Against Worldview: Reimagining Christian Formation as Growth in Wisdom

by Simon P. Kennedy

Reframing the lenses of Christian worldview



Recognize the limits and failures of Christian worldview educationConsider a more organic approach to Christian learning and educationUnderstand the value of wisdom over rigid frameworks

In Against Reimagining Christian Formation as Growth in Wisdom, Simon P. Kennedy challenges the conventions of Christian worldview education and provides a better way.

Although the current concept of Christian worldview appears incontestable, it rests upon shaky philosophical foundations, fails to account for the complexities of how we interact with the world, and may even undermine the curiosity essential for true learning. But rather than shattering the lenses of Christian worldview, Kennedy reframes worldview around wisdom.

A biblical worldview is not downloaded all at once. It is cultivated piece by piece, as we learn about God, his world, and ourselves. Christian education is an organic process of learning to wisely nurture a biblical worldview.

Genres: Education, Philosophy, Theology

150 pages, Paperback

Published December 4, 2024

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simon Kennedy wants us to rethink the use of "Christian worldview" in education. He rightly points out how deductive the concept has become, as if having the right presuppositions and "glasses" necessarily leads to the right answers to all possible questions in life. He argues, and relies on Herman Bavinck to do it, that worldview should be understood as an inductive approach, where we learn things about the world by tackling hard questions and by developing excellence in particular fields, leading us to grow in wisdom. In the end he comes around to direct readers to the "great books" of the Christian West.

Good observations and helpful corrections. Certainly the approach of Bavinck is better than that of Van Til.

But there are questions. Kennedy wants to rescue worldview, a concept born out of German idealism, while trying to strip the idealist parts of it (replacing deductive with inductive approaches). Is that good enough? I'm not sure. Kennedy points out that Bavinck's epistemological project seems inconsistent, but I'm not sure Kennedy's is a sufficient improvement.

Re: epistemology, there are lots of questions passed by superficially in the book. (For example, he seems to think that universals are in our mind only, does not explain how we know substances/natures, etc).

[Bradford Hoffman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to take a seminar titled “On Christian Worldview” with four books in the syllabus.

- Against Worldview by Simon Kennedy
- A Christian Manifesto by Francis Schaeffer
- Christian Worldview by Herman Bavinck
- The Soul of Science by Nancy Pearcey

[Samuel Kassing · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent primer on the flaws of worldview thinking and a helpful first step in correcting it.

[Bradley Fayonsky]

Reading from the perspective of someone not directly inside the world of Christian schooling, but near it (pastor)—I found Against Worldview to be a useful redirection of the concept of worldview and its use in education. Packed into a short book, Kennedy gives a lot to think about in a well communicated, almost exciting, way. Much could be said downstream of his thesis and I hope this starts more conversations!

[Ben Makuh · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you've been part of Evangelical culture for very long, you've almost certainly heard someone teach you about the importance of developing what is called "A Christian worldview." The idea is pretty simple, really: Scripture is given to us by God to reveal truth, to instruct in how to live righteously, and to reprove us when we are misguided (2 Timothy 3:16). If we want to know what Christians are to think about, say, whether it is permissible to eat pork, it is a simple matter of going to Scripture and discovering the answer to this question. But what if we want to know whether a Christian can eat genetically modified corn? Scripture doesn't directly answer this question, so we must then do the generative work of faithfully extending what Scripture does say to areas where it is silent.

There is so much of life that Scripture doesn't address, at least directly: whether it is a sin to drive slightly faster than the speed limit, which college one should go to and what to study, what percentage of your income should be dedicated to groceries, whether to vote for or against a local tax measure, etc. This is where a Christian worldview comes in handy: rather than every single Christian having to think through whether something like abortion is right or wrong from first principles, they can simply ask, "How should I approach this from a Christian worldview?"

Here's the kicker, though: Christians don't usually just talk about a worldview, but about the Christian worldview. Perhaps I search the Scriptures and conclude that, for a variety of theological and metaphysical reasons, IVF would be an ethically invalid way for me to build my family. Because I came to that conclusion from Scripture, and because other Christians submit themselves to the same Scripture, I assume that my conclusions represent the way Christians should think about IVF. Because I believe myself to have done my theological homework well, it seems that if you disagree with me on it, then you must be the one who is being unfaithful to Scripture. Christians of like minds then work to codify this inherently extrabiblical ethical reflection into an explicitly spelled-out monolithic worldview that can sort of be "downloaded" into the minds of new Christians.

