At Edify, we believe that the way we see the world shapes the way we serve it. A biblical worldview, grounded in the truth of creation, the fall, and redemption, restores our vision. This helps us recognize God’s order, goodness, and purpose in every student and community. By integrating this perspective into Christ-centered education, we aim to break cycles of both physical and spiritual poverty, equipping students to become agents of hope and change. The following reflection on biblical worldview was written by our late friend and colleague, Luis Sena, whose wisdom and legacy continue to inspire our mission.
Luis Sena (left) with Denis Sabino, Country Director of the Dominican Republic (right)
Every human being interprets reality with a set of mental lenses, which allows us to see certain things and hide other things from our radar of attention. These mental lenses not only filter what we see but also influence how we see. So, what we perceive and interpret of the world around us is distorted by the presence of evil in the world itself and inside our hearts (Proverbs 4:23).
The mental lenses we use to see life, with its cultural tints, are what anthropologists, philosophers, and theologians call a worldview. We all, just because of the condition of being humans, behave motivated by a particular worldview. It may happen that we are ignorant of the contours of our own worldview, and of the fact that our worldview could contain assumptions contrary to our professed beliefs and values. In that case, we walk in life with a fragmented worldview (Ephesians 4:17-19).
God created the universe by His Word and, using His wisdom as a blueprint, he gave it order, goodness, and beauty. Creation has a built-in structure provided by God himself. Creation is a message from God to humans with the purpose of revealing Himself and to motivate a response of worship and service from us to Him. Creation is like a book to be read, each page is full of the perfections of God’s character (Romans 1:20). But, we have lost the capacity to see God through the work of His hands. Our perception of creational reality is limited; this limited perception hinders our understanding and distorts our responsibility to be thankful and worship the Creator (Romans 1:18-19).
In order to help us recover the capacity to read the reality of life with clarity and propriety, God has provided us with His written revelation in the pages of the Bible. It works as a set of corrective lenses, building in our hearts and minds a conceptual framework which allows us to perceive “life as it really is,” not as it has been distorted by our historic cultural formation. Every culture operates with an engine of assumptions, a mix of lies and truth, which distort all we perceive: God, humans, nature, and the relationships between them. These distortions affect our own identity and purpose in life and limit our capacity to love God and to love our neighbor.
The Biblical Worldview is the understanding of reality through the biblical concepts of creation, fall, and redemption. It allows us to read the book of creation with transparency and to discover in it the order and the beauty that are treasures of wisdom hidden in creation as a potential capacity. Potential which God hid with the purpose that we find it, enjoy, and respond in thankfulness, worship, and service to Him who deserves it for the perfections of His being (John 8:31-32).
Written by: Luis Sena (July 6th, 1956 – March 22nd, 2022)
Former Edify Vice President of Mission True
Living out a biblical worldview and teaching others to do the same was the most important component of Luis’s personal mission. Over his forty-two years of teaching and community development work, Luis impacted countless lives. His absence on earth is deeply felt. We are thankful that Luis’ pain caused by cancer is over and that Luis, being someone who loved Jesus and wisdom, is experiencing both fully in heaven.
