Understanding the Times: The Religious Worldviews of Our Day and the Search for Truth

by David A. Noebel

A comprehensive guide to the most popular worldviews of our day: secular humanism, Marxism/Leninism, and the New Age movement. These worldviews are then compared to biblical Christianity.

Genres: Philosophy, Theology, Christian, Nonfiction, History, Religion, Christianity

Audio CD

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Founder and former president of Summit Ministries.

Dr. Noebel has been a college professor, college president, and candidate for the U.S. Congress. Dr. Noebel has a B.A. from Hope College in Holland, a M.A. from the University of Tulsa, and was a Ph.D. candidate in Philosophy at the University of Wisconsin.

He is an Author, Editor, Public Speaker, and Ordained Minister. He is recognized as an expert on worldview analysis and the decline of morality and spirituality in Western Civilization. He travels worldwide lecturing in high schools, universities, and churches. David has been a guest on numerous national radio and television programs. He has authored a number of books and has written extensively on the subject of Western Civilization's moral and spiritual decline.

His most popular works include Understanding the Times (which has sold over 500,000 copies), the New York Times' best selling Mind Siege (co-authored with Tim LaHaye), and Clergy in the Classroom (co-authored with Kevin Bywater and J.F. Baldwin).

He and his wife Alice live in Manitou Springs, CO. They have two children and five grandchildren.

Reviews

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well researched and I would say I found this book interesting (hence the 3 stars) but Mr. Noebel's bias (and somewhat sanctimonious perspective) is evident, particularly in his chapter summaries. He makes huge leaps of logic with what appears to be an intent to create fear (for example, he actually infers that secular humanists, are not opposed to pedophilia. Okie dokie. He lost me right there). I think it would be helpful to go to the original sources rather than take the summaries at face value. Read this with a healthy dose of common sense and logic.
Edited to add: The author does a very good job of comparing/contrasting very different perspectives. I found that if you take the basic tenets of Marxism there is very little difference in today's political "progressives". Interesting. I walked away from this hefty book with a better perspective and understanding. It also was great to help me really think about my own personal philosophy and perspective. Introspection is good.

[John Yelverton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic read for high school students so that they are prepared for what awaits them when they reach college.

[uosɯɐS · Rating 2 out of 5]

11/1/2021
I still haven't read as many "original works" as I should, but I've read a couple, and some opposing commentaries as well. I don't think I agree with this book anymore. Still - I think it was the book that first introduced me to Hegelian Dialectics.

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I mainly agree with this book and think there is alot of good information in it (I did read the whole thing). However, it is somewhat long and dry, and I think that is just too much effort for the "prize" of David Noebel's opinions. If you really want to know something about philosophy and "worldviews," go read original works and come to your own conclusions. Even if your conclusions are the same as Noebel's, it is better to come to them on your own, rather than through secondhand commentary on brief (and possibly out-of-context) quotes. This book might be a good starting place for Christians who are interested in philosophy and "worldviews," but it is hardly the end-all-and-be-all of what there is to know on such subjects; though it's size might suggest otherwise.

Basically, my rant against this book is the same as my rant against textbooks in general. Just because you read one doesn't mean you learn anything.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Understanding the Times by Dr. David Noebel
"More than ever before, much of what we hear or read is hostile toward Christian values and beliefs, yet often times we are not aware of it.

How can we determine which views and ideas are biblical and which aren't? Which side should we take on an issue? When it comes to addressing the latest problems of our day, we find that...

We want to take a stand, but aren't sure where.
We want to say what is right, but aren't sure how.
We want to take action, but aren't sure what to do.

One way for Christians to better know their own faith is to know the alternatives that are shaping our world. Understanding the Times is a significant effort to meet this challenge. This landmark book provides Christians with a readable, comprehensive treatment of the most popular worldviews of our day - worldviews that, as we head toward the future, have a surprisingly powerful presence in American education, business, politics, and the media:

*Secular Humanism
*Marxism/Leninism
*The New Age movement

Years of conscientious research have gone toward presenting each worldview accurately in the words of its own proponents. In this way the internal inconsistencies and fatal assumptions of each one are exposed. These worldviews, in turn, are compared to

*Biblical Christianity

The comparing and contrasting of these four views affirms the incredible clarity, coherence, and truthfulness of the Christian worldview.

After reading this text, all concerned Christians will...

