Worldview Resources

The following resources are recommended for gaining a deeper understanding of worldviews in general as well as some of the major worldviews discussed in What’s Your Worldview?

Difficulty Levels:
Introductory level * Intermediate level ** Advanced level ***

Worldviews

	W. ANDREW HOFFECKER (editor) Revolutions in Worldview: Understanding the Flow of Western Thought (P&R Publishing, 2007) A historical survey of different worldviews and their influence on Western civilization over the centuries. **		RONALD H. NASH Worldviews in Conflict: Choosing Christianity in a World of Ideas (Zondervan, 2010) Written by a Christian philosopher, this book explains the concept of a worldview, discusses how to evaluate worldviews, and makes a case for the Christian worldview over its major competitors. *
	JAMES W. SIRE (editor) Naming the Elephant: Worldview as a Concept (IVP Academic, 2004) The author discusses the history of the concept of worldview, the nature of worldviews, and the role worldviews play in our thinking. *		JAMES W. SIRE The Universe Next Door: A Basic Worldview Catalog (IVP Academic, 5th ed., 2009) A very helpful and insightful introduction to worldviews, with chapters on Christian Theism, Deism, Naturalism (Materialism), Nihilism, Existentialism, Eastern Pantheistic Monism, New Age Spirituality, Postmodernism, and Islamic Theism. *

Christianity

	PHILIP GRAHAM RYKEN What is the Christian Worldview? (P&R Publishing, 2006) A concise introduction to the biblical worldview. *		JOHN STOTT Basic Christianity (InterVarsity Press, 2012) A best-selling book on what it means to be a Christian (first published in 1958). *
	ALBERT M. WOLTERS Creation Regained: Biblical Basics for a Reformational Worldview (Eerdmans, 2nd ed., 1985) A helpful definition and discussion of the Christian worldview and its implications. *		GARY R. HABERMAS AND MICHAEL R. LICONA The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus (Kregel, 2004) A comprehensive survey of the historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus, which is one of the defining tenets of the Christian worldview. **

Deism

THOMAS PAINE
The Age of Reason
(1794)
A classic and very influential defense of Deism which argues that religion should be based on human reason and not divine revelation. (The full text can be found online in a number of places.) **

Islam

	DANIEL W. BROWN A New Introduction to Islam (Wiley-Blackwell, 2nd ed., 2009) A comprehensive introduction to the history, beliefs, and practices of Islam. *		JOHN L. ESPOSITO Islam: The Straight Path (Oxford University Press, 4th ed., 2010) A popular but scholarly introduction to the religion of Islam. *
	JAMES R. WHITE What Every Christian Needs to Know About the Qur’an (Bethany House Publishers, 2013) An evaluation of Muslim claims about the Qur’an by a Christian scholar. **

Judaism

MICHAEL L. BROWN
60 Questions Christians Ask About Jewish Practices
(Chosen Books, 2011)
A helpful introduction to Judaism by a Jewish-born Christian scholar. *

GEORGE ROBINSON
Essential Judaism: A Complete Guide to Beliefs, Customs & Rituals
(Atria Books, 2001)
A comprehensive reference work by a Jew who "rediscovered" his Jewish roots. *

Materialism

	EDWARD FESER Philosophy of Mind: A Beginner’s Guide (Oneworld, 2007) An introduction to different philosophical theories on the relationship between the mind and the body. The author, a Christian philosopher, is very critical of materialism. **		ROBERT C. KOONS AND GEORGE BEALER (editors) The Waning of Materialism (Oxford University Press, 2010) A collection of essays discussing the philosophical problems faced by materialism. ***
	THOMAS NAGEL Mind and Cosmos: Why the Materialist Neo-Darwinian Conception of Nature Is Almost Certainly False (Oxford University Press, 2012) An atheist philosopher explains why he rejects materialism as a worldview. **		ALEX ROSENBERG The Atheist’s Guide to Reality: Enjoying Life Without Illusions (W.W. Norton & Company, 2011) An atheist philosopher argues that atheists should embrace materialism and all of its implications, no matter how hard they may be to swallow. **

Panentheism

	MARCUS J. BORG The God We Never Knew: Beyond Dogmatic Religion to a More Authentic Contemporary Faith (Harper One, 2006) The author makes his case for Panentheism as an alternative to traditional Monotheism. *		JOHN B. COBB, JR. AND DAVID RAY GRIFFIN Process Theology: An Introductory Exposition (Westminster John Knox Press, 1996) Process Theology is commonly viewed as a modern form of Panentheism. **
	JOHN W. COOPER Panentheism: The Other God of the Philosophers (Baker Academic, 2006) A thorough historical survey and evaluation of Panentheism by a Christian scholar. ***