This problem, among others, is the impetus behind Simon Kennedy's new book, Against Worldview: Reimagining Christian Formation as Growth in Wisdom. This provocative title suggests a polemical book that enumerates the problems with the entire Worldview project and then presents an altogether different way to solve the underlying problem. His actual thesis, though, is quite a bit more tame: that it's better for Christian educators to envision themselves as cultivators of wisdom rather than downloaders of a specific set of ideological tenets. This, he argues, is more true to how humans actually learn—that is, inductively. Each one of us starts with a million little data points of knowledge from which we form a bigger picture over time. We all develop our worldviews as we age and mature, and these may be described as more or less "Christian" depending on how well they accord with Christianity's creedal statements. This book is not against Christian worldviews altogether; it's against Christian worldview in the singular.

Such a singular worldview purports to be a "theory of everything," something that is unattainable, untrue, and impossible, Kennedy argues. Even more dangerous is that it is impervious to any and all critique. If a Christ follower suggests that climate change or evolution is real, they can simply be written off as "reasoning from a non-Christian worldview."

Is Kennedy just trying to give cover for Christians who are dipping their toes into unorthodox waters? It seems like if you abandon a monolithic worldview in favor of "to each their own" worldviews, this is similarly resistant to critique. If you press me on evolution, I can pretty easily shrug you off by saying, "That's just your worldview." Kennedy hastens to disavow such moral relativism, though, arguing that there is a monolithic worldview held by God, but that we in our finitude can only subjectively apprehend it in part. Shared moral norms in the Christian community are good, but we should hold with some degree of humility those norms that we have derived by inference.

He pretty quickly turns to what he spends most of his energy on in the book, which is pedagogy. As an educator, Kennedy's interest in the concept of worldviews lies heavily in his need to teach students to think Christianly. This is quite different than someone who would approach the topic from a purely philosophical or theological angle.1 As a practitioner, his aim is to help (Christian) educators to view their work less as "trying to fit content within the constraints of a preconceived intellectual system," and more as "the pursuit of the real."

In his view, this is much more aligned with how education actually happens. In any given subject, students are taught one small bit of knowledge (be it Chemistry, Mathematics, Writing, Music, etc.) and then their work as human beings is to inductively build up a picture of the world from those pieces as they are gained. This building up of knowledge is not the same thing as wisdom, but it is the foundation those students will need in order to "think and act wisely in God's world."

A few questions naturally arise, if one is listening carefully to Kennedy's argument:


How is a Christian chemistry teacher's work any different than that of a non-Christian? Is it ever possible to glean knowledge from non-Christians?
For an educator who wishes to teach a subject in the light of Christian belief, how is that to be done if not within the scope of totalizing, universal Christian worldview?
If there is no one Christian worldview, but instead Christian worldviews, to what degree can those worldviews differ from each other while still being recognizably Christian?


Kennedy works to answer all these questions, suggesting that his proposal allows for Christian educators to have some degree of latitude as they teach out of their own bank of wisdom and knowledge. He also believes that this sets them free from the need to shoehorn Christian theology or Scripture into every single lesson, whether it fits or not. He does not believe it is valuable, for example, to cite a verse out of context that has some vague surface-level similarity to the lesson's content just so that the lesson "feels" Christian, and yet many teachers within Christian institutions feel the need to do things like this. If someone is teaching physics or literature or music to students, a given lesson may or may not dovetail with a spiritual truth. When it does, that teacher should feel the freedom to draw the connection, and when it doesn't, it is not helpful to force it to happen.

In his discussion of how Christians can glean wisdom from non-Christians, he suggests that Christians do not have a "monopoly on academic knowledge or wisdom" (a claim with which I agree), and he suggests that a better question is to "consider the 'closeness of relation' that the matter under consideration has to our relationship to God and our understanding of the human person." In an effort to be concrete rather than abstract, he offers some examples which I will quote at length:

For example, the discipline of psychology, which reaches into the heart of what it means to be a human person made in the image of God, requires a great deal of care. The Bible speaks quite clearly about the human person and the impact of sin and holiness on the human psyche and our experience of the world. Another pertinent example is biology and anatomy, which in the current day are areas of great controversy in relation to sex and gender. These issues are, in my view, much more important than debates about the age the of the earth or the origins of different biological species, because they touch on the human person and the image of God.

