One of the great questions that comes to us is: “Is there really a God; a Being of some sort beyond the created order who creates and somehow oversees reality?” And if there is such a Being (or beings); what are they like? Can they be known and do they in some way engage with creation?
And if there is no God or gods, how do we best make sense of our experience of the world? How do we navigate life and determine how we should best live our lives? Where do meaning, and values come from.
Most people (and cultures) construct a ‘world-view’ that acts as a compass or map used to navigate life.
James Sire writes: “So what is a worldview? Essentially this: A worldview is a commitment, a fundamental orientation of the heart, that can be expressed as a story or in a set of presuppositions (assumptions which may be true, partially true or entirely false) that we hold (consciously or subconsciously, consistently or inconsistently) about the basic constitution of reality, and that provides the foundation on which we live and move and have our being.”(James W. Sire, The Universe Next Door)
Christians are theists, that is to say they believe not only that there is a moral universe but there is an absolute standard by which all moral judgments are measured, and that is God and God’s character of goodness (holiness, righteousness and love), is the absolute standard.”
The challenge is how finite and tiny creatures such as ourselves can ever know anything much about God or God’s character or purposes. Christians believe that God has taken the initiative and is revealed, not just in creation, but through the Scriptures, and then even more fully in the person of Jesus Christ.