The most important of all life’s decisions is the acceptance or denial of the existence of God and recognition of His active presence in the life of anyone accepting Him. It is a critical decision, because in addition to eternal consequences, the choice becomes the driving force of the present life. The unbeliever tends to live for the benefit of self, within few moral/ethical constraints. The believer matures by learning the importance of serving others, adhering to God’s moral standards as an expression of love, and knowing that focusing on the needs of others inspires the richest possible life experience. God’s moral standards require continuing progress along the lifelong journey to maturity, a journey where an individual should become substantially more humble, forgiving, merciful, and longsuffering, while developing a servant’s spirit.

In contrast, mankind’s own evolution-rooted standards incites a drive toward the opposing view, including selfishness, scorn, vengeance, impatience, and a demanding spirit. Although there are more polite terms for these seemingly negative values, they are all provoked by an unhealthy form of pride. The contrast between the evolutionist/secular view and the Christian view could not be greater. Consider the Table 6.1 comparison between the two views.

The evolutionist/secular humanist view appears to provide a path to a strained conclusion that God does not exist, evoking the post-modern conclusions that there is no objective truth and therefore no overarching values that apply to all people. Essentially, man becomes his/her own god, scorning religion and depending on the authority only of self, evoking decisions rendered primarily for the benefit of self. The absence of values anchored to incontrovertible virtues prompts severe criticism of the traditional Judeo-Christian American culture. One casualty of the loss of a stable culture is the replacement of commonly held values with extreme tolerance, which is indistinguishable from indifference. The absence of moral responsibilities combined with the perception that life is absolute and absolutely short elevates a prideful and extreme pursuit of wealth. With the public distracted by materialism, the self-proclaimed elite are able to pursue, virtually unhindered, their perception of a utopia that they believe can only be achieved by total government control of all people, except the elite themselves. Note the tendency of the U.S. Congress to exempt themselves from many pieces of legislation.

The Judeo-Christian view is that God is the Creator of all things and all life. He is personally interested in every individual. Since God is truth, objective truth is derived from Him and the study of His Creation. As such, the Christian depends on the authority of God, rather than self, recognizing that American exceptionalism arose from Judeo-Christian tradition. That tradition produced the best quality-of-life and the highest standard-of-living in the world. There is no other explanation. A Christian values faith and love above all else, keeping a healthy and balanced perspective of materialistic pursuits. He/she recognizes that God provided moral limitations for the benefit of people not to control them. Moral limitations are a safe harbor leading to reduced stress, the full richness of the human experience, stable families and a cohesive culture that is readily sustained from generation to generation. God has already created paradise in the Garden of Eden and in Heaven. Mankind’s own failures have caused the problems in between. The Christian’s life focus is on serving others and maturing by growing in godly character. Finally, the Christian seeks wisdom, noting that the Holy Bible and the clergy are reliable points of reference, not government leaders.

Despite the extreme and life-changing importance attached to the choice of a world view, many people drift toward a view without serious consideration of the alternatives. Although the choice is the most influential driving force of life, many people simply yield to cultural pressure institutionalized in the public education system, moving gradually toward an evolutionist/secular view. Even many people claiming to hold the Christian view do so on a somewhat shallow level bending to the winds of cultural decline as a matter of practical living. God’s view is clear, but often misunderstood, because modern Christians tend to limit God’s Word, the Bible, by depending on detailed analysis to mine a new nugget of wisdom (zoom in). However, God’s view is holistic (zoom out). Rather than viewing God’s Word from the “bottom up,” Christians must learn, insofar as possible to also appreciate in a pervasive way, the wholeness of God’s Word, as He views it.