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Understanding the Times
Understanding the Times: A Survey of Competing Worldviews
Based on Summit Ministries' half century of teaching, "Understanding the A Survey of Competing Worldviews" is an invaluable resource, showing how Christianity trumps competing worldviews in the battle for ideas and truth.
520 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2015
383 people are currently reading
570 people want to read
About the author
Jeff Myers
33 books39 followersOver the last 20 years Dr. Jeff Myers has become one of America’s most respected authorities on youth leadership development and has equipped thousands of people to champion the Christian worldview.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
July 4, 2018
Not a helpful as I hoped
While this is a massive work which contains much helpful information and analysis, it’s design feels cumbersome and redundant. It is clearly written for Christian insiders to bolster their confidence in their faith, which it probably does well for most evangelical Christian readers. However, it is not by any measure an objective look at diverse world views, and at times it seems to be setting up straw men only to knock them down. For people who are unacquainted with the various world views, this could be a helpful introduction. But, for people who want a nuanced understanding that explains why people would actually accept these points of view, this book will be a disappointment. For those who want to understand diverse world views for respectful dialagoe, this is not your best option. I recommend it as a tool to secure the faith of Christian students before they head to a secular state college. However, this work could also set them up for a problem when they run into more compelling presentations of different worldviews from those who actually hold them. The downside of this kind of work is that it can leave Christians over-confident and dismissive of those who think differently. But, no book is good for every need. There is much here to commend and it is a massive summary of a huge amount of material with many strengths, but I was left frustrated by the bias it shows from an American evangelical perspective on Christian faith and other world views.
While this is a massive work which contains much helpful information and analysis, it’s design feels cumbersome and redundant. It is clearly written for Christian insiders to bolster their confidence in their faith, which it probably does well for most evangelical Christian readers. However, it is not by any measure an objective look at diverse world views, and at times it seems to be setting up straw men only to knock them down. For people who are unacquainted with the various world views, this could be a helpful introduction. But, for people who want a nuanced understanding that explains why people would actually accept these points of view, this book will be a disappointment. For those who want to understand diverse world views for respectful dialagoe, this is not your best option. I recommend it as a tool to secure the faith of Christian students before they head to a secular state college. However, this work could also set them up for a problem when they run into more compelling presentations of different worldviews from those who actually hold them. The downside of this kind of work is that it can leave Christians over-confident and dismissive of those who think differently. But, no book is good for every need. There is much here to commend and it is a massive summary of a huge amount of material with many strengths, but I was left frustrated by the bias it shows from an American evangelical perspective on Christian faith and other world views.
May 8, 2018
Review to come. But suffice it to say that this has been one of the best and most helpful books I have ever read during my high school years (in fact in my entire life really!) and I highly, highly recommend it! If I could give it more than 5 stars I would!!
October 15, 2015
A Fresh Look at a Classic Reference Book for Every Christian
You don't have to look far in the newspaper or current magazines to notice opposing worldviews. UNDERSTANDING THE TIMES is a classic bestselling book to help Christian readers understand the world around them. Sixteen different worldviews are explained with a scholarly treatment of careful documentation of source documents yet in a fresh current and updated way.You will learn about Christianity, Islam, Secularism, Marxism, New Spirituality, Postmodernism, Theology, Philosophy, Ethics, Biology, Psychology, Sociology, Law, Politics, Economics and History, The scope of this work is impressive and comprehensive. References are made to current movies and other elements from the culture.
This book is easy to read and gain valuable insights. I loved it and highly recommend it.
W. Terry Whalin is the author of more than 60 books including Billy Graham: A Biography of America's Greatest Evangelist. Learn more at: http://BillyGrahamBio.com
You don't have to look far in the newspaper or current magazines to notice opposing worldviews. UNDERSTANDING THE TIMES is a classic bestselling book to help Christian readers understand the world around them. Sixteen different worldviews are explained with a scholarly treatment of careful documentation of source documents yet in a fresh current and updated way.You will learn about Christianity, Islam, Secularism, Marxism, New Spirituality, Postmodernism, Theology, Philosophy, Ethics, Biology, Psychology, Sociology, Law, Politics, Economics and History, The scope of this work is impressive and comprehensive. References are made to current movies and other elements from the culture.
This book is easy to read and gain valuable insights. I loved it and highly recommend it.
W. Terry Whalin is the author of more than 60 books including Billy Graham: A Biography of America's Greatest Evangelist. Learn more at: http://BillyGrahamBio.com
September 15, 2023
he started the islam chapter talking about 9/11…… i feel like that’s all you need to know about this book
February 14, 2023
A good book on worldviews from a Christian perspective. Not something I would recommend just for the information. It was long, deep, and somewhat overwhelming. But if you want to focus on one of the particular worldviews, and their thoughts on theology, ethics, biology, law, psychology, history, etc. this is a great reference.
