The following books are required reading in the course “Christian Worldview Studies” taught by Dr. Chris Leland at Focus on the Family Institute.
Boa, K. D. (2001). Faith has its reasons: An integrative approach to defending
Christianity. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress.
Colson, C. & Pearcey, N. (1999). How now shall we live? Wheaton, IL: Tyndale
House Publishers, Inc.
Guiness, O. (2000). Time for truth: Living free in a world of lies, hype, & spin.
Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House Co.
Hunter, J. D. (1991). Culture wars. The struggle to define America. New York, NY:
Basic Books.
Lewis, C.S. (2001). The Abolition of Man. San Francisco, CA: Harper Collins
Publishers, Inc.
Medved, M. (1992). Hollywood vs. America. Popular culture and the war on traditional
values. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers, Inc.
Moreland, J. P. (1997). Love your God with all your mind. Colorado Springs, CO:
Navpress Publishing Group.
Paine, T. (1989). The age of reason. Lyle Stuart Publishers (paperback ed.).
Postman, N. (1985). Amusing ourselves to death. New York, NY: Penguin Books.
Romanowski, W. D. (2001). Eyes wide open. Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press.
Sanders, J. O. (1994). Spiritual leadership. Chicago, IL: Moody Publishing.
Schaeffer, F. A. (1984). The great evangelical disaster. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
Sire, J. W. (2004). The universe next door. A basic worldview catalog (4th ed.).
Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
White, H. (2006). Postmodernism 101: A first course for the curious Christian. Grand
Rapids, MI: Brazos Press.
The syllabus describes the course as follows – - –
DESCRIPTION:
The purpose of this course is to provide academic instruction on the importance of and ability to communicate God’s truth to others in Christian love. In this course, that means exploring the issues of truth, how we arrive at truth, and what we do with truth. In order to accomplish this, one must (1) believe what it is to have an “ultimate purpose in living,” (2) be able to “know” God, and (3) be willing and able to impact the individuals, families and communities around us. A significant part of this evangelistic perspective is better understanding what we believe and why, as well as knowing what the other, prevailing worldviews in society propose and why. Ultimately, we must be fully prepared to give the world an answer to questions about life and death and truth and love and God, or as the Scriptures say, to “know how you should respond to each person” who asks us about such things (Col. 4:6, NAS trans.).
The Christian Worldview Studies course is designed, therefore, to deepen and broaden the student’s understanding of the core presuppositions of the Christian worldview, and to equip them to evaluate those presuppositions in contrast with other, competing worldviews. The goal is to enable students to think more clearly and critically about the ultimate issues of human existence, so that they may live more purposeful lives and participate more constructively in the larger socio-cultural debate.
The study of worldview constitutes a window through which we can view the nature of man and the nature of his conduct. To that extent, it’s as close as we can get to the core reality or truth of who we are and what we do in life. Knowledge of worldviews is commensurate with acquiring a powerful form of wisdom, that most precious of Biblical commodities that characterized the sons of Issachar, “men who understood the times, with knowledge of what Israel should do …” (1 Chron. 12:32, NAS trans.). Thus are we also charged with the privilege of understanding our times, that we might instruct America, in both love and truth, what we all together need to do.
GENERAL OBJECTIVES:
1. To further enhance students’ awareness of the preeminence of evangelism.
2. To further enhance the students’ understanding of the Christian worldview, especially as it contrasts with the other predominant worldviews of today.
3. To empower the student to effectively communicate with those whose worldview differs from the Christian perspective, especially regarding one’s understanding of Jesus Christ and the meaning of truth in today’s world.
4. To further enhance the students’ inner spiritual life, Christian character, and love relationship with God and others.
TOPICS:
• Worldviews in Conflict
• The Christian Mind
* Worldview Leadership
• Christian Theism
• Classical Deism
• Atheistic Naturalism
• Pagan Mysticism
• The Postmodern Crisis
• Feminization of worldviews
• Counterfeit Gods
• Communicating Effectively
• Mass Media Influences
• Contemporary Strategies