World View

In this paper, we will be discussing two things, worldview from an apostolic perspective and worldview from the perspective of individualism. We will dive into how the worldview of individualism shapes and affects our outlook on life, morals, and virtues. We will see how it forms our understanding of truth, salvation, our beliefs, and our faith in God. At the same time, this paper will discuss what apostolic worldview is and whether individualism can really fit within it. How are they similar and how are they different? Can we take anything from individualism and apply it to an apostolic worldview? Is it possible to do so without corrupting or diluting such a view or do they cancel each other out? Let’s dive in.

Individualism is exactly what it sounds like. It is a world view where the individual comes first. It is most often defined by Webster’s II New College Dictionary as,

“the assertion of one’s own will and personality; the theory that one should have freedom in one’s economic pursuits and should succeed by one’s own initiative; the doctrine that the interests of the individual should have preference over the interests of the state or social group (Severynse, 1999).”[1]

All the emphasis is placed on the individuals wants and needs and it is wholeheartedly embraced in today’s culture, especially western culture. From popular songs like “Enemy”, “Hey You”, and “Erbody But Me”, to well-known film and television franchises such as “House, M.D.”, “Rocky”, “The Truman Show”, “Kung Fu”, and many others, society incessantly perpetuates and popularizes the idea of a person who takes the world on alone, with no one at their side.

Self-help books promote being self-sufficient and relying only upon yourself. Marketing and advertising are designed to appeal to an individual’s image and worth, be it monetary or otherwise. The educational system praises those who started from the bottom of the totem pole and made their way up on their own, supposedly without help from anyone else. Some of the most well-known events in history are caused by individuals. One example of this is found an article from fee.org which states,

“Aside from technology and science, there have been many other individuals who have stood out in cross cultural fields such as arts, athletics, and moral leadership. There was Bob Dylan and John Lennon, Muhammad Ali and Amelia Earhart. And then there was Billy Graham, Martin Luther King Jr., and Richard Feynman. Though these people had radically different stories and impacts, the one thing they had in common was that they were all uncommon. Indeed, it was their uniqueness, their differentness, their individuality, which caused them to have the influence they did (Carroll, 2022).”[2]

These are not necessarily bad things. It’s good for us to be strong as individuals, to be independent, and to be self-sufficient. Without inner strength, without the ability to be independent, we would lack the ability to make our own decisions when things get tough, and people aren’t around to help.

As humans, it’s only natural that we attempt to accomplish things on our own and to make our own way in the world. We each have an identity that we need to forge on our own. If we construct our identity from those around us, we are essentially becoming those people. One of the best ways to learn who we are as individuals and to achieve true freedom is through some form of solitude. We also cannot rely on others to help us all the time. After all, how can we achieve greatness if we are always bogged down by expecting others to give us a boost? If we get caught up in the expectations of others, we can never achieve our own goals and desires. We must make our own way in this world, just like everyone else. In the end, the people who surround us are either going to eventually pass on or are ultimately concerned about themselves the most, so it makes sense that eventually we will be alone.

Individualism teaches us to be strong in that sense. It teaches us how to become the best version of ourselves. It teaches us to achieve what only we can achieve and to let nothing get in our way, not even the system. Even the system can oppress. The system can become an obstacle to us. It can become something that holds us back. But the system can’t hurt us if we break away from it on our own. Thomas Hobbes and John Locke, although differing slightly in their ideas about individualism, both agreed that government or systems can destroy individuality (Lukes, 2022).[3] To be an individual means to be our own person, to captain our own ship, to master the sea we call life, to take control of our destiny, to save ourselves from a world of damnation, to find our own truth. It can definitely be seen as a truly noble goal.

Now let’s look at an apostolic worldview. What exactly is an apostolic worldview? To start, it is a biblical worldview, which means that it’s outlook comes from the Bible. However, it is also more. If it is a specifically apostolic worldview, then it’s outlook is in tandem with that of the apostles which follows after the teachings of Jesus Christ. According to gotquestions.org,

“Every worldview, Christian and non-Christian, deals with at least these three questions:

1) Where did we come from? (and why are we here?)

2) What is wrong with the world?

3) How can we fix it?

[. . .]