To summarize, he believes that topics such as psychology, biology, and anatomy ought to be taught from an explicitly Christian perspective because they are closely related to what Scripture explicitly speaks about. This is in contrast to debates about creationism/evolution, which he sees as less related to what Scripture explicitly teaches on. This assumes the conclusion, though; he believes that the origin of biological species doesn't "touch on the human person and the image of God," and thus it is less important than questions of psychology, sex, and gender. Ask a Christian who believes in Young Earth Creationism whether they agree with this premise—they surely would not!2

I am not convinced that what he's doing here really "works." He wants to demonstrate how Christian belief can be brought to bear on different intellectual spheres in a way that grants some latitude for disagreement, but I'm not sure that's what he's actually done. It seems to me that in actuality, he wants Christian worldviews to be situated within a slightly different Overton Window than is common among conservatives. At minimum, he's showing his cards here with regard to what his worldview entails and implying that other Christians should operate according to it. This is fine as far as it goes, but then the book should probably be titled, "Against ᵗʰᵉ ᵖʳᵉᵛᵃᶦˡᶦⁿᵍ Worldview: For My Worldview."

The rest of the book continues to circle the plane around this problem of how to dismantle a monolithic Christian worldview without simply erecting a new one in its place. He gets close, I think, when he argues that we ought to evaluate pedagogical faithfulness against the gospel instead of against our worldviews. This would be measured by "adherence to the creeds and confessions of the church." This doesn't really seem to solve the problem, though, in my opinion. The Nicene Creed does not include an appendix on how Christian educators teach about psychology or Critical Race Theory, for example. This would then naturally lead to ever-expanding confessions and institutional statements of faith outlining what is on or off the table. Of course, this is exactly what Christian institutions already do. What is a seminary's statement of faith but a monolithic worldview in miniature?

Lest I sound overly critical here, what he's attempting to solve here is a legitimately hard (or even impossible) problem to solve: how to have both shared moral norms within Christian community without that becoming exhaustive or dictatorial. I think he's mostly on the right track by leaning more into wisdom acquisition, but I think he needs to let go of "worldview" thinking more than he thinks is possible. Consider this re-articulation of his core thesis near the end of the book:

My core claim here has been that the old idea of Christian worldview needs to be reimagined. None of us has access to a complete Christian worldview. Therefore, the Christian worldview is not the starting point for framing Christian education. Instead, we should think of education as the process of acquiring spiritual and practical wisdom.

My contention is that if worldview is not the starting point, nor the frame, nor even something that we can share in any kind of objective way, then it probably deserves far less airtime than we currently give it. If we focus instead on what he suggests—imparting spiritual and practical wisdom to students—then I think that means we will necessarily have to relinquish the kind of control over outcomes that we wish we had. Imparting wisdom means we are giving students tools for thinking Christianly about whatever specific hot-button topic arises, and we entrust the conclusions they reach into their own hands.

This is a genuinely scary thought when I consider my own children: I want them to grow up to hold fast to certain ideas and utterly reject other ideas present in our world, so my temptation is to instruct them what to think instead of how to reason. I do not want to relinquish that control, but I must admit that I actually do not nor will I ever have actual control over what they think. Kids grow up into adults and diverge from their parents in small or large ways. This is always true of every individual. Framing education as inductive wisdom acquisition is at least honest about our lack of direct control over students' ultimate conclusions, and helps us to lean into what we actually can do rather than fantasizing about what we cannot.

What can be said about Kennedy's Against Worldview, in the end? In my mind, it's an intriguing book that aims in the right direction, but I wish that he had more boldly done what the title promised and given a clear and straightforward alternative to worldview thinking. The Bible holds an embarrassment of riches in the "wisdom acquisition" department, and it would have been a significantly less confusing argument if he had simply leaned into that. All that said, I do not wish to be overly harsh here; I would say that this is a good, albeit imperfect, book. Faults aside, I think that this is a directionally correct way forward for Christian educators to go. I hope that what Kennedy has done here spawns an ongoing conversation on how to talk about unity-in-diversity in the church as well as the cultivation of wisdom among Christ followers.

