Worldviews in Conflict: Choosing Christianity in a World of Ideas

by Ronald H. Nash

This world is a battlefield in the arena of ideas. The prize is the heart and mind of humankind. In this book, Ronald Nash outlines the Christian way of looking at God, self, and the world. He holds that worldview up against the tests of reason, logic, and experience, particularly discussing the problems of evil and the alleged "nonsense" of the historic Christian doctrines and of Jesus' incarnation and resurrection. He finds the Christian worldview sound and urges Christians to equip themselves intellectually to defend the faith on that battlefield. He particularly hits the attractions to our generation of naturalism and the New Age movement, pointing out their weaknesses and pitfalls as well as those of older worldviews. "Christian theism," he writes, "is a system that commends itself to the whole person"; but he stresses that a great difference exists between "belief that" and "belief in."

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

176 pages, Paperback

First published August 10, 1992

About the author

Ronald H. Nash (PhD, Syracuse University) was a longtime professor at Western Kentucky University, Reformed Theological Seminary, and The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

He was an heir of the theological tradition of Carl F.H. Henry, and was an lifelong admirer and student of Augustine of Hippo, his favorite philosopher.

He was the author of numerous books, including The Concept of God, Life's Ultimate Questions, and Faith and Reason.

Reviews

[Philip Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're into apologetics/worldview stuff, this is so worth your time. I stumbled across Nash during the 2020 lockdown and binged a whole bunch of his courses online. I think he describes himself as a 'soft presuppositionalist' in one of his lectures, which means there were bits in the book where, in my opinion, he didn't flesh out the presuppositional nature of the very task of choosing a worldview based on his criteria of reason, experience, and practice (Doesn't using these criteria already presuppose some kind of worldview that you're using to determine the value of the worldviews you're examining?). So I think he does that part backwards (and he would definitely have levelled the same criticism right back). Anyway, the rest of the book is really solid, and if you want to see how a Christian can thoughtfully critique naturalism, logical positivism, the 'spiritual but not religious,' or evidentialism, then take up and read.

[Filipe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excelente exposição apologética!

[Bruno Matias · Rating 4 out of 5]

É uma boa introdução.

[Mark Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

About the author: Ronald H. Nash (b. May 27, 1936; d. March 10, 2006) was an Evangelical Baptist philosopher and apologist in the Calvinist tradition. Nash served as a professor for over 40 years, teaching and writing in the areas of worldview, apologetics, ethics, theology and history.

Ronald H. Nash was born in Cleveland, Ohio on May 27, 1936. He earned his Bachelor’s degree at Barrington College, and a Master’s degree at Brown University, before going on to receive his Doctorate in Doctoral category:Philosophy from Syracuse University in 1964.

Following his doctoral work, Nash became the Chairman of the Department of Philosophy and Religion and Director of Graduate Studies in Humanities at Taught at Western Kentucky University (Bowling Green, Kentucky), where he served for 27 years. In 1991, he became Professor of Philosophy and Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary (Orlando, Florida), serving there until 2002. Additionally, Nash was Professor of Philosophy at the Taught at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (Louisville, Kentucky) from 1998-2005. Nash passed away on March 10, 2006, due to complications from a stroke.

The information above has been copied from (www.theopedia.com/ronald-nash).

Direct quote and quite possibly the purpose of the book, “I am convinced… few Americans have been taught to think in terms of worldview. They do not know what a worldview is; they could not spell out the context of their own worldview if they lives depended upon it; they are unaware of how various aspects of conflicting worldview clash logically.” (p. 9) Nash writes, “the most important step for Christians is to become informed about the Christian worldview, a comprehensive systematic view of life and of the world as a whole. No believe today can be really effective in the area of ideas until he or she has been trained to think in worldview terms.” (p. 14)

I purchased this book so that I could intelligently explain the concept of a world-view. I am teaching teenagers so I did not need the book to be complicated. I wanted to explain the concept in the simplest of terms. And I think that (throughout most of the book) Nash did explain the concept very well. I enjoyed the book and underlined some great quotes. I am sure that in the future I will continue to use this book as a resource. It is little dated, published in 1992. I would love to see an updated edition. Seeing how Nash is no longer with us but with the Lord, an updated edition would be impossible. In that regard, if any readers of this blog knows of a recent and valuable work about world-views, I would love to hear some recommendations.

I enjoyed the first few chapters where Nash definitively explained what a worldview is. He explained the role of presuppositions and the five major elements of a worldview. Nash wrote about choosing a worldview and contrasted the Christian and naturalist worldview. Which I think was great, he really simplified this through a visual illustration. One I will continue to use as I explain God’s creative work and intelligent design. He contrasted Christianity with the new age worldview. I just skimmed through this section. I am not certain, but I am assuming that the new age movement has lost its thrust in the world of ideas. Very rarely do I ever hear about the new age movement. As I said, I wish that the book was updated. I would love to hear what Nash thinks about modern atheists, and the multicultural-religion (worldview) shift in America.

