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IDEOLOGIES AND WORLDVIEWS

“So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed. That, however, is not the way of life you learned when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.”Ephesians 4:17-21 NIV

A worldview is the set of beliefs about fundamental aspects of reality that ground and influence all one's perceiving, thinking, knowing, and doing. One's worldview is also referred to as one's philosophy, philosophy of life, mindset, outlook on life, formula for life, ideology, faith, or even religion. An ideology is a set of opinions or beliefs of a group or an individual. Very often ideology refers to a set of political beliefs or a set of ideas that characterize a particular culture. Capitalism, communism, socialism, and Marxism are ideologies. The dominant ideology in a society is passed along through the society's major social institutions, such as the media, the family, education, and religion. As societies changed throughout history, so did the ideologies that justified systems of inequality. Ideology allows a nation to have a clear sense of shared purpose and identity. Many nations, such as the United States, do not have a shared religion, ethnicity, language, or place of origin; ideology is intended to fill this void and bring a sense of cohesion to a nation.

Religious ideology refers to the beliefs, values, and practices associated with a particular religion. It shapes people's worldview, moral values, and behaviors, and influences their attitudes towards various aspects of life, including politics. The emphasis of religion is on faith and worship. For the Christian, its appeal is to Christlikeness and its aim is the redemption or purification of the human spirit. For evangelicals Jesus Christ saves one from sin and nurtures one in love; for liberals, Jesus Christ exemplifies the way of compassion, hospitality, and justice. Religion becomes an ideology when a group uses its faith to defend itself against a political power that threatens that group. It politicizes faith into either suppressing or persecuting others. Religious theologies (Jewish, Christian, Islamic) can legitimise socio-political ideology and racist-national identity. White Christian Nationalist theology undergirded Apartheid in South Africa. It was unbiblical, heretical, evil. Theologies can kill. Revolutionary movements use religion to legitimise the use of weapons in a political war, and also result in unbiblical, evil behaviour. As we look at various contemporary ideologies, we will find that some arise outside of the church and invade and impact the mind of the church from without; others arise within the church, and influence and corrupt the understanding of the church from within. History shows ideological powers rise and fall. Sooner or later, God judges and disciplines them. The Bible does not hesitate to label human ideologies as ‘false’. The rejection of the Word and the authority of God is expressed in a rejection of God. This rejection of God results in an increasing ignorance about Him and a substitution of human ideas about ‘god’ in the place of accurate knowledge about Him. The knowledge of God is distorted, diluted, and altered so seriously that the true God can no longer be recognized. This escalation of ignorance and erroneous belief is summed up in Romans 1:18-32.

It is a fact that an ideology is settled in the mind of a person in the institution he is raised in – school, college, university, social group, etc. Youths become activists because of peer groups. There are many testimonies of young people who were completely oblivious to political issues until they came under the influence of politically active groups that targeted young people. It set them on a course for the rest of their lives.

Scriptures to meditate on before praying:

Eph.4:17-21; Rom.1:18-32; Rom.12:1-2.

PRAYER POINTS

ME: Father God, your word says that you know my thoughts even before I think them. I confess that my thoughts towards other people are not always honourable and beneficial. Please forgive me. Forgive me that even my thoughts can be evil and can influence my actions negatively. I pray that You will also renew my mind. Let your Word be like a sword that will discern my thoughts and help me to be transformed to have the mind of Christ. Destroy every stronghold that was built in my mind through ideologies. Help me to take every thought captive and make it obedient to You and to think about and meditate on the things that are true, honourable, just, pure, and praiseworthy. To the glory of your Name! Amen!

US: Pray for the transformation of how Christians think and process events. that we will have a positive and Biblical mindset with a willingness to help find solutions for our problems and not to criticize and demean other people, or worse kill them through our unbiblical ideologies.

THEM: Pray for the media that plays such a vital role in the formation of our thought patterns. Pray that role models, leaders, and celebrities in your nation will be raised up to have a positive, nation-building influence on our youth. Pray that the young generation will find constructive ways to help build their nations to be free from destructive mindsets and old paradigms.

"For Jesus, there are no countries to be conquered, no ideologies to be imposed, no people to be dominated. There are only children, women and men to be loved." – Henri Nouwen.