DISCLAIMER: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of a fair, unbiased review.


1. As a brief aside, it's not a bad thing that the book is mostly about the work of an educator, but I admit that I was kind of surprised—the title had led me to think the book would be more of a theological treatise on the concept of worldview in general.
2. I am not a Young Earth Creationist, and I'm not sure that even I agree with the premise.

[Michal naka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kennedy's "Against Worldview" presents a compelling critique of how Christian education has weaponized the concept of worldview. His central argument – that we should move from a deductive, combat-oriented worldview approach to an inductive, wisdom-seeking model – resonates particularly in how it frees educators to teach their disciplines with integrity while honoring both academic rigor and Christian thought.

What I found most insightful (and repetitive) was Kennedy's metaphor of mosaic-making versus bullet-firing. Rather than defending against secular ideas through a predetermined "Christian worldview," he advocates for building something beautiful through the patient accumulation of wisdom. This approach acknowledges that truth about reality isn't confessionally determined – a Christian studying chemistry or history isn't inherently closer to truth than a non-Christian. Instead, Kennedy argues that education should focus on helping students piece together their own understanding through exposure to genuine wisdom, whether that comes from Christian or non-Christian sources.

The implications of Kennedy's framework are refreshing: rather than forcing biblical references into every subject or filtering everything through a theological lens, he advocates for teaching subjects well on their own terms while providing students with strong theological formation through dedicated catechesis and engagement with "great books". This balanced approach treats both Scripture and academic disciplines with appropriate dignity – physics doesn't need Bible verses to be Christian because God's truth is already inherent in the subject itself.

[Jared Mcnabb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful criticism of the worldview approach to education. Chapter 3 on epistemology, and chapter 4 on wisdom were excellent, and deserve a 5 star rating.

I’m still not totally on board with all of his criticism of worldview, and I think a discussion on the place of Christian presuppositions would have been helpful, but a very worthwhile book.

[Benjamin Shurance · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been both an enthusiastic proponent of "worldview" speak in Christian education circles, as well as a critic of its promised outcomes (particularly since reading James K.A. Smith's critique in Desiring the Kingdom). So I was interested to see what Simon Kennedy has to say about it.

In this short work, Kennedy is effective in purporting a humbler way of approaching worldview formation as Christians. Humbler than the somewhat caricaturized portrait he presents worldview talk, that is. He proposes Christian worldview as the result of the myriad efforts by Christian educators in forming students in their respective areas of study. Christian worldview is not the deductive starting point but rather is arrived at inductively through studying the God's word and world. Moreover, there is not One Definitive Christian Worldview, but a person may have **a** Christian worldview. As such, it is akin to wisdom. He writes: "a Christian worldview is a true apprehension of reality that is attained through the process of learning about God, the self, and the world."

The book is a bit philosophical in tone (which I like), which also means it's a bit repetitive in rehashing its arguments. I appreciated it for its brevity and straightforwardness. Its central metaphor ("mosaic") is also a bit over-repeated, but maybe effectively so?, since I remember it clearly.

Some quotes from the ARC I received from the publisher:
"This realist understanding is also a meaningful place to start if you are a Christian educator. It means that you and your students are working on a big, beautiful project that is designed by a Master artist. Despite our severely limited capacity to know about reality, all the elements of that reality explored in your teaching are useful and fit into a whole that is given and meaningful."
"The aim of Christian education is to apprehend reality in all its elements: God, self, and the world. In reaching for this reality through the gradual gathering of wisdom, Christian educators are giving students the gift of a Christian worldview."
"You don’t need to insert the worldview key into your chemistry curriculum to make it more Christian, because God is already there! And by teaching his truth you are already building the worldviews of your students."
"Faithful Christian teaching doesn’t look like using the Bible as much as possible or teaching from textbooks that claim to be presenting a Christian worldview. Faithful Christian teaching looks like pursuing and teaching the truth wherever it might be found."
"Worldview talk needs to change from means to ends. Christian worldviews are the aim, and to get there we teach wisdom by pointing to truth."

