Worldviews form as bits and pieces of interrelated ideas come at us, and not as fully formed systems of belief. They are shaped by such diverse things as national heritage, religious beliefs or practices, family or peer influence, education and of course media, as well as from many other sources. Formation of a worldview is not a static thing, but fluid and dynamic, and while the basic structure of a worldview may endure, the details are fluid and change as we experience new events, conflicts and crises, triumphs and relationships.
For the Christian, to develop a worldview that is in alignment with Scripture is paramount. As Paul says,”Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Rom. 12:1) As Christians, we are each called to be actively examining our beliefs, and where there is incongruity between our worldview and Scripture (and there always will to some degree) we are to seek to conform more fully to Christ as He is revealed in the Word.
About this Wilkens and Sanford remark in Hidden Worldviews: In reality, our stories are structured, in larger part, by forces that reside beneath the surface. My actions manifest the subterranean influence of my self-understanding, my convictions and my values. Why is this so important? What my character becomes, is also molded by what I believe and value.
As Christians, most-if not all of us, would have no problem saying that it is often very difficult to live a life that is consistent with what we say we believe. At the same time, we should agree that:
1) the central convictions of a Christian worldview are consistent with each other and
2) acting in accordance with Christian convictions yields good results in our lives (and glorify God)
Without reflection, ideas contrary to a Christian worldview creep into our convictional beliefs, and we might not even realize it. The problem here is that, while confessional beliefs exist on the conscious level (which must be the case if we “confess” them), many of our convictional beliefs work on the subconscious level.
Our Christian story can easily be hijacked by alien stories that take our lives in directions we don’t want to go. Because what we are not conscious of can hurt us, it is important to take an inventory of our true convictions.
-excerpts from Hidden Worldviews: Eight Cultural Stories That Shape Our Lives by Steve Wilkens and Mark Sanford