A Genesis 1:1 Worldview?
By Allen J. Dunckley, ThD.

What is a "Worldview?"
The following definitions give us a basis for answering this question:

The Encarta Dictionary say that a worldview is "a comprehensive interpretation or image of the universe and humanity." This definition tells us that one's worldview is an apparatus of interpretation of the world around us; it is our worldview that influences how we interpret the facts we encounter.

The Encarta Encyclopedia states that it is a "view of all life: a comprehensive and usually personal conception or view of humanity, the world, or life."
From these definitions, we see that a worldview is nothing more than a bias through which we live, move and have our being. It is the way in which we see and understand our world. When we make God and His Word the basis by which we understand the world around us, the answers we formulate and provide to those who cross our paths will direct them more clearly to the Light of God’s Word. However . . .

A Worldview affects How we Look at Facts
In the debate between evolution and Creation this is an often overlooked issue. Many arguments are over how old the earth is; whether or not a fossil is a transitional form; whether man is a lineal ancestor to a monkey-like progenitor etc. The key to understanding these arguments is the worldview that is being espoused. Both the creationist and the evolutionist have the SAME evidential facts; the confrontation deals with how those facts are interpreted.

The worldview that one espouses plays the major role in how facts are interpreted. The evolutionist with his prejudicial worldview examines the Archaeopteryx bird fossil and interprets it as a transitional form from reptile to bird. The creationist looks at the same fossil  

and says that it is simply a unique specimen of an extinct, exotic bird. One's worldview drives the interpretation. Because . . .

A Worldview operates in a prefabricated apparatus of investigation.
The apparatus of investigation[1] is another way of saying model. A scientist, whether Christian or evolutionist, establishes a model of what he or she believes the over all scheme of things should be and then makes predictions of what he or she should expect to find scientifically that either confirms the validity or falsity of that area of the model. This model is a product of the person's total worldview about the general subject, whether it is the notion of evolution or the biblical            

position of special creation. The model is then used in the investigation by analyzing data and ascertaining to what extent it fits the model, or meets a prediction that follows a particular premise of the model. The evolutionist as well as the creationist uses a model: the evolutionist model and its accompanying predictions are fabricated by the man made philosophy of "naturalism"; the creationists’ model is built on the God-given revelation from the Word. Both worldviews use the same data from science but their interpretations are made from their worldview and the model upon which it is based.

A Genesis 1:1 Worldview
The Biblical worldview of origins anchors to the very first verse of the Bible, which states, "In the beginning, GOD created the heaven(s) and the earth." The only alternative to this statement is that the heavens and earth created themselves, e.g. “naturalism.” Since observational science cannot demonstrate how the heavens and earth could have created themselves, Genesis 1:1 is the most reasonable position. It fits snuggly within the realm of Occam's razor of parsimony, that is, the simplest answer is most likely the true one: In the beginning God did it all. Does this limit scientific investigation? The answer is - that it is limiting only if you have a limited mental capacity. The scientific question or hypothesis would be, "HOW did God do it?" and "WHY did God do it that way? Then one would follow up with the scientific method to answer those questions. For instance, the Wright brothers wanted to fly. They asked the question, "How did God do it? Then went out and observed recorded and analyzed birds and how they flew.[2] Then proceeded to develop their aeronautic knowledge from what they learned from “how God did it,” which resulted in the first heavier than air flying machine. There is nothing unscientific about asking the questions How did God do it and why? Therefore, the Creation model no less as scientific as the evolutionary model.


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