A Christian worldview, on the other hand, answers the three questions biblically: 1) We are God’s creation, designed to govern the world and fellowship with Him (Genesis 1:27-28; 2:15). 2) We sinned against God and subjected the whole world to a curse (Genesis 3). 3) God Himself has redeemed the world through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ (Genesis 3:15; Luke 19:10), and will one day restore creation to its former perfect state (Isaiah 65:17-25). A Christian worldview leads us to believe in moral absolutes, miracles, human dignity, and the possibility of redemption.

It is important to remember that a worldview is comprehensive. It affects every area of life, from money to morality, from politics to art. [. . .] as taught in the Bible is itself a worldview. The Bible never distinguishes between a “religious” and a “secular” life; the Christian life is the only life there is. Jesus proclaimed Himself “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6) and, in doing so, became our worldview (GotQuestions.org, 2022).”[4]

Thus, an apostolic worldview would promote the same lifestyle, morals, mentality, standards, and beliefs that were held by the apostles. Everything from speech to dress to mannerisms.

The emphasis on a lifestyle of worship and servanthood to Christ is magnified greatly. A worship-filled lifestyle means complete and absolute dedication to Jesus and His word. A lifestyle of servanthood means to remain humble and selfless, willing to give at any moment. After all, many times the Bible refers to us as servants of Christ. This also means a separation from the world, as apostolic worldview calls us to be holy unto God.

In essence, such a worldview calls us to be separate from the world, but also to showcase unity and a sense of familiarity. To serve, but in serving, also lead. It is a worldview which offers a unique and universal answer to the question of salvation. Where most worldviews, such as individualism or nationalism, grant salvation only to a specific person or group of persons, one that is apostolic holds the biblical message that salvation is offered to anyone and everyone at its core.

So how do these two worldviews coincide and how do they differ? Individualism places its emphasis on how the individual alone is responsible for themselves and for their own salvation. Apostolic worldview also states that we each need to make the choice to receive salvation on our own. However, because individualism makes such an emphasis on salvation coming from the individual themselves, it therefore rejects the idea that one must find salvation outside of themselves. Since apostolic worldview states that we must find salvation in Christ, albeit through our own choice, the idea that we must find salvation within ourselves clashes heavily. Not only that, but since individualism states that salvation comes from within, it would essentially mean that everyone must find their own personal salvation, one specific to them and their views. Essentially, it can give way to individual moral relativism. According to Hannah Sandorf,

“Individual moral relativism is the idea that values vary from person to person and each person has their own valid set of morals. There is no concept of correct moral principles; everything is based on what an individual desires (Sanford, 2016).”[5]

If, according to individual moral relativism, values and morals vary from person to person, the same would apply to salvation. Especially since individualism, much like moral relativism, means that each person has their own truth. Which brings us to the next aspect of this comparison. Individualisms focus on the individual alone.

It is very much a “me, myself, and I” mentality with no real regard for anyone else. Just look at the idea of the solitary warrior, the lone wolf. Music, television, books; these and other forms of media focus totally on the individual even with an entire ensemble of characters. The plot unfolds like so: something, somewhere, or someone is placed into a dangerous situation that is life-threatening or world ending. The hero must then act, either on their own or with a group, yet at the end, the protagonist ends up coming up with a solution alone because the group becomes useless in some way or another. In shows like “House”, the titular character, Dr. Gregory House, has a chip on his shoulder with a damaged persona and injured leg who rebels against the system of the medical world to get results. Although he has a team to work with and for him, he is the star of the show. He takes the limelight and bases his teams value over how useful they are to him, belittling the ideas they put forth, and forcing them to go along with his ventures. In the end, even if an idea comes from another person, member of his team or otherwise, all the credit rolls back to House in the end. He always gets his way, no matter what and no one can stop him from doing so, not even his boss. This can also be applied to the music and books we consume. In an article written by Jonathan Sturgeon, it was stated that,

“Today, if a novel is accepted into the American canon, it is as a masterpiece of individualism that subsumes material and social being into the spirit of a lone genius. If a social world is present in a novel of repute, our critics gobble it up and excrete it as imagination (Sturgeon, 2019).”[6]

Essentially, our society has taken individualism to a level where even the idea of a fictional protagonist breaking away from the classic lone wolf trope is seen as too far a stretch. Even in music, with songs like “Enemy” pushing for the idea that the entire world is against the individual so therefore the individual must stand alone and reject society. This differs greatly from apostolic worldview. While it calls us to be separate from the world, it does not tell us to reject it entirely. Scripture, and therefore our worldview, says “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature (Matt.16:15, KJV).” The keyword here is all. Not some of the world, not only the world that agrees with the Bible, not only the world that has a certain mindset, but all the world. We are also taught to love our enemies. Where individualism says to reject them and even goes as far as to say to curse them, scripture says, “Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you (Luke 6:28, KJV).”

In yet another area that individualism varies wildly from apostolic worldview, we go back to Thomas Hobbes and John Locke. Where Thomas Hobbes believed that individualism and individual liberty being fully embraced led to absolute chaos and destruction, but that adherence to a government or ruler would mean to relinquish all individual liberties and freedoms entirely fully and completely, John Locke believed that humanity would seek to maintain its sense of individual freedom by each man governing themselves without infringing on another’s right to do so. Locke also stated that a government such as the one Hobbes mentioned is tyrannical and would breed chaos, seeing it more as a necessary evil to be put down if taken too far. However, apostolic worldview teaches us to submit to the people that are in positions of power and authority. We are not to give them honor above Christ, but we are to maintain a level of respect. Also, these two forms of individualism, although in slight disagreement, agree that any government or system of power is wrong. Yet we are to be in submission to God and His kingdom, which means submitting to a ruler and submitting to said ruler’s system of government. Individualism may have similar views as apostolic worldview, but somewhere along the line, it becomes egocentric, self-centered, uncaring, and self-serving. One must tread lightly with individualism. If we haphazardly incorporate individualistic ideals, we lose sight of what apostolic worldview truly is.

To sum up, while individualism may have certain ideas in common with apostolic worldview, it veers off rather wildly. There are things which we can learn from individualism and apply to an apostolic worldview, but, if one is not careful, there is a risk of turning apostolic worldview into apostolic individualism. It is both a reflection of what we should and shouldn’t be. In the end, we must adhere to what we know to be true and that is scripture.

References

Severynse, M. (1999, October 6). Webster’s II New College Dictionary

(Indexed, Subsequent). Houghton Mifflin.

Carroll, P. (2022, July 2). Individualism: A Deeply American Philosophy.

Foundation for Economic Education. Retrieved October 5, 2022, from https://www.google.com/amp/s/fee.org/resources/individualism-a-deeply-american-philosophy/amp

Lukes, S. M. (2022, October 6). ." New dictionary of the history of ideas. . encyclopedia.com.

5 Oct. 2022 .S. Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved October 5, 2022, from https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/united-states-and-canada/us-history/individualism

GotQuestions.org. (2022, January 4). What is a Christian worldview?

Retrieved October 5, 2022, from https://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-worldview.html

Sanford, H. (2016, November 10). Is moral relativism right? -:

College of Humanities. | College of Humanities. Retrieved October 6, 2022, from https://humanities.byu.edu/is-moral-relativism-right/

Sturgeon, J. S. (2019, March 27). How individualism conquered American Fiction. Literary Hub. Retrieved October 6, 2022,

from https://lithub.com/how-individualism-conquered-american-fiction/

[1] Severynse, M. (1999, October 6). Webster’s II New College Dictionary (Indexed, Subsequent). Houghton Mifflin.

[2] Carroll, P. (2022, July 2). Individualism: A Deeply American Philosophy. Foundation for Economic Education. Retrieved October 5, 2022, from https://www.google.com/amp/s/fee.org/resources/individualism-a-deeply-american-philosophy/amp

[3] Lukes, S. M. (2022, October 6). ." New dictionary of the history of ideas. . encyclopedia.com. 5 Oct. 2022 .S. Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved October 5, 2022, from https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/united-states-and-canada/us-history/individualism

[4] GotQuestions.org. (2022, January 4). What is a Christian worldview? Retrieved October 5, 2022, from https://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-worldview.html

[5] Sanford, H. (2016, November 10). Is moral relativism right? -: College of Humanities. | College of Humanities. Retrieved October 6, 2022, from https://humanities.byu.edu/is-moral-relativism-right/

[6] Sturgeon, J. S. (2019, March 27). How individualism conquered American Fiction. Literary Hub. Retrieved October 6, 2022, from https://lithub.com/how-individualism-conquered-american-fiction/