Nash contributed a section on reason, which I also dredged through. It may appeal to others, but it was a little academic for me (most books are). Sometimes I have to read a book twice to comprehend the context. Many of the books reviewed on this blog I have had to read twice. Hopefully those of you who read my book reviews are encouraged by my efforts. He also dedicated one chapter to the problem of evil, a very succinct proposition, hardly exhausted. After looking through the chapter once more, I realize that I only underlined two small sections. Which means that there was nothing new to his argument, but remember the book is twenty-five years old. Nash hashes out some arguments for the incarnation and resurrection of Jesus. Overall I liked the book, my biggest complaint is that the book is outdated.

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Worldviews in Conflict, Nash attempts to provide the reader with the basic tools needed to make a rational defense of the Christian faith by demonstrating the strength and soundness of a Christian worldview. He does this by addressing some of the more popular arguments against Christianity as well as comparing the Christian worldview to other competing worldviews to show how the former makes more sense of the world.

Nash begins his treatment by defining for the reader exactly what a worldview is, saying, “in its simplest terms, a worldview is a set of beliefs about the most important issues in life” and an important aspect of any worldview is that all of the beliefs espoused by it “must cohere in some way and form a system” (p. 16). He argues for the validity of allowing presuppositions in the development of a worldview and then provides examples of some of the most important questions a worldview must answer if it is to be taken seriously. Next, Nash provides an overview of the Christian worldview and the answers it provides for the aforementioned questions. Confusingly, he explains the Christian worldview before he enters a discussion of how to think about, consider, and choose a worldview using the three tests of reason, experience, and practice. The next three chapters deal first with understanding more intimately the test of reason, and then the applying of that test to the Christian worldview. In the application portion, Nash addresses both the deductive and inductive theodical arguments, showing how they pose no threat to the rationality of Christian theism. He then provides critiques of both Naturalism and the New Age Movement, showing how these two competing worldviews do not provide sufficient or satisfactory results when put to the three tests of reason, experience, and practice. In conclusion, Nash seeks to bolster the Christian worldview by defending the doctrines of the resurrection and the incarnation, before closing by offering the reader some practical advice on how to think through everything presented in the book.

Nash’s stated purpose is to provide the reader with the basic tools needed to interact with others in the world of ideas, “the most important of which is the ability to think in terms of worldviews” (p. 15). In this respect, I believe the author succeeds, but it’s important that the potential reader understand his stated purpose, and not assume a purpose based on what the title of the book may imply. Just by reading the subtitle, choosing Christianity in a world of ideas, one might think that the majority of the book would be devoted to comparing Christianity to “the world of ideas”, however, only Naturalism and the New Age Movement are critiqued. The majority of the work, as the author says, is intended to define, shape, and inform the readers understanding of what a worldview is and how to let that understanding act as a foundation for how one thinks about the world. To that end, the author succeeds, but that also leads me to a point of critique. It seems to me that the author tried to write two different books here, or at least he would have been better off doing so. The first half is devoted to describing the concept of worldviews and how to build an epistemological framework upon them. Given that the author is providing a popular treatment of this subject and not an academic one, I believe this material alone is sufficient to fulfill the authors stated purpose. The problem comes in the second half of the book which is somewhat of an apologetic defense of Christianity over and against Naturalism and the New Age Movement, along with a defense of the incarnation and the resurrection. There are two problems I see with this portion of the book: 1) it appears to be too far removed from the author’s stated purpose of merely providing a general understanding of worldviews, and 2) I do not believe it is a thorough enough treatment in order to provide the reader with the assurance that Christianity is the prevailing worldview amongst a world of ideas—there are only two competing worldviews discussed and only two essential doctrines defended. This is why I feel the author may have been better off separating the two halves of this book, or at least should have considered developing this work into a more exhaustive treatment. The first half of the book would work great as a primer on worldviews and could stand on its own. But the second half is insufficient if taken by itself and it also feels disjointed (or maybe incomplete) following the first half.

That being said, the material itself is great. Although a small bit of effort will need to be put forth by readers who are unacquainted with the topic, Nash deals with philosophical ideas and arguments in a way that is easy to follow and understand if that effort is applied. However, given the problems noted, I would probably hesitate to recommend this book as an introduction to these issues. Nash’s work is certainly worth reading, but in my opinion, it doesn’t provide an adequate foundation for a beginner to start with.

[Rory Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an apologetic argument for Christianity, which argues for it as a Christian Worldview. It makes some thought provoking points, but it also contains some significant omissions.

The book sees its purpose as raising people’s levels of consciousness about worldviews, as that is an “essential part of the intellectual maturity” which enables people to make appropriately rational commitments to a faith like Christianity. It starts by defining a worldview as a “set of beliefs about the most important issues in life” (Kindle 5%). And what could be more important than religion, as that has implications beyond life (if it is correct in its claims)?

The book presents Christianity by distinguishing it from two main counter-worldviews: ‘Naturalism’ and ‘New Age.’ It provides a detailed philosophical rejection of Naturalism’s claims that all that exists is matter and material processes. And it provides a rejection of New Age, which draws upon the importance of rationality and avoiding contradictions to show that New Age is ultimately an incoherent idea.

