entered it by the voluntary turning aside of man from his allegiance to his Creator, and from the path of his normal development. The Christian view of the world, in other words, involves a Fall as the presupposition of its doctrine of Redemption; whereas the modern view of the world affirms that the so-called Fall was in reality a rise, and denies by consequence the need of Redemption in the scriptural sense.

V.      The Christian view affirms the historical Self-Revelation of God to the patriarchs and in the line of Israel, and, as brought to light by this, a gracious purpose of God for the salvation of the world, centering in Jesus Christ, His Son, and the new Head of humanity.

VI.     The Christian view affirms that Jesus Christ was not mere man, but the eternal Son of God - a truly Divine Person - who in the fulness of time took upon Him our humanity, and who, on the ground that in Him as man there dwells the fulness of the Godhead bodily, is to be honored, worshipped, and trusted, even as God is. This is the transcendent 'mystery of godliness' (1 Tim. 3:16) - the central and amazing assertion of the Christian view - by reference to which our relation is determined to everything else which it contains.

VII.    The Christian view affirms the Redemption of the world through a great act of Atonement - this Atonement to be appropriated by faith, and availing for all who do not willfully withstand and reject its grace.

VIII.  The Christian view affirms that the historical aim of Christ's work was the founding of a kingdom of God on earth, which includes not only the spiritual salvation of individuals, but a new order of society, the result of the action of the spiritual forces set in motion through Christ.

IX.     Finally, the Christian view affirms that history has a goal, and that the present order of things will be terminated by the appearance of the Son of Man for judgment, the resurrection of the dead, and the final separation of righteous and wicked - final, so far as the Scriptures afford any light, or entitle us to hold out any hope.²

Thus there is really only one philosophy in which Christian discernment can function. I call it here the biblical world view.

To state this philosophy even more briefly is difficult, but perhaps necessary. The biblical world view is just that - a philosophy about the world based on the Judeo-Christian book called the Bible. This book alone is a sufficient and inerrant authority in all realms. It is the repository of inexhaustible truth; it clearly delineates right and wrong. There is a God. A devil. Sin and hell. Heaven too. Justice ultimately will be done. Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Savior of the world. He will return, and all history will culminate in Him. The prophecies which described the events in Jesus' earthly life as much as 800 years in advance also made clear that one day upon His return the reins of all human government will fall into His hand.

The biblical world view also regards the church of Jesus Christ as an object of His special affection, the bride which He is gathering to Himself. This worldwide fellowship of heart-believers is the church. Jesus Christ continues to build His church. And that church is at war with the gates of hell.

Christian discernment rests upon this philosophic base. Without it, there cannot be even rudimentary understanding of all that is about to be said. Within the biblical world view, the Christian sees with startling clarity, with amazing insight. His wisdom comes from God himself.

Little wonder that this Christian discernment is so highly prized. No surprise that the wisdom of the world is always discarded at last.

1. Gordon H. Clark. A Christian View of Men and Things. p. 13.
2. James Orr, The Christian View of God and the World, pp. 32- 34.

Chapter 4