Customer Reviews

Understanding the Times: The Collision of Today's Competing Worldviews

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

A valuable resource that will greatly aid any layman hoping to understand the competing worldviews of our day.

The benefits of this book are many. First, it is comprehensive but not overwhelming. Covering Islam, Christianity, postmodernism, New Age, and Marxism, Noebel looks into ten different worldview categories for each of these six worldviews. The addition of Islam and Postmodernism in this version makes it leaps and bounds beyond the first edition. Furthermore, each chapter provides what you need to know in the very words of the proponents of that worldview.

Many in the emergent church or "liberal" crowd will balk at the idea of "the" Christian worldview, but Noebel makes a good case from scripture in sticky areas like economics and sociology. He also refrains from bashing the other worldviews---he remains unemotional, although he admits from the start that he is hoping that the truth of the Christian worldview is illuminated throughout the book.

The section on postmodernism is particularly valuable. This is a difficult area of thinking to understand but one that is extremely pervasive and MUST be understood by Christians today. He explains at length how postmodernism has affected our legal system as well as social justice. He also covers "postmodern Christianity" as popularized by the emergent church (e.g., Brian McLaren).

My complaints? Noebel is an evidentialist, sadly. His section on Christian epistemology is abysmal. At one point he says that revelation is the foundation of our worldview, but then says that revelation is verified by science and archaeology! (p. 87) Well, which is it? Other strange statements include, "The basic tenets of Christian philosophy are rational because they are held by average rational men and women." (p. 88) No, Christianity is rational because it was revealed to us by a rational God (John 17:17, 1 John 5:9). Consequently, Noebel's evidentialism plays out especially loud in the section on biology, which is nothing more than a teleological argument---a very overrated argument that's still managed to become a staple in the arsenal of many apologists.

The above paragraph sounds harsh. Realize, however, that one can still draw a tremendous amount from this resource while recognizing its shortcomings. Though Noebel's evidentialism seeps into the rest of the book, it still deserves 4 stars and a place on the shelf of any Christian who would like a concise, cut-to-the-chase guide on the worldviews of our age. Thank you, Dr. Noebel, for helping us "understand the times."

This is a must read for every parent in America. David Noebel offers an intelligent and yet deferential elucidation of six of the most prevalent worldviews competing for the souls of future generations. Most have opinions as to the rudiments of these weltanschauungs, however; Noeble presents quotes from the founders and champions of all six - leaving no doubt as their positions and intentions.

This is the most comprehensive, thorough, overview of the six major world views that I have ever read. As you read this book, the political and cultural happenings in our world will begin to make sense. That is, you will understand why people believe, say, and act the way they do.

GREAT BBOK. COMPARES SHOWS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE WORLD VIEWS AND CHRISTIANITY. A MUST FOR EVERY ONE BEFORE ENTERING COLLEGE.

Very informative about the origins of anti-Christian ideas by which we are constantly bombarded in our day to day lives. A good, informative, and easy read for anyone wishing to understand todays' world views. A good tool for having an answer for those that oppose themselves (2 Timothy 2:24-26). Easy to understand for most any reader, but still packed with many sources of information.

David A. Noebel does a terrific service by informing the reader on six worldviews in "Understanding the Times." He compares the six in ten areas (theology, philosophy, ethics, biology, psychology, sociology, law, politics, economics, and history) in clear, easy-to-understand terms. I am not a well educated individual, yet find his writing understandable and enlightening. All Christians should face the facts found in this book. Our world is full of influential, non-Christian ideas and those in the Christian faith need to be protected from deception and given the tools to be effective witnesses for Christ. Noebel's "Understanding the Times" is a great help.

This book arrived in beautiful like new condition as promised. It arrived quickly and the transaction was very smooth and easy. This seller is recommended.

Noebel states in the introduction that his objective is to keep young Christians on the straight and narrow, but if that requires concealing evidence (that he MUST know about if he did any research) -- not to mention quoting sources out of context -- then he is not very certain in his own beliefs.

First of all, Noebel's selection of worldviews is a little surprising - how many Marxists do you know? And what the heck is a "cosmic humanist?" But given his selection, he might have presented them fairly - that is, present each worldview in a way that would not offend those who embrace it. In my opinion (having been raised Protestant in a religious family), the narrowness of his views insults Christians. He does not seem to believe that two people can share the same metaphysics and epistemology and reach different conclusions on questions of law, sociology, or biology. Isn't free will important to Christians?

On the subject of law, he asserts that only Christians believe in natural law, which he defines as "the theory that both physical and moral laws are discovered by studying the natural world." I wonder if all Christians believe that? Certainly I know many non-religious people that do believe that. In any event, natural law theory predates Christianity (Noebel references William Blackstone but not, for example, Plato or Cicero). He acknowledges that secular humanists claim belief in natural law, but denies it to them, rejecting the idea of an evolution-based morality as "unstable" without explaining why that must be so. This is characteristic of Loebel's hostility to other worldviews; he does not let them speak for themselves.

On the subject of biology, Noebel's coverage is inaccurate. His complete rejection of evolution evidently requires him to deny the existence of transitional fossils and ignore other evidence. In support of this, he quotes snippets of scientists like Stephen Jay Gould out of context; if Noebel read the sources he quoted at all, he has to know better - either that, or he didn't understand what he was reading. In either case, there is no excuse, particularly for not correcting the second edition. An excellent, detailed review of his arguments on biology (based on the first edition, but evidently unchanged) is available here: [...].

Conclusion: skip this book and check out "God is Not One" by Stephen Prothero or "Worldviews: Crosscultural Explorations of Human Beliefs" by Ninian Smart.