February 23, 2021
I learned so much! I see the world through a different sense now. This has helped me to see worldviews all around and pinpoint them much easier. Highly recommend. This book has Christian bias, but so do I so I didn't mind that.
November 20, 2018
Good readable introduction to the concept of worldviews. It really helps one understand the world we are currently living in. While reading the book I kept on thinking, "Ahh, so that's where this idea comes from." I have used this with my Year 12 students and it has provoked some good discussion and learning.
March 2, 2018
I finally finished the last of the three books I bought at Summit Ministries!!! I so loved this one. Full of amazing quotes, plus I learned so much. I'm currently working on my novella series A SERIES OF THOUGHTS and in that book I have three main world views. So this has helped me shape those three world views deeper.
This book is a great representation of what Summit Ministries is about. The book talks about the six major world views of our current day society, the ones that try to influence and have a say in the world. It looks at each of them, then how each of them view things like Law, History, Philosophy, Biology, and more. And how in the end Christianity still makes the most sense, and is the best world view at the end of the day.
But not in a prideful way... we aren't the best to boast, but we have much work to do.
It was a very easy read, though full of depth. I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to understand today better, and how to give to tomorrow.
So good, worth my money!
This book is a great representation of what Summit Ministries is about. The book talks about the six major world views of our current day society, the ones that try to influence and have a say in the world. It looks at each of them, then how each of them view things like Law, History, Philosophy, Biology, and more. And how in the end Christianity still makes the most sense, and is the best world view at the end of the day.
But not in a prideful way... we aren't the best to boast, but we have much work to do.
It was a very easy read, though full of depth. I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to understand today better, and how to give to tomorrow.
So good, worth my money!
April 1, 2018
Jeff Myers does a fantastic job at examining how six major worldviews understand and reconcile issues in everyday life through the lenses of ten major disciplines. The major worldviews are Christianity, Islam, New Spirituality (New Age), Secularism, Postmodernism, and Marxism. The ten disciplines are Theology, Philosophy, Ethics, Biology, Psychology, Sociology, Law, Politics, Economics, and History. The book self-confesses that it takes a bias towards the Christian worldview, and this is obvious based upon the profile information of the author and the publisher (Summit Ministries). However, a book such as this would be written with a degree of bias from a secular or postmodern author, so it would be difficult to pen such a project from a purely "neutral" perspective. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book and would highly recommend it to any student enrolled at tertiary level.
November 12, 2023
This trilogy is my absolute favourite apologetics set! Its an indispensable guide to the complex landscape of competing worldviews. Myers' thorough exploration of diverse perspectives is a crucial resource for anyone seeking clarity in our pluralistic world. It's not too dense either, whether you're a seasoned scholar or a curious reader, the book offers a comprehensive survey that fosters understanding rather than confusion.
Myers' provides a fair and respectful treatment of each perspective and worldview, allowing readers to form their own informed opinions which I appreciate. The book encourages critical thinking and discernment. Each worldview is presented with precision, building a cohesive narrative that guides the reader through the complexities of philosophy, religion, and cultural ideologies.
Myers' provides a fair and respectful treatment of each perspective and worldview, allowing readers to form their own informed opinions which I appreciate. The book encourages critical thinking and discernment. Each worldview is presented with precision, building a cohesive narrative that guides the reader through the complexities of philosophy, religion, and cultural ideologies.
January 20, 2021
This is a comprehensive overview of six prevalent worldviews: Secularism, Marxism, New Spirituality, Postmodernism, Islam, and Christianity. First the authors define the beliefs held by each worldview, and then how those beliefs affect the believers' approach to the disciplines of Theology, Philosophy, Ethics, Biology, Psychology, Sociology, Law, Politics, Economics, and History.
WARNING: This is not for the casual reader. It requires time and concentration. (And be prepared to be totally confused when you get to Postmodernism.)
WARNING: This is not for the casual reader. It requires time and concentration. (And be prepared to be totally confused when you get to Postmodernism.)
April 6, 2020
Excellent overview of the 6 major Worldviews (Biblical Christianity, Islam, Marxism, Secularism, New Spirituality and Post-modernism). This is a useful book for a class setting (I teach Worldviews to High School Juniors) as it gives adequate and fair summaries of what each Worldview believes on topics ranging from Theology to Philosophy to Ethics, etc...
