How Your Theology Shapes Your World-View
By Michael Horton

1. Your doctrine of God...
Does God have all power and authority over the universe? Or is history a battle between good and evil forces? Is this world rational and ordered? What is justice, good, truth, beauty? How are these reflections of God's character? What is the significance of the affirmation that "the Word became flesh" for our view of our humanness and the importance of this world?

2. Your doctrine of man...
Is man a product of chance? What distinguishes humans from the rest of creation? What is the "image of God"? Do people still possess that image even if they aren't Christians? What does this mean for the arena of life we share in common with non-Christians (work and play, etc.)? Are humans basically good or evil? What does this mean for government and law? How do we balance liberty and justice? Can we expect to build an ideal society?

3. Your doctrine of salvation...
Is salvation eternal or temporal? Do people really need saving? From what? Of what does the Christian doctrine of salvation consist? Is salvation the work of God entirely, or the work of God and man, or man alone?

4. Your doctrine of the church...
Are we saved from the world or in the world? Is the church a community that is separated from the world or to God in the world? Is the church a community of only those who are truly saved, or is it a mixed body of Christians and hypocrites which will only be sorted out on the last day? How important are the earthly sacraments of bread, wine, and water in our Christian experience? What are my responsibilities to the church as well as to my calling?

5. Your doctrine of history and the future...
Is God's history of salvation, from Genesis to Revelation, a story of escape from this world and normal human history, or a story of providence and redemption in real time and space history? Are we wasting our time getting involved in this world when it is going to pass away? Does God plan to save only individuals or the whole created order, as he did with Noah?
 

©1992 Modern Reformation Magazine / ACE

Dr. Michael Horton is the vice chairman of The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals and is a graduate of Biola University (B.A.), Westminster Theological Seminary in California (M.A.R.) and Wycliffe Hall, Oxford (Ph.D.). Some of the books Mike has written or edited include Putting Amazing Back Into Grace, Made In America, Beyond Culture Wars, The Law of Perfect Freedom, Power Religion, Where In The World Is The Church, and most recently, In The Face of God: The Dangers and Delights of Spiritual Intimacy.

The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals exists to call the church, admist our dying culture, to repent of its worldliness, to recover and confess the truth of God's Word as did the Reformers, and to see that truth embodied in doctrine, worship, and life. For information about ACE resources, conferences, or broadcasts, call 1-800-956-2644, or visit their web site: www. remembrancer.com/ace.

 
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