*gain a deeper appreciation for God's truth
*be ready to give a positive and biblical defense on controversial current issues
*cultivate wisdom and discernment about viewpoints that oppose Christian values

This understanding will help believers to become more established in the Christian faith and not be deceived by "vain and deceitful philosophy" Col 2:7,8

Understanding the Times serves as a highly informative resource and provides the key to unlocking the leadership potential of adults and high - school and college students. Every person will benefit from this practical guide to making a great impact for Jesus Christ in today's world."

[Clare S-B · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing, it is so informative and gives a balanced view of six main worldviews, using lots of quotes from many of their founders or important advocates. Some sections were easier to understand and remember than others. Although someone who is not a Christian would probably find it preachy at times, and I occasionally thought "Okay I know that! No need to drum it into my head so hard."

This is a book that all young Christians should read not only to get the Christian worldview straight in their head, but so they can understand where others are coming from. Since doing this curriculum I have found the 'point' of books and movies easier to understand, and characters motives make more sense now that I can work out what the writer believes. Your worldview will effect everything, from your daily life and perception of things to all the works you produce.

Reading this also makes reading dystopian books all that more terrifying, because now I see that some of them are closer to our current society than I realized, and very similar to what some worldviews want to make society.

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent text on the world of ideas and their consequences. I got to spend a few days this summer listening to Dr. Noebel and can say first-hand that he thinks every claim through, is well-research, well-read, and a spectacular teacher. Doc and his work is probably the most influential in the discussion of worldviews.

[Sewingdervish · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is so useful and I am super glad that I read it. It's not easy to read I had to incentivize by giving myself treats after I finished each section. Learning about worldviews will change your life for the better I am certain.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every one should read this. Most people don't understand what worldview they support with their choices and participation in society. This book helps you see the world and your role in it clearly.

[Griff · Rating 5 out of 5]

A+. Excellent comparison worldviews-XN, Humanist, Marxist/Leninist

[Nicholeen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorites! I go to it all the time to check the angle the news is taking these days. Great book!

[Tami · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even better than the first edition with the added worldviews that are covered. A must read to understand the worldviews of today.

[Jason Crow · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is now about a quarter of a century old. It was written before 9/11, COVID, DEI, Wokeism, the Summer of Love, Critical Race Theory and the Trump era. Nevertheless, the worldview analysis contained in its pages is spot on. One can see all of the fiascos of the past two decades plus emerging out of the different isms discussed. This is a worthy read for anyone who wants to understand the social, religious, and cultural conflicts that we are witnessing today.
As fascinating as it is reading this from today's perspective, the book could use a reissue or next edition to tie back all of the insanity of this millennium to these same worldviews.
Long, but worth a read and worth considering for a textbook in Christian education.

[Louisa M · Rating 3 out of 5]

The information itself was helpful, but there were a lot of personal opinions, which is not very academic. It was also organized in a confusing way. As a Christian, it was helpful to learn more about what everyone else believes.

[Adam T. Calvert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent introduction to the prominent worldviews of today. The first edition published in 1991 was terrific, but this edition was updated to include three additional major worldviews (Islam, Cosmic Humanism, and Postmodernism). The book lays out the basic understandings of each worldview as they relate to ten major categories: theology, philosophy, ethics, biology, psychology, sociology, law, politics, economics, and history.

Obviously it can't go in depth into all the variations within those different worldviews, but it does a great job of putting forth the main tenets held in each category by each worldview. The six different worldviews being compared in this book are:

Christianity
Islam
Secular Humanism
Marxist-Leninism
Cosmic Humanism (New Age)
Postmodernism

The author, David Noebel, uses the main speakers or authorities for each of the worldviews extensively (i.e. there's not really room for misrepresentation in his text). And he also has a pretty good "For Further Reading" section at the end of the book. It's written from a Christian point of view, but he really is fair to the other worldviews in how they're represented.

While I really enjoyed this book, I do have some criticisms of the second edition [note: you might find that I'm being too picky, so please don't hesitate to ignore the rest of this review].

(1) There were a lot of typographical errors: including misspelled words, incorrect subject-verb agreement, some sentences that just don't make sense, and occasionally complete words missing from the text.

(2) Unlike the previous edition, this one only has the chart at the very beginning rather than throughout the book before each chapter so that it's easier for the reader to know where he's at and where he's going.

(3) The "Introduction" and "Conclusion" sections were really unhelpful, especially when they weren't labeled (other than, "Part 01, Part 02, Part 03"). And yes, those were zeros before the digits. The content in the Conclusion section was good, but it would've been helpful to have actual heading topics in the table of contents (again rather than "Part 01," etc.).

