Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #57166 in Books
• Published on: 2006-07-01
• Format: Abridged
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 516 pages

About the Author
Dr. David A. Noebel, president of Summit Ministries, has been a college professor, college president and candidate for the U.S. Congress. He holds a B.A. from Hope College in Holland, Michigan, and a M.A. from the University of Tulsa, and was a Ph.D. cand

Customer Reviews

Excellent resource on the competing worldviews of our era
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."

A Must Read For Every Parent
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.

A must for understanding todays' world views
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.