Pantheism

	DAVID K. CLARK AND NORMAN L. GEISLER Apologetics in the New Age: A Christian Critique of Pantheism (Wipf & Stock, 2004) Just as the title says: a Christian critique of Pantheism. **		PAUL HARRISON Elements of Pantheism (Llumina Press, 2nd ed., 2011) An introduction to Pantheism by the founder of the World Pantheist Movement. *
	BENEDICT DE SPINOZA Ethics (1677) A very influential (and very technical) defense of Pantheism by a Dutch Enlightenment philosopher. (A number of English translations can be found online.) ***

Pluralism

	PAUL COPAN True for You, But Not for Me: Overcoming Objections to Christian Faith (Bethany House Publishers, rev. ed., 2009) A Christian response to the challenges of Relativism and Pluralism. *		GAVIN D’COSTA, PAUL F. KNITTER, AND DANIEL STRANGE Only One Way? Three Christian Responses to the Uniqueness of Christ in a Religiously Pluralist World (SCM Press, 2011) An illuminating three-way exchange between a “Christian Pluralist” and two critics of Pluralism (one a Roman Catholic and the other an Evangelical). **
	JOHN HICK An Interpretation of Religion: Human Responses to the Transcendent (Yale University Press, 2nd ed., 2005) A sophisticated and influential defense of Pluralism by a philosopher of religion. ***		HAROLD NETLAND Encountering Religious Pluralism: The Challenge to Christian Faith & Mission (IVP Academic, 2001) A scholarly examination and evaluation of Pluralism from a Christian perspective. **

Polytheism

	JORDAN D. PAPER The Deities Are Many: A Polytheistic Theology (State University of New York Press, 2005) The author argues that Polytheism is superior to Monotheism. **		JAMES R. WHITE Is the Mormon My Brother?: Discerning the Differences Between Mormonism and Evangelical Christianity (Bethany House Publishers, 1997) A helpful and fair-handed explanation of the fundamental differences between biblical Christianity and traditional Mormonism (including their different worldviews). *
	JOSEPH SMITH JR. The King Follett Sermon (1844) A famous sermon by the founder of Mormonism which makes very clear his Polytheist worldview. (The full text can be found online in a number of places.) *

Relativism

	FRANCIS J. BECKWITH AND GREGORY KOUKL Relativism: Feet Firmly Planted in Mid-Air (Baker Books, 1998) A critique of Relativism which focuses particularly on moral relativism. *		PAUL COPAN True for You, But Not for Me: Overcoming Objections to Christian Faith (Bethany House Publishers, rev. ed., 2009) A Christian response to the challenges of Relativism and Pluralism. *
	DOUGLAS GROOTHUIS Truth Decay: Defending Christianity Against the Challenges of Postmodernism (InterVarsity Press, 2000) The author, a Christian philosopher, defends the idea of absolute, objective truth. **

Unitarianism

	ATHANASIUS On the Incarnation of the Word (4th century) A classic defense of the divinity of Jesus Christ by an early Christian theologian. (A number of English translations can be found online.) **		ROBERT M. BOWMAN JR. AND J. ED KOMOSZEWSKI Putting Jesus in His Place: The Case for the Deity of Christ (Kregel Publications, 2007) A very thorough and accessible defense of the view that the New Testament writers believed Jesus to be divine. *
	JAMES R. WHITE The Forgotten Trinity: Recovering the Heart of Christian Belief (Bethany House Publishers, 1998) A very clear explanation and defense of the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. *		ANTHONY BUZZARD AND CHARLES F. HUNTING The Doctrine of the Trinity: Christianity’s Self-Inflicted Wound (International Scholars Publications, 1998) A modern defense of the Unitarian view of God and Jesus. (If you read this one, be sure to balance it with the other books in this section!) **

World Religions

What's Your Worldview is a book about worldviews rather than religions, but every religious faith reflects a particular worldview. The following are helpful resources for understanding the major world religions and for evaluating the worldviews that lie behind them.

	WINFRIED CORDUAN Neighboring Faiths: A Christian Introduction to World Religions (IVP Academic, 2nd ed., 2012) *		HUSTON SMITH The World’s Religions (HarperOne, 2009) *
	KEITH E. YANDELL Philosophy of Religion: A Contemporary Introduction (Routledge, 2002) **