(4) The chapter, heading, and call-out fonts were just ridiculous. It's like they were trying to make it look "hip and cool" - but all they did was make it hard to read and a little off-putting by "trying" to make it look "hip and cool" rather than just letting the content speak for itself. I realize the audience was for kids about to go to college through young adults just coming out of college (although, I do think many - including even adults with grown children - would benefit from this book), but this type of "marketing" just won't work. At least it shouldn't work(!).

The second edition, while doing a great work by adding so much content on Islam and Postmodernism, clearly did not go through a publisher to catch all these things. Because while the second edition is was better in content, the first edition is far superior in format and presentation (at least in my opinion).

Nonetheless, this was really a great read and one I would highly recommend to the targeted audience of those who are getting ready to enter college and have not had clear teaching on the concept of worldviews and the major represented ones out there (or those who are already in college and still have no idea what a worldview is and how it affects one's life).

[Celeste Batchelor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is such an interesting subject, one of which I have never really thought about before. There is so much content that I learned, way too much to give a proper synopsis of it here. I will say this, it is a must read! The only reason I give it 4 out of 5 stars is because of the clearly biased voice of the author.

What I Liked
This book explains WHY society in the US is changing from a Judeo-Christian worldview to a Humanist-Marxist worldview. I now understand so much more about the "why" and "how the world is changing. I can now see what the progressive movement is doing and how they are/will be successful if we, as Christians, do not do something to stop it.

The author suggests that the main way to stop it is...drum roll...education! But, education in what? He suggests that our homes and churches need to teach what the other worldviews are doing to undermine the family and individual rights. I do agree that we need to teach our children what these other worldviews are about in the home, but I do not think it is the role of the churches because then it seems anti-Christian.

My only criticism for this book is that it seems a little vague in a few areas and that it is clearly biased. However, after reading this book I don't know how anyone could right a truly unbiased book for we ALL have a worldview which dictates how we view everything.

[Kristy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finished! So far this has been fairly informative. I think there is more repetition than necessary, and I dont know if it needed to be broken up into so many different catagories, but it is interesting. I understand there is a newer edition that has a few more worldviews discussed, one being Islam~which I wouid have been interesting to read about. In this particular book I am most interested in the Marxist world view. It's amazing how twisted and dark it is. The author at the beginning states that his intention is to report the facts in an unbiased way, and for the most part does so, although not completely. I wonder if such a thing is possible from any author? We all see the world based on our view point and our world view, can one really be objective? Still, it is interesting to try and understand/see where other people are coming from and what they believe and how they see life.

[Liam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good, very fair to all worldviews. Incredibly logical and precise, exposing fallacies and inconsistencies in such worldviews (I.e. The inability for humanism to believe in consciousness, and therefore if everything is in fact material, mental decisions are based on natural force, and no free will exists, clearly which is illogical). I do think the biggest issue for me with this book is that it treated the followers of worldviews as all philosophers. Just because someone is, say, a humanist, doesn't mean they study the works of Freud and Sagan. It doesn't tackle the question of relevance, unfortunately, for most people who are strictly non-religious aren't philosophically so. They just are. Christianity seems proven from this text, but it does not ultimately detail the question of people simply seeking relevance.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I FINALLY finished this book.

If you have children, you should read this book and review its concepts with them before they leave home. To understand worldviews and the implications of having a fundamentally diverse outlook will incredibly aid a young and impressionable mind. The especially deceiving ones are currently in play at school and colleges and universities. Many of the proponents of the Humanist worldview are educators - they know they can make a significant impact in positing their belief in the fertile soil of young American minds.

It's lengthy - and if you don't want to commit to it, at least read the intro and conclusion of each chapter, the book's conclusion, and the few pages devoted to Cosmic Humanism at the end.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book was a great source for learning about different worldviews, and I enjoyed getting that kind of knowledge. However, I just couldn't get past the author's blatant bias. I was annoyed with how he acted as though he was just going to teach readers what they need to know about the different worldviews, and then spent half the book arguing the worldviews.

In any case, if you plan on reading this book, I highly recommend going into it with the view that the writing it not purely--or even mostly--informational; it's persuasive. I suppose I was disappointed because it just wasn't what I expected it to be. However, the information was generally good and arranged in a clear manner. I got a good sense of all the worldviews it discussed.

[Deanna Sutter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a power packed book (912 pages!) discussing at length humanism, Marxism and Christianity. The views of each 'religion' are contrasted in such areas as biology, law, sociology, etc.

It gets long in parts and I don't know that everyone will be interested in every subject discussed. It is seperated out easily to reference certain subjects. Very easy to read format. For those wanting in-depth study into marxism and humanism this is another excellant resource.

