Everyday we are confronted and seduced by all sorts of "isms" in our modern culture. An "ism" is, of course, any particular world and life view. The letters "ism" attached to the end of a word, simply represent a philosophy of life or the way a person thinks about the world or how one relates to the world.

I devote much of time writing and editing Christian books, especially biblical exposition.  I find myself challenged by many of the world views as our culture shifts from the modern to the postmodern.   There are too many "isms" to enumerate, but just to give you an idea here are a few: secularism, humanism, materialism, consumerism, pragmatism, positivism, pluralism, relativism, hedonism, individualism, narcissism, and the list goes on. Christians must ask how these "isms" relate to and effect Christianity.

First, Christians must realize that any "ism" (world and life view) must be fundamentally rooted in the supernaturalism of Christianity. Christians cannot adopt a world and life view that is not in agreement with the belief and existence in a personal God and the existence of the real order of nature in the providence of God.

Secondly, Christianity is characterized by a philosophy of truth. Truth is not relative! God is not confused, nor can God contradict Himself. God is at perfect peace with the purity and essence of truth in His mind. One of the chief rivals in modern Christianity is the idea that truth is relative. Classical Christianity rejects such a thought!

Christians should have some knowledge of how the various "isms" effect them corporately as a church and individually as Christians.  It is the duty of Christians to formulate a world and life view that places the God they worship in the centerpiece of their thinking.  Theism is the fundamental world and life view of the Christian religion.  Theism is the world and life view that acknowledges our relationship to God in a personal way and further that God's nature and character is what is claimed in the Word of God.