By Michelle Lazor
A biblical worldview is established primarily using the Word of God. We build our understanding of God and who He calls us to be by reading His Word daily. The Bible is like the framework and foundation of a home. Without these solid parts of a house, it won’t matter which bells and whistles we decorate our homes with. The house will be unsteady and useless, especially when challenges come (which they always will).
However, it wouldn’t be very practical to live exclusively in the frame of a house. And that’s where great books come in. Books that share a biblical worldview accentuate the beauty of the “home” they are built onto. And, praise God, we have many books from which to choose written by Christian and secular authors.
At first glance, books written by secular authors would seem counterintuitive to include in a biblical worldview booklist. However, many books fall into this category with stories and concepts that are good, beautiful, and true. Especially considering that “truth and facts are stubborn things” (John Adams), many books written by secular authors align with a biblical worldview without the author’s acknowledgment or realization.
To truly fortify the foundation of our biblical worldview with all kinds of books, we must always use the Bible as the foundation. We must first know God’s truth so that we can recognize and discern falsehood from truth. Therefore, secular books should not be used just for reading but should be used intentionally, selectively, and only after being previewed so that it helps a young person identify errors and grow in an area of life.
In these confusing times, this quote from Charles Spurgeon succinctly embodies what I am trying to communicate: “Discernment is not knowing the difference between right and wrong. It is knowing the difference between right and almost right.” We can’t do that without God’s Word. Although some may be well-intentioned, if those who influence our children do not share a biblical worldview, they can do great harm. Ultimately, as parents and leaders, we are the ones who will be held responsible by the Lord someday. Great books can help us train our children and those under our authority and influence according to a biblical worldview.
What Is a Biblical Worldview? You may be asking, “But what is a biblical worldview?” A biblical or Christian worldview “is a comprehensive conception of the world from a Christian standpoint. An individual’s worldview is his ‘big picture,’ a harmony of all his beliefs about the world. It is his way of understanding reality.”1
A biblical worldview is of paramount importance. If we don’t have a biblical worldview, the problems we are facing in the culture today will leave us confused and frustrated, at best. Without an objective biblical worldview based on God’s Word, defining what is good, beautiful, and (most importantly) true is impossible. Big questions of the day, such as abortion, gender ideology, or Critical Race Theory, will leave us conflicted and unable to respond to the rhetoric directed at us in a way that honors the Lord.
Whether or not we recognize it, each person has a worldview. However, many of us do not share the same worldview. This difference in worldview perspectives causes much division and even causes some believers to support many unbiblical beliefs. Worldviews can be, and often are, entirely at odds. This is why it is so important to actively develop our own worldview so that it aligns with Scripture.
I’m not saying that there isn’t some nuance in life. Not everything is black and white. However, some things are objectively true or false. If we don’t have a solid foundation of objective truth to stand on (which thereby gives us a biblical worldview), we will be lost before we even start our journey through life. And as you can imagine, when we lead our families, our influence significantly affects the next generation. They also need to know and understand what a biblical worldview is and what that looks like in a person’s life. If we don’t have an appropriate worldview, how can we expect our children to?
The Power of a Story Many great books teach important lessons that may only sometimes come up in everyday conversation. God’s Word teaches us how we can broach difficult topics through stories. For example, a story most of us are very familiar with is when Nathan confronts David (2 Samuel 12). It would have been unimaginably difficult to confront David with his sin directly. However, by using a story, Nathan was able to expose the sin festering in David’s life that he could not deny or ignore.
Stories are a powerful way of putting meat into the lessons we try to instill in our children. It is one thing to tell our kids not to be selfish. It’s another when given an example of the consequences of selfishness in a story.
Here are some tips for reading stories with children:
Read stories aloud together. Discuss the characters, their choices, their positive qualities, and how negative choices have unintended and bad consequences. Identify virtues and good and bad arguments, etc.
Have children put themselves into the story and describe what they would do, how they would fix the problem, which side they would take, and why.
With more preparation, you can align the wisdom from Proverbs with the choices and outcomes of the main characters and antagonists.
Books That Help Build a Biblical Worldview Literature can be engaging, fun, interesting, and have lessons from a biblical worldview. The Mud Hen Mama collection of books supports our values as believers and will challenge our children and make them think. From classics to apologetics to books addressing cultural issues, there are currently almost 1,400 books to choose from! Each book is carefully vetted for the benefit of our families and the glory of God. We can feel good about sharing these books with others because they won’t be exposed to inappropriate things.
To find great books for all ages, visit mudhenmama.com. We at MHM pray that it will be a blessing for your good and His glory.
Michelle Lazor is the founder of Mud Hen Mama, an alternative to secular books and book fairs. MHM empowers families and believers with great books that align with biblical convictions. Michelle and her wonderful husband, Dan, have ten children and reside in New Jersey.
ENDNOTES
1. “What is a Christian worldview,” GotQuestions.org, https://gotquestions.org/Christian-worldview.html.
2. Westminster Divines, “The Westminster Shorter Catechism,” Ligonier Ministries, https://ligonier.org/learn/articles/westminster-shorter-catechism.