We Need Worldview-Confronting Preaching

The Bible is powerful. Every Christian who has a proper view of Scripture will agree with this. The Bible convicts, corrects, rebukes, and trains in righteousness. It is living and active, sharper than a two edged sword. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. So how can a preacher or teacher in the Church clearly present this powerful Word to a congregation? The answer is worldview-confronting preaching.

There are many types of preaching and different forms of sermon structure. But regardless of the structure, preaching should help the people of God see with clarity the truth of God so their lives are changed. That last part is key. Christians are called to be doers of the word, not hearers only. In a culture that seduces with the subtle sins of self-determination, worship of money, and pride, Pastors and teachers need to clearly contrast what the word of God says with what the culture says.

In this post, I want to lay out what worldview-confronting preaching is, why it is important, and how to do it when you are preaching or teaching.

Nothing is more important in the present time than to show how the Bible specifically corrects the false beliefs our modern culture holds

It is only through exposure to the living word of God that people can see the surpassing value of Christ and have their hearts transformed through the Holy Spirit.l

Worldview-confronting preaching defined

When I say “worldview-confronting preaching”, I am really talking about a form of application which is directed to the listeners. Other people have written far better definitions of “worldview” than I can in this post. For our purposes, “worldview” is a set of lived out beliefs and values. There are numerous sources which affect one’s worldview and one’s worldview affects how a person interprets reality around them.

Christians want to hold a set of lived out beliefs and values which align with Scripture. They want to interpret reality as God defines it, not how they define it. However, even the strongest Christian is influenced by sin and the culture around them.

Christians need to have their worldviews constantly corrected and conformed to the teaching of Scripture

This does not happen automatically. And that is why I say “worldview-confronting preaching is needed. This type of preaching goes right to the heart of the issue: people have wrong & sinful beliefs and values which cause them to live in opposition to God and His word. The goal of worldview-confronting preaching is to expose this; to show that everyone is influenced by wrong thoughts about God, Christ, ourselves, those around us, and the world in general.

The second aspect of worldview-confronting preaching is to then present the worldview Scripture gives. You show that God’s ways are right, are clear, are superior to the values and beliefs the world holds. It is through this contrast that your listeners can see their wrong beliefs for what they are and to see the beauty and wisdom of how God has ordered the world.

The importance of worldview-confronting preaching

I don’t think it is a great secret that you and I live in an age of excessive information. Everyone, including Christians, is bombarded with hundreds of worldviews, values, facts, and arguments every single day. Whether through the television, the internet, social media, news, music, art, or simply hanging around other people, it can become exhausting to be constantly discerning with what you listen to.

The danger is all this information is not neutral. It has an effect on you. As you are constantly exposed to various secular worldviews, you can unconsciously start to adopt them. Here is an example: imagine you are working in an office full of people whose sole purpose in life is to advance in their career and get more money. They are all smart, and driven, but living purely for themselves.

What kind of impact would your coworker’s worldview have on you? Even if it is subtle, I would argue to some degree that love of money and selfish ambition would influence you. Perhaps you start thinking more about money than you used to. Maybe because you want to earn the respect of your coworkers, you start working harder and longer hours, but for the wrong reasons.

What do you need on a Sunday in this example? You need a Pastor to expound Scripture clearly and show how love of money, according to God, leads to ruin but “godliness with contentment is great gain.”

Worldview-confronting preaching aims to equip congregants with the Bible’s worldview so when they are confronted with false worldviews every single day, they stay firmly fixed on what God’s word says

Practical steps to take

After expositing a text of Scripture using the tools available, what do you do next? I would argue there are four “steps” you have to take to preach in a worldview-confronting way.

1. Explain the right beliefs, values, and actions as laid out in the text

The first step is to clearly communicate the worldview God lays out in the text you are studying. Ask these questions of your text :

• What does this text have to say about God? About mankind? Christ?
• Are there any things in this text that are held up as valuable? As worthless? Dangerous? Good?
• What commands, explicit or implicit, are given in this text?
• How does this text explain the world around you?

There are other questions you could ask, but these are a good start. Your goal should be to connect the specific text you are teaching to the present reality your listeners are experiencing. What is the worldview God communicates in this text? Lay it out for your congregation so they can see it.

2. Contrast this with the beliefs, values, and actions the culture has

Once your listeners see what the Biblical worldview is, remind them how completely different it is from the worldview of the culture. Use these questions to help:

• What beliefs are common in the culture that are opposite of this text?
• What are the things the culture values which this text shows are worthless? Are there things the culture considers worthless that this text declares are valuable?
• Describe the wrong actions that are common in the culture because they don’t believe this text
• How does the culture describe the world which is in opposition to this text?

The key here is to accurately describe the culture’s worldview. Don’t just make up things about “the culture.” Don’t commit a straw man fallacy. Also don’t only focus on the most extreme beliefs of the culture all the time. Deal with subtle things like self-love or pride or excessive busyness for its own sake.

3. Show where adopting the culture’s beliefs, values, and actions leads a person

You could simply stop after the first two steps. But oftentimes, it is not enough to show the difference between the Biblical worldview and the culture. You need to show that the culture’s worldview isn’t merely wrong; it is ruinous. It will destroy those who follow it, even though it promises happiness. To do this, answer these questions:

• What happens when a person adopts this belief which is contrary to God’s word?
• How will following the world instead of God take away a person’s happiness and peace?
• What poor or sinful choices will a person make if they follow the world instead of God’s word?

Oftentimes, Christians let the culture inform their worldview subtly over time because they think there is some utility in it. Perhaps they think a certain belief will make them happy or it seems more loving or it is safe or it will make them more “effective”. To combat subtle syncretism, you must show only Scripture’s path leads to life and all others lead to death. Warn your congregation of the dangers of following the world instead of God.

4. Expound the superiority of Scripture’s worldview and how it better explains reality

Finally, after showing the path of sin leads to ruin, circle back to God’s truth. Display again for your listeners how much better God’s ways are. Leave you listener without a doubt that what the Bible says is better in every way than the voices of the culture. Here are some questions to help:

• How does the worldview presented in your text display God’s glory? God’s wisdom?
• In what ways does this text better represent reality compared with the culture’s worldview?
• What promises does God make with regards to this text?
• How does this text connect to God’s plan for the world? To Jesus and the Cross?

For the preacher, this last step is a time for worship. God has graciously shown His people the path to life. He has given them wisdom for how to live in this complicated world. There is blessing when you follow God’s word.

Conclusion

Churches need worldview-confronting preaching. No body benefits from preaching which says “peace, peace when there is no peace.” Part of “equipping the saints for the work of service” is helping them see that God’s ways lead to life and the world’s ways lead to death. Don’t expect your congregation to connect the dots themselves. Clearly show the contrast between the biblical worldview and the world’s explanation of reality.

If you truly believe the Bible contains the truth and the only path to life, take every opportunity to share with other people just how unique and wonderful God’s truth is. There is not worldview, false religion, or belief system that compares to it. When you directly show the superiority of the Bible’s worldview over and against the culture’s worldview, you are glorifying God by showing His infinite worth and superiority over every man-made philosophy.

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