[Abby Weaver · Rating 2 out of 5]

SCHS staff summer read

This book was really challenging for me, in the dense nature of words and philosophies incorporated. It was hard to see where the author was going, but I finally was able to extract some thought-invoking points by Chapter 5. It felt like a very over-complicated deep-dive into Christian history, thought, and play on words for the eventual production of simple ideas… should be an interesting discussion in August…

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title of this book is clearly intended to be provocative toward any Christian that is convinced of the importance of 'worldview'. On reading, however, it quickly becomes clear that Kennedy is not actually against the idea of worldview per se, but against a particular conceptualisation of it, or at least of that conceptualisation's application to education.

Kennedy describes 'the Christian worldview' as a 'combat concept' that was created in the 20th century in order to play a particular role in the culture wars of the time. It is combative because its primary purpose was in providing an answer to how 'the Christian worldview' could or should be distinguished from others. It is therefore largely abstract and often vague, and so cannot offer concrete tools for understanding how we actually interact with the world, other people, and God, as finite, embodied souls. This leads to educational institutions that endeavour to teach according to 'the Christian worldview' having difficulty in connecting that concept to real-life practice.

The answer this book offers to this problem is to reimagine the purpose of education as being 'growth in wisdom'. By taking on the education or formation of children (and adults) as an inductive process, in which learners are encouraged to piece their own understanding of reality together in a way that allows them to effectively relate to the world around them, they are made to grow in wisdom. It is through this process that they begin to form their own 'worldview', which then stands as the end of education, instead of the means by which it takes place.

This approach therefore stands in contrast to one that seeks to teach 'worldview' in a top-down or deductive manner, already starting with the categories it supposes should belong to 'the Christian worldview' and attempting to instill only a sort of intellectual assent in learners. Instead, educators are to guide their learners through the particular section of reality that they are responsible for teaching, not by trying to impart the 'correct' worldview (only God holds the one, full, and authoritative worldview), but by helping them grow in wisdom in their relationship with it. This further emphasises and makes clear why humility and faithfulness, on the part of educator and learner, must be matters of primary importance in education.

There is a helpful discussion of the epistemology standing behind Kennedy's approach, as well as some examples of how it works out practically. The language does become a little repetitive in the final third, though this is understandable given that Kennedy likely wants to ensure that the emphases of this novel approach are made clear.

[Justin Harbin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kennedy gives voice to many concerns I've had regarding "worldview" in Christian education over the past several years. Here he helpfully provides historical context for why such a term carries baggage from the culture-warrior approach and advocates for an inductive pursuit of wisdom.

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I raised my eyebrows in a few places, but overall I think I agree with his main points and criticisms. I especially liked his excursion into epistemology, and its impact on our philosophy of education.

The title I take to be in the same vein as Leithart's Against Christianity, and Wilson's Against the Church. However, I suspect critics could claim he has little worldview approach left.

Liked it, and feel enriched.

[Christopher Rush · Rating 2 out of 5]

With all due respect to Mr. Kennedy, this is not a very impressive book - not in a positive sense, anyway. Instead of trying to hold a position he admits himself is untenable (eliminate the term "worldview" altogether), why not just set out to "reimagine" it? as the subtitle intimates anyway? That is effectively what Mr. Kennedy resigns himself to do by the end, so why he doesn't admit it from the outset? Oh, right, sensationalism. I keep forgetting how crucial that is to getting Christians' attention these days.

So a rough beginning, an inaccurate and intentionally misleading title, which is followed by a historical survey of the use of the term that has all the veracity and thoroughness of a 1998 Wikipedia article written by 2022 AI run through a 2016 social media fact checker and approved by whoever okayed that "Make 7-Up" you-know-what ad campaign. In other words, Mr. Kennedy does not present himself as a knowledgeable source of information concerning Dr. Schaeffer, Nancy Pearcey, or any US use of "worldview" ever. He presents himself as someone who read one very slanted article antagonistic to Dr. Schaeffer, thought it was the bee's knees, and looked no further. I'm not saying he is, merely that that is how it sounds.

He spends no time discussing whether Dr. Schaeffer was perspicacious enough to be using worldview language in a way that would reach his time and audience appropriately, and surely Mr. Kennedy, writing about a time and country fifty-odd years ago he has never experienced would surely be qualified to upbraid Dr. Schaeffer. Surely. Worse, Mr. Kennedy only cites one work by Dr. Schaeffer (maybe two, indirectly, but certainly not enough of the breadth of Dr. Schaeffer's output) to prove his hasty and cursory conclusions about Dr. Shaeffer's views.

