In his bestseller Outliers, Malcomb Gladwell popularized the “10,000-hour rule.” Gladwell’s belief is that it takes 10,000 hours of dedicated and intentional practice to master a complex skill such as playing the violin or designing architecture.
Generally, Gladwell is on to something: we all recognize the dedication and commitment needed to become an expert. Greatness, however, comes only from the combination of aptitude and time. No amount of practice, study, drill, repetition, or dedication can overcome a dearth of talent. If time were all it took, the PGA tour would be really crowded.
We all have the same 24 hours to use each day, but the other part of the equation does not exist in equal measure—aptitude. One way to think about aptitude is to consider what comes naturally and how you are wired. Personality and gift assessments can be useful to identify aptitude. Talent does matter; we still live in a meritocracy, regardless of what some would have us believe.
Finitude—The State of Having Limits or Bounds
Identifying natural gifts is helpful, but another way to clarify our bent is to consider the flip side of aptitude—ineptitude. Our current age of therapeutically created self-esteem often lacks a basis of objective reality: embracing limitations is just not done. Some might even call such a notion dangerous as limitations stand in stark contrast to the pursuit of individual freedom, which is quickly becoming the holy grail of our age.
Yet, understood rightly, acknowledging limitations can be liberating because they are grounding; they remind us of our place in the created order. What if, instead of celebrating a modern fictional version of Nietzsche’s superman, we took the time to see ourselves rightly as the Apostle Paul urges in Romans 12:3: “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment …”? What if we could see finitude as liberating?
This idea of rightly seeing things is captured by the concept of worldview. Some have argued that worldview has been overdone to the extent that its meaning is too quickly perceived and incorrectly assumed, and these misperceptions are then passed on. But worldview matters. It is especially significant for the Christian since part of what it means to be human is to possess a worldview. In addition, the Christian is specifically interested in living consistently in response to redemption.
Not all worldviews are fully or intentionally constructed, and some may be unevenly articulated, but all people have one that guides and shapes the way they navigate life. Intentional worldview formation requires time beyond Gladwell’s 10,000-hour rule because worldview is a lifelong endeavor.
Worldview Defined
Worldview has often been described as a lens, a set of presuppositions, or a framework of beliefs. It can be expressed as the way we see things—the big picture. That picture can be formed regardless of any intent or design; it does not require a formal education, though it certainly will be impacted by education since education is never neutral.
Not only are worldviews often unintentionally formed even within the church, but also, not all worldviews formed in the church are even Christian or biblical. Worldviews shape both our thoughts and our affections. They guide, consciously or not, our actions. Given the sometimes unintentional development of worldview and its impact, careful and purposeful formation is critical for the church. For the Christian, a well-constructed worldview, biblically-based and reflective of the gospel, is essential.
For example, note how a well-developed biblical worldview is integral to fulfilling the Cultural Mandate found in Gen. 1:28: “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion . . .” and then strengthened in Gen. 2:15: “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and keep it.” This individual mandate—this call to action—must be known to be obeyed, but merely knowing it and seeking to obey does not always produce right action.
The obedient servant cannot exercise proper dominion without rightly seeing what is broken and how the world ought to be. This stewardship can be done only by Christians with a proper worldview. At its core, two fundamental questions frame biblical worldview and taken together, a third follows:
- Who is God?
- What is the nature of man?
- What is freedom?
Consider how these questions can frame life, faith, and thought for us and our students. Part II of this blog series will examine the biblical worldview as a response to finitude.
