The following student report was submitted by Ambassador League Agent Philip H. during the 2009-2010 League.
Mission: Read - Book Report on Lifeviews by R.C. Sproul
In Matthew chapter five Jesus says that we're to be salt and light to the world; a "city on a hill that cannot be hidden." In order to fulfill our call be to ambassadors for Christ in today's culture we must first understand the beliefs of the culture we live in. In the book Lifeviews by R.C. Sproul, the main point communicated is that cultural awareness and understanding of various influential worldviews is necessary so that we can be salt and light to the world. To accomplish this, Sproul explains to his readers the basic beliefs of several prevalent philosophies in today's culture and then how we as Christians can and should impact society in light of that knowledge. In the very first chapter he says, "Every single one of us has a mission. We have all been sent to bear witness to Christ." This book taught me the basics of several different worldviews and with the knowledge that I have gained after reading the book I feel better prepared to be a missionary for Christ.
The first half of the book is spent explaining in general what different worldviews believe as well as explain the fundamental values that they imply. What really stood out to me was how each worldview boils down to certain core values. One of the worldviews discussed is Hedonism, which can be simplified to mean that pleasure and living life for the maximum enjoyment is the ultimate goal of man. Believers of this worldview claim that the here and now of life is all that is and ever will be; therefore, have as much fun as you can before you die. In this case the ultimate value is human pleasure. Another commonly held worldview discussed in this book is pragmatism, a view that values achieving results in the most practical way. According to Sproul the saying, "If it works, do it" captures the essence of pragmatism. Worldviews such as pluralism and relativism value tolerance of all beliefs and acceptance of all religions. Pluralists pride themselves on attempting to tolerate everyone. It is made clear in this book that each worldview has implicit underlying values.
Lifeviews also made me realize how these different worldviews have impacted our world. For example, education in America was altered significantly by the humanistic belief that progress is achieved by indoctrinating students’ education with humanistic teachings. As a result, children in the public school system are being heavily influenced by humanism. Relativism ultimately leads to mass murder through abortion because it proposes tolerating differing opinions and choices about the worth of unborn babies. Worldviews such as these have significantly eroded our society. Christians must understand what these different worldviews value, what impact they have on society, and with this knowledge they will know how to combat these erroneous views.
In Romans chapter 12, Paul tells us to be in our culture but not to be conformed to our culture. This attitude is crucial for being salt and light to unbelievers. Sproul's purpose in creating this book was first to inform readers of various worldviews and second to urge Christians to become more involved in their culture in light of the gained knowledge. Being ambassadors is not an easy task. But armed with the knowledge that Sproul provides in this book, we will be better equipped to obey God's calling.