To be fair, Mr. Kennedy posits that since we are living in a different time, we should use language and ideas fit for now. This is true, to an extent, of course, but his reasoning for why we need to wholly abandon the "antagonistic" diction of Dr. Schaeffer is utterly perplexing. Mr. Kennedy is begrudgingly willing to potentially acknowledge the culture of the 1970s may have been minutely opposed to Biblical Christianity, at least a smidge here and there (keep in mind he is only guessing, since there's no way to possibly understand a time and culture from before one's own day). But the kicker is Mr. Kennedy is under the impression we are in a much different culture today. For no discernible reason, Mr. Kennedy thinks we are in a time in which no hostility to Christian thought or culture exists, so we need to stop thinking in terms of "secular worldview" and "Christian worldview." Perhaps that is the worst part of this book, Mr. Kennedy's implication (is there such a thing as vehement implication?) that there is no such thing as a "secular worldview."

Most of the book is about Christian schoolteachers and how they should "reimagine" worldview education. Sure, fine, but having set it upon such a flimsy and erroneous foundation, it is little wonder the purported practical application of the book is just as jejune and ephemeral. Soon enough in this section, Mr. Kennedy admits we can't really abandon the term, so he changes tactics and proves that he is not really qualified as an education fixer. He even says he can't provide any advice on how actual school teachers should put his new philosophy into practice, so he leaves that to them. Thanks, Mr. Kennedy. You have all the know-how of a school board made up of business people who ignored everything in school, made money gulling people into buying trash, and suddenly they are qualified to tell trained professional educators how to do their jobs.

What is the new, groundbreaking, revolutionary anti-worldview worldview from theorist Simon Kennedy? Despite sixty-six rather thorough books (or even twenty-seven if you're in a hurry) collected long ago about how people should then live, combined with millenia of commentary, supplements, and the like, Mr. Kennedy proffers that since we don't know every minute detail about God's plan about every aspect of reality, we have no business talking to children about "the" Christian worldview. Instead, Christian school teachers should teach in such a way that school kids create "a Christian worldview" cooperatively and effectively for themselves. Let them explore, delight, discover. Don't force a "standard" on them. It's pretty rough, to put it nicely. And remember, he has no clue how this should or could be done. He has no advice on what to do with the students who aren't up to creating such individualized worldviews. Perhaps he is envisioning an ultra-elite school of sinless, internally motivated students (Australia must be a terrific place). It's so wonderful when theorists tell school teachers how to do their jobs. They make it sound so easy. Just put truth and beauty in front of them, and they'll gobble it up and love you for it. Why didn't Dr. Schaeffer think of that?

This is a book of good intentions. We know where that path leads.

[Mark Caleb Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I need to process Simon Kennedy's Against Worldview more fully before saying or writing much. I am inclined to agree with his criticisms of how worldview often functions as a mode of combat, a boundary marker, and apologetically. What this means is that worldview is often an empty concept, devoid of specific content beyond some key principles that are not terribly distinguishable from cardinal doctrines of the faith. Handled in this manner, worldview teaching and arguments are deductive, clunky, and not persuasive.

Kennedy does not argue for abandoning Christian worldview, but for a reorientation of the idea as an inductive pursuit of wisdom. He weaves the imagery of a mosaic throughout the text, and likens worldview construction, and hence Christian education, to fashioning a mosaic, where students and teachers work together on the pieces in front of them while God functions as the master mosaicist, the only one with a full and complete picture of the work from beginning to end. There is much that is attractive in Kennedy's description. Not only does it fit how must of us learn and teach, but it makes the attainment of a worldview that apprehends reality, which he defines as knowledge of God, the world, and the self, the end of Christian education. The result of the Christian worldview should be both practical and spiritual wisdom, which culminate in the person of Christ.

Since I am decidedly neither a theologian nor a philosopher, I am hesitant to wade into his arguments about Christian Realism (via Bavinck) as a suitable grounding. It seems persuasive on its face. I will have questions for my friends, but I am curious about whether Kennedy has really tried to destroy the concept of worldview in his argument. While he says he wants to refine it, his description of it is far removed from the traditional portrayal of seeing the world through a new lens, which for him suggests something impossible. Wisdom and prudence operate through a ready grasp of reality, which will vary dramatically by time and place. Just to be clear, Kennedy is not arguing for a relativistic approach to worldview, but for a much more restrained set of clear principles and humility as the rest is put together.