These themes are clearly argued, but the arguments seemed a little “quick” in places. Naturalism is rejected as ‘self-referentially absurd” (59%) and as neither a “wise nor rational” choice (61%). But is it really absurd to think that physical or material processes are the totality of existence. Christians think that such a view is wrong because there are immaterial realities like consciousness, but that doesn’t necessarily make Naturalism absurd. A more detailed argument would be needed to go beyond its wrongness to its absurdity.

To establish the plausibility of the Christian worldview, the author shows that the Problem of Evil does not undermine Christianity. He also shows that doctrines like the Incarnation and Resurrection do not involve any contradictions. The author is right to engage with these issues, but there are other problems which he does not deal with.

The problem of Grace and Free Will is a well-known issue which has been discussed by Christians for centuries. If God’s grace is the cause of free actions (contrary to the Pelagian heresy), then in what sense are actions truly free. Some critics have accused Christianity of being contradictory on this point, so it’s a problem that needs dealing with, but the author does not do so.

I was also surprised to see that the author argues for “Christianity,” but he does so as a member of a particular Christian denomination. This is because although people talk in the abstract of a “mere Christianity,” the reality is that people express their Christianity in unavoidably denominational ways. And those denominations reflect significantly different worldviews, especially when it comes to justifying the appropriateness of belief in specific doctrines. So, I would have expected the author to press the issue of worldviews a little harder, to argue for a specific (denominational) Christianity. Otherwise he has arguably presented an incomplete Christian Worldview.

Overall the book is clear and well presented, with 20% devoted to footnotes and follow-up. It should be accessible to most readers, but it will appeal particularly to those who like to think about religion in terms of its philosophical implications.

[Leandro Couto]

Nash compares the Christian worldview to the 2 big other worldviews common in the modern world, according to the author: naturalism and "new age". The term "new age" sees little use these days (the book is from 1992), but one can understand its influence in ideologies under other names, and naturalism gained popularity in the last decades. Nash outlines these beliefs and analyzes them under a rational and logical prism. It's presented with care and rigor, but I found it a bit dry. It works as a theoretical introduction to the matter but could be better as a practical tool, as the subtitle suggests it should be.

[Marcelo Barbosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leitura concluída. 👏👏

222 páginas sobre Cosmovisão. Um excelente livro, porém uma leitura um pouco pesada devido aos termos técnicos/filosóficos utilizados.
Vale a pena a leitura para quem já está um pouco inteirado sobre a Cosmovisão.

[Cody Sellers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read. Generally digestible for the average reader. Some of the issues addressed may seem somewhat dated, but the information is relevant to anyone who is serious about thinking about worldview, religion, and philosophy.

[Philip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well put together and not hard to understand. It's probably a good jumping-off point for further and deeper reading.

[Marcos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muito bom! Leitura fundamental.

[Carmen Dampf]

Super informative!

[Jesus Salgado · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful!

[Matthew Palagyi · Rating 4 out of 5]

a much needed read. great prayer and strength.

[Júlia Zarro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Um bom guia de apologética que nos lembra que ser cristão requer nossa fé e nossa racionalidade

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wordviews in Conflict: Choosing Christianity in a World of Ideas, by Ronald H. Nash
Rated: G
Genre: nonfiction, Christianity

Enlightening, but slow reading. Packed with enough (mind spinning) information that it'll probably warrant with most of you a second reading, like me. It was fascinating, and I recommend this book to pretty much everyone who's a Christian… or not a Christian. You might be surprised.

Would I recommend it? Yes. Heavy/slow reading, and you need a good comprehension rate, but worth it. :)

[Keegan Hatt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad book. Deals adequately with most of the basic factors of a worldview but leaves out arguably the most important point, that being that all worldviews are circular and thus are taken by faith. Good points on the Laws of Logic, Naturalism and the New Age Movement. But misses the mark completely when talking about how one is to choose a worldview. Would not recommend to someone looking for a comprehensive look at worldviews, or who is just getting started on the subject.

[Jason Walsh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book's author bravely tries to put the cookies on the bottom shelf and does a better job than I anticipated. However, it's not all that satisfying by itself. By the time I was two thirds of the way through I was starting to get annoyed with frequently being referred to the author's other books. Overall, it's a decent jumping off point into the field of apologetically writing.

[Benjamin Glaser · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting book. It was the first one I have read by Ronald Nash and very much enjoyed it. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for an introductory book to the problems with non-Christian philosophy and non-Christian worldviews.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book I have read by Ronald Nash. I liked parts of it. However, it is not presuppositional. Therefore, I think that it fails to present a definitive case for the Christian worldview (though one can be made).

[Dwain Minor · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're interested in apologetics and worldviews then I think that this book would be a good place to begin.

Nash does a good job of discussing and examining the most prominent worldviews of today. His defense of Christianity's overall worldview is good also.

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Assigned for my Christian Beliefs class as Pacific Life Bible College. A good intro to the basic worldviews of our culture and how to evaluate them objectively for consistency.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Concise, helpful presentation of the Christian perspective juxtaposed with other competing worldviews.

[Andreas · Rating 4 out of 5]

good introduction for (Reformed) Christian worldview apologetics