You can also use this as a reference book to assist you in your studies.
You can also use this as a reference book to assist you in your studies.
October 1, 2017
Great book - all Christians should read it
It takes time and work to get from this book all that it offers but is well worth the time and effort. A biblical world view on many areas is clearly presented in contrast to the other prevalent world-views of our day.
It takes time and work to get from this book all that it offers but is well worth the time and effort. A biblical world view on many areas is clearly presented in contrast to the other prevalent world-views of our day.
May 31, 2018
Understanding the times
Well written,exhaustive detail. An excellent book to read if you are struggling with the direction of today's society. Christians can and should stand up and be counted as the world mmm matches on. Good is surely at the center of it all.
Well written,exhaustive detail. An excellent book to read if you are struggling with the direction of today's society. Christians can and should stand up and be counted as the world mmm matches on. Good is surely at the center of it all.
May 14, 2023
A well done book on worldview. Using the concepts of Christianity, Islam, Marxism, Secularism, post Modernism and New Spirituality the author explains the differences and how they express themselves in 10 areas.
May 16, 2023
I had to read this book for school so for me, it wasn't as great. I still think this is a great book for beginners who want to get into philosophy. I'm thankful that it was Christian based but at the same time it was a little biased I believe.
December 6, 2024
This book is priceless!! Everyone should read it. It helps break down the perspectives that are protruding the lives of people around us and shaping our culture. It brings to light why we are headed in a certain way because of the mix of loud voices in the world today.
April 8, 2025
This was an excellent resource and worldview text for my high school Bible class. One thing I appreciate about the development of this series is that Myers builds his discussion of world views on primary texts from those world views.
November 10, 2017
Great for Christians interested in comparative worldview study!
February 3, 2018
I use this in the Worldviews class I teach. I like this updated edition.
June 24, 2021
Eye-opening
July 1, 2023
This was an amazing book surveying various worldviews and comparing them to Christianity. Used this to help me create a retreat about worldviews for confirmation.
November 27, 2024
Good read but probably could have said the same thing in about 1/2 to 3/4 the length. Quite repetitive at times.
September 21, 2021
This is a hijacked version from David Noebel's original Understanding the Times. It's very wordy and makes all of the world views extremely confusing and complicated as opposed to Mr Noebel's original book that made them very clear.
The original book is in a format where you could read the introduction, the summary and then the conclusion & get a quick overview without reading the book. However, I recommend reading the entire original version.
Mr. Noebel's purpose for writing the original text was to reach out to the youth especially those before going into college so that they could have a very clear understanding of what their own worldview was before being bombarded by many worldviews in university.
This new version's purpose was to create a whole curriculum based on the original text. But like I said it's not written for a student, it is written for someone who's very well versed and has a good base in worldviews thus it's more for the instructor. However, this book does expand on worldviews that the original only lightly touched on or not at all because at its original publishing those world views weren't recognized as emerging world views and had only impacted a small region or group... such as cosmic humanism and Islam both of which have become major global worldviews.
I mentored a scholar class for 4 years using the original publication as the textbook and have read the original in its entirety five times. I would definitely read it a 6th time before reading this new version again.
The original book is in a format where you could read the introduction, the summary and then the conclusion & get a quick overview without reading the book. However, I recommend reading the entire original version.
Mr. Noebel's purpose for writing the original text was to reach out to the youth especially those before going into college so that they could have a very clear understanding of what their own worldview was before being bombarded by many worldviews in university.
This new version's purpose was to create a whole curriculum based on the original text. But like I said it's not written for a student, it is written for someone who's very well versed and has a good base in worldviews thus it's more for the instructor. However, this book does expand on worldviews that the original only lightly touched on or not at all because at its original publishing those world views weren't recognized as emerging world views and had only impacted a small region or group... such as cosmic humanism and Islam both of which have become major global worldviews.
I mentored a scholar class for 4 years using the original publication as the textbook and have read the original in its entirety five times. I would definitely read it a 6th time before reading this new version again.
April 13, 2025
Reminds me of my comparative religion class only more than religion, although really a worldview is a religion, just some without God. Thorough and complete.
March 14, 2016
This book is written more for a progressive reader. Someone who studies this line of education.
The understandable portions of this book are uniquely written and make a lot of sense to a Christian like me. Other portions made me want to stop reading.
The understandable portions of this book are uniquely written and make a lot of sense to a Christian like me. Other portions made me want to stop reading.
June 11, 2024
Tedious as a textbook. Used vocabulary which anyone who was in the philosophy field could understand, but was as foreign as reading Latin without a dictionary to the rest of the population.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews