The Inescapable Lens: Why Worldview Matters to Christian Education

There’s a well-known proverb that says that if you want to know what water is like, don’t ask a fish. It can’t answer because water is all it knows, and it has never thought about what water is like. It will understand water if it leaves its fish tank and gets into contact with air. In a similar way, our worldview is often invisible to us until we’re confronted with a different way of seeing the world.

The word “worldview” comes from the German philosopher Kant, who coined the term Weltanschauung—literally “world perception”—to describe how we interpret the world. Over time, scholars have expanded and adapted this concept in different ways. Christians now use it to express the conviction that Christianity has its own unique way of thinking about truth, knowledge, ethics, money, power, people, culture, and society.[1]

A worldview is not optional—it’s an inescapable lens through which we interpret life, whether we are conscious of it or not, and it’s also a vision for how life ought to be.[2] It functions like a compass, shaping our hopes, dreams, and goals for the future, guiding us as individuals and society. It’s been said that worldviews are like cerebellums: we all have them, we can’t live without them, but we’re not always aware we have one![3] Now, if we can live a perfectly healthy life without understanding brain anatomy, can’t we also ignore our worldview? Why should we examine it all?

Because you are responsible for how you live your life. The book of Proverbs doesn’t just contrast the wise and the foolish—it describes degrees of foolishness: the simple, the fool, and the mocker (Proverbs 1:22). The “simple” are naive, easily persuaded or deceived, and unaware of danger. They don’t fall into temptation or get into trouble out of rebellion or recklessness, like the foolish do, but rather because they don’t know better. While their ignorance might seem like a reasonable excuse, Proverbs holds them accountable, treating negligence, indifference, and lack of discipline as moral failings. People don’t become foolish only by making intentionally bad choices but also by not putting in the work to figure out what a good life is all about. In other words, they should know better! The good news is that the simple can change by choosing the path to wisdom, which begins by recognizing the Creator as the source of all knowledge and goodness.

Because God has called us to live for Him in every area of our life. When Jesus calls us to follow Him, He’s not merely calling us to conversion or to get saved—He’s also calling us to become His disciples, learning from Him so that we may grow in maturity, holiness, and wisdom. Jesus’ call affects everything we are, have, do, and believe. Discerning our own worldview and aligning it with God’s will, then, is an essential part of discipleship and sanctification. Since we were all born as sinners into a fallen world, our thinking is often shaped by a “water” that conflicts with our faith in Christ. This is why we are called to renew and transform our minds in light of the Gospel (Romans 12:2; Ephesians 4:17–24). We need to reflect on our assumptions, values, and perspectives in order to let go of our former mindset and take on a new approach. In other words, being a disciple means developing a Christian mindset or worldview—one that guides how we work, learn, and relax in a way that is good and pleasing to God.

Because every approach to education is rooted in a worldview. Educational ideas don’t arise in a vacuum. They flow naturally from our understanding of reality—even if we’re not fully aware of it. Every educational effort, whether in a school, camp, or literacy program, reflects a view of who the learner is and what learning is for. It matters whether we understand our learners to be good people who need to unlock their potential or as fallen image bearers. It matters whether we see that education only is about landing a job or gaining access to university, or if it is about forming a full human being who will honor God and love their neighbor in everything they do. Our worldview determines our approach to education, which guides us in designing our programs and curriculum and in choosing the materials and activities we will use in our educational setting.

Because part of our task as Christian educators is to shape our learner's worldview. Most people aren’t fully aware of what they actually believe about life. That’s why one of our key goals as educators should be to help our students figure out what their worldview actually is. A simple but powerful way to do this is by regularly asking them, “Why do you think that?” as well as other thoughtful and personal questions that invite them to explore their assumptions. These kinds of questions reveal not just what students think, but what they value and believe about life, and where their hearts truly are. Steve Garber offers a great example of this when he encourages students to ask themselves, “Why do I get up in the morning?” This playful question gets at deeper matters such as, what are my life commitments? What truly motivates me? What gives my life meaning? What do I really care about?[4]

A worldview is more than a philosophical or academic concept; it's about how to live wisely and teach Christianly. As teachers, we can’t give what we don’t have, so if we are to teach from a Christian approach, then we need to do two things: (1) read the Bible devotionally, allowing God to shape our hearts and spiritual lives, and (2) read the Bible academically, developing a robust Christian understanding of reality and its implications for education.[5] Both disciplines—spiritual development and theological reflection—are essential as we seek to form learners who will love God, walk wisely, and live faithfully in the world.