How a “You do You” Culture Has Made Us Vulnerable to the Coronavirus
“You do you.”
Perhaps there’s no phrase that captures our current cultural moment better. Back in 2015, Colson Whitehead of the New York Times Magazine, lamented this phrase, arguing that it “perfectly captures our narcissistic culture.”
Indeed, it is hard to disagree. “You do you” embodies our culture’s commitment to personal fulfillment, self-actualization, and the dismissal of any truth claims outside of the self. It means we get to create our own realities, our own right and wrong, and, perhaps most importantly, our own meaning.
And if we are the creators of our own little worlds, then we are also our own little gods. And no one gets to … Continue reading...
Bumper Sticker Worldviews: Do They Make Sense?
Since the Christian worldview is largely on the defensive these days, it is easy to forget that non-Christians also have a worldview. They are not neutral or undecided about the nature of reality, but have a network of beliefs that is designed to explained the way the world works, or more importantly, the way they think it ought to work.
Some non-Christians may not even realize they have a worldview, and even those who know they have one rarely put all their intellectual cards on the table. You have to sniff around a bit to determine what some people really believe.
But then, in other situations, people just put their … Continue reading...
A Classic Example of an Incoherent Worldview
As one considers the values of Hollywood and American pop culture, it would be easy to conclude that no one is concerned all that much about morality. The dominant message is that people should live whatever life-style suits their personal preferences. What is right for one person is not necessarily what is right for another.
Or so it would seem.
Just about the time you are convinced that Hollywood thinks morality is relative, a major entertainment figure steps forward and speaks out vigorously about a moral cause. Maybe it’s the environment. Or perhaps its racism. Or maybe the moral cause is caring for the poor. Regardless, it turns out that, … Continue reading...
New Review of James Anderson’s “What’s Your Worldview?”
James Anderson, Associate Professor of Theology and Philosophy here at RTS Charlotte, has written a wonderful little book entitled What’s Your Worldview?. Over at Reformation 21, Gabriel Fluhrer has offered a very positive review. Although there are many books on the topic of worldviews (maybe too many), Fluhrer argues that Anderson’s is unique. He says, “Anderson’s work might be the best brief worldview book to date.”
He concludes his review:
…In the end there is very little to criticize in Anderson’s work, even if one is not a Christian. Those who hold to any one of the twenty or so worldviews Anderson scrutinizes will find their
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The Battle of Worldviews: Dualism and Theism in Tolkien and Lewis
Everyone has a worldview. And every worldview has to deal with a key issue: the origins of good and evil. This is the perennial question of our existence and no one can escape it. Even fictional worldviews have to account for good and evil (if they are going to make any sense).
One possibility is to suggest that there is no such thing as good and evil. On a materialist-evolutionary worldview, where there is nothing but matter in motion, concepts like “good” and “evil” are merely human constructs. But such a worldview leads directly to Nihilism. We are forced to argue that the actions of people like Jerry Sandusky are … Continue reading...