Regardless of my processing, at first blush, this is a book worth reading. In particular, I appreciated his insights about the blunt, often unhelpful approaches to worldview that abound across evangelicalism in America, and the outcomes often associated with those approaches--proof texting, devotions during class, and prayer requests. While proof texting is harmful to God's Word and should be pushed against, these other behaviors, while noble and good for building community, are not at all evidence of worldview thinking. To the degree Kennedy provokes those kinds of discussions, I suspect this book will be successful no matter his other claims or efforts.

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simon P. Kennedy's chosen title for this short work of polemics is perhaps a bit misleading: Rather than being formally against worldview in its entirety, he is against certain caricatures and prevailing sentiments of worldview, arguing that Christian worldview should not be a means, but the *end*—the goal—of Christian education. He's forced to use the prevailing "worldview" terminology, however, as it is still most fitting and readily understandable to the general audience.

What follows is a well-argued thesis that Christian education systems not force Scripture and Christian elements into subjects (e.g., science, math) which would take those elements out of context and weaken their distinct theological claims. Kennedy faces off against the likes of Abraham Kuyper and other 20th-Century theologians to combat the idea of worldview as "combat concepts," in other words, that Christians use worldview to dismantle other world-and-life-view systems which seek to stamp out Christianity. While I agree with Kennedy's claims, I wish there was more nuance with regard to when the Christian *should* use worldview in a "combative" sense, to borrow his term.

He concludes with practical steps that Christian educators may take: catechesis, reading great books (both Christian and non-Christian), and, ultimately, doing away with the idea that Christian worldview is a distinct and monolithic framework which we, finite though we are, may achieve. His work here is laudable, and his final points are worth more research and development, even if he, ironically, presents a distinct worldview which he contends is worth following over and against the described monolithic one.

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's interesting. I agree that we need to be clear and thoughtful in our use of the term "worldview."

If you only have time to read one chapter, Chapter 5 is the most important.


**** the following review created by Gemini 3.0********
In Against Worldview, Kennedy offers a provocative critique of a cornerstone of modern Christian education. He argues that the traditional "Christian worldview" model—originally forged as a "combat concept" for twentieth-century cultural wars—has become a vague, bureaucratic burden that emphasizes intellectual systems over the formation of the heart.

Kennedy proposes a paradigm shift from a deductive model (imposing a pre-packaged system) to an inductive one. Using the metaphor of a mosaic, he suggests that a worldview is not the starting point of education, but its goal (telos). Instead of forcing students to "download" a framework, educators should help them place individual "tiles" of practical and spiritual wisdom. Drawing on the "Christian Realism" of Herman Bavinck and the philosophy of Charlotte Mason, Kennedy encourages teachers to pursue truth wherever it is found—in Scripture, tradition, or the sciences—without the need for forced "baptizing" of every lesson.

At approximately 126 pages, this book is an essential call to move from cultural defense to constructive discipleship. Kennedy’s vision transforms education into the "science of relations," ultimately aiming for a vision of reality that prompts doxology rather than mere debate.

[Zak Schmoll · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book, but the title is not really accurate. What the author argues for is essentially what many of us mean when we talk about worldviews, so I don't know that it is really an argument against worldview. He argues against a deductive, almost question and answer approach to apologetics, but I don't know that that's what many people talk about when they talk about worldview. He references people like Kuyper and Schaeffer, but neither one of them really offer a simplistic version of worldview either, so I was a little bit perplexed about what he is actually against. The author argues for worldview as being sort of like an artist creating a mosaic. God, the master, understands the big picture. You and I are assigned to a small part of the overall that we might know very well, but we are understandably limited. At its best, this is a call to Christian humility, recognizing that we do our best to view the world as a Christian but are still fallen humans. I may have more to write about this in an extended post on my website, only because I do think there is a deeper problem with the framing of his description of worldview as that much different than what he is critiquing. Nevertheless, this is a thought-provoking book, and it does make many good points about why a proper understanding of worldview, which most of its proponents have anyway, is important.

