Christian Worldview


Cornerstone University is committed to a Christian worldview that follows the contour of the biblical narrative. The Scriptures open with the story of creation, a historical event that reminds us that this earth is a good place to be. God created a world so impressive that it satisfied His own impeccable standards. “It is good,” He said, “it is very good” (Gen. 1:31).

Because creation is the good work of God, we are not only permitted, but we are encouraged to enjoy it as is. We do not need to stamp Bible verses on the things of creation to make them suitable for Christian consumption. “Everything God created is good,” Paul writes, and “nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving…” (1 Tim. 4:4). God is pleased when His children thoroughly enjoy this beautiful world that He has given to them. He wants us to celebrate, even indulge, in its goodness wherever we find it.

But God not only wants us to enjoy this world, He also commands us to take care of it (Gen. 1:28, 2:15). He calls us to participate in his ongoing work of creation, developing responsibly the raw materials of the earth for maximum benefit. This command to create culture gives spiritual significance to every human task. Whether we are preparing a lesson, researching a paper, practicing our scales, or cheering for our team, it all qualifies as obedience to the cultural mandate, and as such should be offered to the Lord with the excellence He deserves (Col. 3:17, 23).

Unfortunately, this opening movement of creation is not the end of the story. We learn from Scripture’s account of the fall that something has gone terribly wrong. This world is not the way it is supposed to be. When Adam chose to reject God’s Word and foolishly live as he pleased, his rebellion contaminated every last corner of creation.

Because of this universal presence of sin, Christians must balance enjoyment of this world with a healthy fear of the evil that lurks there. A video that inspires may also include scenes that sear our conscience. A pleasing melody may carry lyrics that soil the soul. An engaging story might subtly stoke the flames of lust. We must guard our hearts as we live in this sinful age, ready to flee at the first sign of temptation so that we might become holy children of our heavenly Father.

However, though we must run from the world’s temptations we must not run from the world itself. The final movement in the biblical story explains how God so loved our world that He sent his one and only Son to redeem it. Having conquered sin through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God now calls us to join his efforts to root out evil and establish righteousness in every aspect of culture (Col. 1:20). We learn better how to do this when we acquire a Christian liberal arts education.

At Cornerstone University, we believe it is our Christian duty to evaluate every facet of culture from this biblical perspective. We run every discipline through the grid of creation, fall, and redemption. We ask, “What created goodness is present?”, “What fallen aspects are here?”, and “How might we reclaim this area for the glory of God?”

For instance, our education program prepares future teachers to supplant the secular humanism found in many classrooms with the knowledge and values that come from God; our history department challenges revisionist and relativist views of the past with the biblical view that events have the meaning and purpose assigned to them by God; our kinesiology department inspires graduates to take responsibility for their physical and psychological wellness, not merely for their own personal attractiveness or longevity but as an act of thankful stewardship to the God who created and redeemed them; and our science professors recognize that all creation groans beneath the weight of sin, so rather than accept ecological problems as a normal part of life, they lead the charge to clean up sin’s pollution and care for all of God’s creatures. In these ways and more, Cornerstone University is committed to applying the unchanging principles of the Christian worldview to God’s rapidly changing world.