At a basic level, worldviews boil down to what people regard as authoritative sources of information. Is the Bible an important source of truth, or should we rely purely on human reason and observational data? Or something else? Christians believe that a combination of information sources is necessary: while the Bible is essential for accurate presuppositions, empirical evidence and human reason all have a part to play because all truth is God’s, and man is a rational being made in the image of God.
Nevertheless, the Bible teaches us to trust God first. It also teaches that the human heart is deceptive because of the effects of sin (Proverbs 3:5–6, Jeremiah 17:9–10). Therefore human reasoning must be assessed very carefully by comparing it with biblical teaching, empirical evidence and logic. This worldview holds that humans are dependent on God and His Word. The Christian upholds the Bible as objective truth, in contrast with human ideas which are subjective and may be revised. The Bible is an important standard against which we assess other sources of information.
Many in the atheist camp would claim that we have no need for the Bible, on the presupposition that humans can devise or discover all required knowledge on their own and then determine their own ways of living. This worldview sees humans as entirely independent, and able to alter their views on correct ways of living in line with the times. The notion of independence from the Bible’s authority is something that many people find attractive.[1] In their thinking, they—not God—reign supreme.[2]
[1] “Humanists reject the claim that the Bible is the word of God. They are convinced the book was written solely by humans in an ignorant, superstitious, and cruel age” (Sommer, 2012).
[2] “While there is much that we do not know, humans are responsible for what we are or will become. No deity will save us; we must save ourselves.” (Kurtz & Wilson, Humanist Manifesto II, 1973).