[Phillip Nash · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very timely book that encourages us to re-think our approach to worldview use in Christian schooling. The old use as a combative apologetic against the growing secularisation of Western culture has had its day now Christianity is so marginalised. Kennedy proposes we take an inductive approach that sees Christian worldview as the telos of education rather than its means. Wisdom is the means to make use of the truths we discover as we explore the world and ourselves and learn how to live rightly in proper relationship with God.
He uses the image of a mosaic where the artist is God who planned the entire finished work while we are the craftsmen who put the pieces together under his guidance . We see the possible finished project only imperfectly but do see it emerging as we remain faithful to searching for truth. Christian teachers therfore do not start with a known world view and try to fit their subject into its contours but, knowing their subject well, help students build up a Biblical view of the world and how life should be lived by helping them see truth wherever it can be found. Teacher and student thus work together to develop a Biblical worldview.
An excellent text for those frustrated by current approaches to worldview in education and looking for a different approach.

[Jonah Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really helpful direction on how to view the notion of "worldview" in a more constructive way than is common in some Christian circles. Thoughtful, practical suggestions, as well as a nice big-picture view of worldview as the telos of Christian formation rather than the means by which we engage the world. His distinction between "practical" and "spiritual" wisdom is the reason I give 4 stars instead of 5. This notion was unexplained, and I did not find this taxonomy compelling. It fails to account for the complexity of situations that blur lines between "practical" and "spiritual," as well as improperly distinguishes some aspects of life as more spiritual than others. Yet, still a very practical and helpful resource with implications for churches, educators, parents, and more!

[Daniel Arter · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s going to take me a little time to completely formulate my thoughts on this book because there are elements that are definitely true, but there are elements that I differ with the author on as well.

I think the author goes a little too far in trying to change the ideology of worldview in evangelical Christianity. Yes, there are instances in which proponents of worldview ideology have gone too far, but I don’t think it’s worth jettisoning the deductive approach to worldview education in its entirety. Rather, it might be better to consider worldview education inductively and deductively in a both/and manner.

Regardless, interesting book. It warrants further consideration.

[David West · Rating 4 out of 5]

For anyone working in, or interested in, Christian education, this is an important book. Kennedy traces the history of the term "Christian worldview" and how it has been used. The notion that a "Christian worldview" exists as a body of information we can download to students is challenged. In its place, Kennedy suggests building a Christian worldview one piece at a time. Christian worldview is the goal not the means of Christian education.

I'm still wrestling with some of the ideas and will be thinking about this one for a while.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good challenge to the top down model of worldview education. Christian worldview formation is about learning the wisdom of living in God's world as opposed to deductively layering "right" perspectives onto reality. Students need to inductively grow in practical and spiritual wisdom as they move towards a worldview. Worldview building is a goal and not a starting place.

The reason for not giving this five stars is that I am still seeking more clarity on how to integrate this into the university education system.

[Timothyemmalee · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author is very well read, and the book is, for the most, part well written. However, there's a great deal in his critique of Christian worldview where a great many self-professed worldview types would fail to see themselves. That is, there are things that he claims to be worldview that few involved would say of their position, and many of his suggested corrections are things that they already do.

[Joel Whitson · Rating 4 out of 5]

more of a 3.75. It was good but leaves much to be desired. i have yet to read louis markos new book on an apologetic for classical Christian education but i would assume it would be good to read these two together. The book is far more about education (in the church or school) than the title shows.

[Joel Wentz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very solid argument that is much more winsome and gentle than the title may suggest. It isn't a harsh polemic, but a thoughtful invitation. Really liked it.

Video review here: https://youtu.be/Esz4v31MQnw

[Jake · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intriguing read challenging the typical usage of the concept of the “Christian Worldview.” The author doesn’t seek to remove the concept, but instead to reframe it as a goal to be sought rather than a method to be used. Persuasive.

[Joel Newberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great little book on worldview and what we truly need to have - wisdom. The chapter on truth method toward realism was excellent. Overall a great book. The ending was more toward education then I was hoping but the content was simple and good.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good though the title is a bit misleading. Overall, great points and recommend reading this.

[Martin Keast · Rating 5 out of 5]

inductive approach to Christian worlview education is proposed in this short book. excellent.