There is an unabridged version of this book which might be a better option for some. However, I have not seen the unabridged version so I can't say for sure.

I believe studying humanism and marxism is so important!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Suzannah Rowntree · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a study on worldviews compared to Christianity. I read & am reviewing the abridged edition containing materials on the following four worldviews:

1. Secular Humanism
2. Marxism
3. Cosmic Humanism (a.k.a. "New Age")
4. Christianity

This book was extremely valuable and (for me) a quick read. The main value of this book was the setting out of the main ideas and thinkers of each worldview. It provides an excellent overview of the major characteristics of each worldview and provides a basic starting-point for identifying and learning about the given worldviews.

I will be going back to this book as a starting-point for further research if I ever need to investigate the first three worldviews more closely.

[Jorgina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A smorgasbord of world views put in proper perspective for those who claim to have a Biblical World view. Do you really? Best read this lest you embrace humanism, socialism, relativism, unbeknownst to your consciousness or your children's.
Of all the additions of Mr. Noebel's book I prefer this one because it's the easiest format for youth study. Unfortunately because of the date of publication (1991) it does not include an extensive dissertation on cosmic humanism or Islamism which at that time were not emerging world views. Some of the later most recent editions do expand on those 2 impactual current world views and can be found on the website.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started this book before Christmas and I had to keep plugging along until I finally finished it, but it was well worth it. I had never really thought much about other world views until this book. Being Christian, I figured everyone basically thought and felt the same as I did, but I was very wrong and this book was very enlightening. I recommend "Understanding the Times" to all who are part of humanity (which includes everyone of course :) I am so glad that I now better understand others' views and I am going to have each of my children read this book before entering college to better help them understand what possibly might be presented to them.

[John Kennedy · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you're looking for an objective book on worldviews, this is definitely NOT the book. The author's bias is sleeping throughout the entire work. Furthermore, he posits ideas without evidence, or even in the face of the evidence (Hitler was a Christian, the Catholic church embraced his reign, etc) cleverly quote-mining, in turn misrepresenting, his opponent's views. The first two chapters are nothing short of special pleading and crying that HIS religion isn't being presented in public schools where it truly has no place to begin with. I have read way better Christian apologetics books, this is propaganda garbage

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best textbook I know of for explaining what a worldview is and what it means for all of life. It covers the subjects of theology, philosophy, ethics, biology, psychology, sociology, law, politics, economics, and history, explaining the differing views of these disciplines from the perspective of the six most prevelant worldviews of our day.
There are a number of typing-errors, and a few claims made without enough "back up", and I didn't agree with everything it said. Still, overall a good, beneficial, and simple foundation for beginning worldview studies.

[Adrienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked reading about all of the different world views and I learned a lot, especially about my own world view. I did not totally agree with the Christian world view, I know that sounds strange, but the author has some strange ideas about Christ, man and salvation that are not in line with the teachings of my faith so I was a little bit annoyed with his representation of christianity, which makes me wonder if the other world views would feel the same if they read the book, or if they would feel well represented.

[Chris Comis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad for a run-of-the-mill apologetics book. There is quite a bit in here to digest. Not a lot of depth, but a whole lot of breadth. This volume covers six different world-views and about 12 or 13 different world-view issues. Great for a high school apologetics class, but not challenging enough for college level. There was also quite the range of evangelical and reformed thinkers that contributed to this. The biggest let-down for me was that there was no section on education. It was touched on here and there, but not a full section dedicated to it. Bummer.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This guide through 4 major worldviews was very helpful to me. First, it made me realize how important world views are to our lives, who we are and how we act/react. Second, it made it obvious that the Christian Biblical worldview is the correct one. All the other worldviews show inconsistency and change depending on their whims. The Christian Biblical worldview is constant and reflects God's unchanging character. If you like this book, I would suggest also watching Focus on the Family's The Truth Project.

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book which I highly recommended for homeschool curriculums - and adults beyond their school days. The author compares and contrasts leading worldviews, analyzing the views of each in a number of different disciplines. This book helps a Christian to have a Biblical worldview while living in a culture of competing worldviews.

Worldviews examined: Christianity, Islam, Secular Humanism, Marxism-Leninism, Cosmic Humanism, and Post-Modernism.

Disciplines studied: Theology, Philosophy, Ethics, Biology, Psychology, Sociology, Law, Politics, Economics, and History.

[Jacqueline · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've reviewed this book and been to lectures on this subject. This book is something every parent should discuss with their children BEFORE they go to college. Unless they are attending a religious university, they will encounter these worldviews, that will go directly against everything you have probably been teaching them. GREAT BOOK.