Ideologies

An ideology is a system of ideas and ideals regarding the world and the way it functions or should function. They especially involve those ideas that form the basis of economic or political theory and the policies that result from the ideas.

In this section we will study various ideologies and the impact they both have had and are now having in the world. Of particular interest will be the way these ideologies relate to a biblical worldview. A major point of difference between secular ideologies and a biblical worldview is the way the individual relates to the government. Christianity teaches that the individuals have worth because they are made in God's image. As such, they are endowed with inalienable rights from God which the group, or state, cannot overrule.

Secular ideologies see the individual as part of the group or the collective. Collectivism is a value that is characterized by emphasis on cohesiveness among individuals and prioritization of the group over the self. The worth of the individual is viewed from the perspective of the value they contribute to the collective (the state). One's rights are determined by the will of the collective which comprises the government. In this scenario the individual has no inalienable rights and their worth relates solely to their value to the state. In this system the state assumes the role of total sovereign or God.