Christian Worldview of a Historian
As a Christian, maintaining a “Christian Worldview of History” is paramount to my worldview. As historians, we must seek to manage our bias when approaching history. One of the main reasons that we must do this, especially as Christians, is to maintain our integrity. As someone who works in an industry dealing with historical data on a daily basis, handling that documentation with integrity is vital to ensuring that it is handled with care through future generations. It is vital in my industry that the information is handled with care and understood by all parties. Proverbs 11:1 says “Dishonest scales are detestable to the Lord, but an accurate weight is his delight.”
A Christian Worldview is paramount to every Christian historian. Managing bias, and maintaining perspectives in regard to the Lord’s established order are crucial for a Christian worldview of history. In understanding what a Christian worldview is not — everything must be seen, as John Calvin said, “through the lens of Scripture.”1 However, a Christian worldview is not the overspecialization of history or writing specifically with the agenda of glorifying God. A Christian worldview seeks to maintain caution and manage bias while handling sources.
While maintaining a Christian worldview changes the lens through which I see the world, it does not allow me to change historical fact. Therefore, I must still carefully examine all of the evidence in front of me as any honest historian would. Maintaining a biblical worldview should make me more committed to integrity, not less.
Smith, Samuel. “Watch: Christian Worldview and History.” Liberty.edu.
- 1. Samuel Smith, “Watch: Christian Worldview and History,” Liberty.Edu. ↩︎
