Pastoral Note—Committed to a Christian Worldview
Dear Cornerstone Family,
Most of us don’t think of a Friday night movie or the song playing on Spotify as a spiritual matter. But the truth is—every story we watch and every song we hum carries a message about what is real, what is good, and what is beautiful.
Ken Myers noted decades ago in All God’s Children and Blue Suede Shoes that the culture is trying every day in a thousand different ways to influence what and how you think and feel (desire). More than ever, through the blitzkrieg of media, our convictions are being confronted, and new sensibilities are (trying to be) shaped. And every bit of it is designed and curated by algorithms to sell us (quite literally) some version of what matters, the good life.
As Christians, our minds must engage in the world as if Jesus Christ is Lord, not only of Sunday mornings, but of Saturday nights and every other day of the week, too. A Christian mind is one that knows Christ cares not just about your Bible reading and prayer life (he does care about this!) but your streaming queues and social media habits too. Life cannot be easily split into “spiritual” and “secular” compartments, and whenever we do that, the secular will slowly govern everything, including our so-called “Christian” lives.
Having watched many children grow up in the faith and walk away from it, I’m struck by how few of them thoughtfully engaged the faith and found it wanting. Usually, they just drifted away over time. Pop culture’s vision of what matters won out. Like Demas, they fell out of love with Christ and fell in love with the present world (2 Timothy 4:10).
Paul’s remedy for this is not to run from the world but to renew our minds within it (Romans 12:1-2). The word “think” in Philippians 4:8 means to ponder, weigh, and reckon. It describes a habit of mind that transforms the whole person by learning to “take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5).
Practically, how might one live this way? Well, one idea comes from Julie Davis, co-host of A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast. She suggests learning to ask four questions all the time while engaging in the world:
What does this say about God?
What does it say about humanity?
What does it present as the basis for right and wrong?
What does it claim is the meaning of life?
Whether watching a movie or having a thoughtful conversation with a neighbor, these questions will help frame and faithfully categorize the engagement. Then, after you’ve asked and answered these four questions, ask one more: How does the gospel answer, correct, or fulfill what I just saw or heard?
Now, if you’re not accustomed to engaging your mind in this way, it will take a minute. Be patient with the process. You may not always have clear answers. Do not worry; that will come in time as you practice and grow in wisdom. But the work of slowing yourself down and being thoughtful and reflective from a Christian perspective will help you grow in understanding, wisdom, and gospel hope (1 Peter 3:5) over time.
In a word, a Christian worldview is not just the life of the mind, though it begins there. It is an essential part of a whole life commitment to being a disciple of Jesus Christ. For in everything we think, feel, say, and do, we desire to follow Christ, for he is the very embodiment of truth, goodness, and beauty (John 14:6).
Your servant,
