It seems to me that as we, at least occasionally, reflect on our world and the meaning of life, that we can get bogged down in detail and miss the bigger issues. As Christians, we can accumulate a quiver of Scriptural “proof texts” with no idea of the immediate context, the subject of the book, or even the message of the Book.

The Apostle Peter said that we should be ready to answer every man who questioned the reason for our Christian hope (1 Peter 3:15). If we answer tha…t question in one or two sentences, we might be a little shallow. Here study and reflection must join with prayer and the guidance of the Holy Spirit to be effective. If our message is against other worldviews while not able to support our own, we have a problem.

A big part of our answer is whether our worldview, as expressed by our lifestyle, matches what we say or teach. As John Valk noted in “Christianity through a Worldview Lens, “‘practicing what one preaches” is an enormous challenge for all humans.”

The answer, according to Valk, comes from “critical and thoughtful reflection, comparisons, and even some audacious assertions.” In other words, it comes from the study demanded in 2 Timothy 2:15, and walking the walk as commanded in Ephesians 4:1-3.