I have noticed that lately, the idea of perspectives (or opinions) being all equally valid and/or true is being promulgated. Now to be clear, I’m not talking about perspectives on benign things such as favorite fruits or colors. A more appropriate word for that is preference. But what I’m talking about is the barrage of questions from our culture, that seem to have a plethora of conflicting answers that all are supposed to be equally true.
There’s a huge problem with this line of thinking. But first, it’s important that we get a better idea of an important concept called worldview.
Worldview
I have repeatedly tried to communicate on Mud Hen Mama that we sell books from a biblical worldview. This means that the books found on this site all look at the world through the lens of the bible (whether or not this was the author’s intention – this is because ALL Truth is GOD’s Truth). The other worldview is a secular worldview, which essentially sees the world without the lens of the bible.
As Believers, we know that the bible is the Word of God. We also know that therein lies all Truth and Wisdom, from which we can live our lives so that we can glorify God and enjoy Him forever (Shorter Catechism, Question 1). Just for the sake of clarity, we do this because of what Christ has done for us (i.e. not to earn His favor, but out of thankfulness for Who He is and His sacrifice for us).
So we must have a biblical worldview in order to understand and respond to the various debates and questions that are coming up in our world today.
So what’s right?
With that said, although we are called to be kind, we are also called to be truthful (1 Cor 13:4-7). Just because someone has an opinion on something doesn’t make it true or right. What the culture is telling not only us, but our children, is that the compassionate and loving thing to do is embrace all opinions and all perspectives as equally good and true. As John Cooper would say, we wouldn’t want to give anyone “the sads!”
Obviously, this is pure insanity. And not only that, it’s unloving to not share what’s good and right and true. We are called to share objective Truth based on God’s Word, for our good and His glory. We are able to do this appropriately when we use discernment attained from Scripture (i.e. a biblical worldview) in order to determine the veracity or legitimacy of any given perspective.
What our children are facing
Our children are facing many cultural debates. They often don’t have the wisdom and life experience to navigate these conversations. If they take a stand, they may be seen as, for example, racist or homophobic. All of us want to be accepted and liked. And this yearning is only accentuated when we’re young. How in the world are our children supposed to know how to navigate this quagmire of a culture we live in? Are all opinions equally valid, and therefore we should agree that everyone is entitled to their own opinion and leave it at that? What of conflicting perspectives or opinions? Who’s right? Who’s wrong? Or is no one right or wrong? LORD, help me.
Sometimes we may be able to walk away and agree to disagree. Live and let live is very much an appropriate mantra in some circumstances. As I said at the beginning of this post, many things can be considered a preference. However, when we start to delve into areas of life where others are affected by the choices we make, that’s when it’s most important to assert a biblical worldview. We are called to protect the vulnerable and marginalized (James 1:27).
Our children need to understand that, yes, we are called to respect everyone and listen to what others have to say. However, they must also be intentional and firm about exercising a biblical worldview whenever faced with the contentious cultural debates of our day. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but everyone is not entitled to their own truth. This isn’t about our perspective being better than someone else’s. It’s about God’s objective Truth being right and true and good. And that is what is best.
Guardrails
As we raise our children and teach them God’s Word, we must articulate the guardrails that the LORD outlines in His Word. In a world swimming in confusion, they need to know what to rely on as Truth. But we can’t pass on that truth to our kids if we don’t know it ourselves.
Obviously the most important tool we have to know God’s truth is (surprise!) God’s Word. So we should read it on the regular. And thankfully in addition to the bible, we have many other resources that help us establish within our children a foundation built on a biblical worldview. Talking With Your Kids About Jesus by Natasha Crain is an excellent resource to help our children defend their faith. Mama Bear Apologetics is another awesome book with several authors who help clarify and combat the cultural lies our children must deal with.
Let me know if you have any other great suggestions for parents! I think it’s fair to say in this day and age, we need all the help we can get. Amen?
