THE DOCTRINE OF «CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW» IN MODERN NEO-CALVINISM

Abstract

The article deals with the problem of genesis and essence of the doctrine of «Christian worldview» in modern neo-Calvinism. The views of A. Kuyper, A. Wolters, D. Naugle were analyzed in the article. A. Wolters has been described as a «towering figure» in the Kuyperian Neo-Calvinist pantheon. Albert Wolters’s classic formulation of an integrated Christian worldview has beenrevised and expanded to reach new readers beyond the generation that has already benefited from this clear, concise proposal for transcending the false dichotomy between sacred and secular. He begins by defining the nature and scope of a worldview, distinguishing it from philosophy and theology. For example, Wolters presents a typological scheme of the basic ways of the relationship between worldview (W) and philosophy (P). He outlines five different paradigms: W repels P (Kierkegaard, Jaspers) W crowns P (Windelband, Wundt) W flanks P (Rickert, Husserl) W yields P (Dilthey, Mannheim) W equals P (Gomperz, Engels, etc.). D. Naugle in book «Worldview: The History of a Concept» explores how worldview was defined by and the role it played in the work of a broad array of thinkers. A century ago, the concept, often referred to by the German word Weltanschauung, was quite popular, though definitions abounded. Worldview was never quite as significant for philosophy as it was for theology and the social sciences, but in many disciplines it was deemed to play a pivotal role in people’s basic orientation to the world and their commitments and values. Criticism of the neo-Calvinist doctrine of the «Christian worldview» is contained in the article also. For example, Bradford Littlejohn, president of the Davenant Institute, speaks seriously about some serious issues in the Christian thought. He discusses the weakness of the term «worldview» and offers as a replacement the term «wisdom». Thus, the neo-Calvinist doctrine of the worldview is a kind of religious-fundamentalist conception of human consciousness, which, from the point of view of its adherents, necessarily relies on the axiological foundations and has a theological dimension. At the same time, this doctrine does not take into account the peculiarities of modern cognitive research, which indicate the greater complexity and dynamism of views and value orientations. The concept of «worldview» is a system of unquestioning beliefs that automatically provide the necessary skills and behavior. The leading trend of the development of the neo-Calvinist doctrine of the worldview is the further spread, simplification and journalistic vulgarization.