Rethinking Worldview

Mars Hill Audio Journal, Volume 90

Volume 90 of the Mars Hill Audio Journal is out now, and it leads with the interview I did with host Ken Myers about the state of the worldview discourse. This edition is packed with an additional 75 minutes or so of discussion on the National Endowment for the Arts study on contemporary reading habits (or lack thereof), so it's well worth hearing. Here's a taste of what's on offer:

Guests on the current issue (Volume 90) include: J. Mark Bertrand on how the language of "worldviews" can mean something richer than it often does; Michael P. Schutt on how the day-to-day practice of Christian lawyers can reflect a Christian view of the nature of law; Michael Ward on how C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia were shaped by medieval cosmological beliefs about the seven planets; Dana Gioia on the disturbing trends in the reading (non)habits of Americans; Makoto Fujimura on reading, painting, and attending to the world; Gregory Edward Reynolds on lessons about reading from the study of media ecology; Catherine Prescott, on why portrait painters often depict their subjects with books in their hands; and Eugene Peterson on the place of reading in the spiritual lives of Christians.

If you don't subscribe to Mars Hill Audio Journal, you should. It's essential listening, and I'm honored after many years of subscribing to find myself on the other end of the microphone -- and in such august company.

Rethinking Worldview in Breakpoint's Centurion Program

This month, students in the Centurion Program, a study program of Chuck Colson's Breakpoint ministry, are reading Rethinking Worldview as part of their first quarter curriculum, which focuses on worldview awareness. If you're not familiar with the program, here's a brief overview of the process:

Each year we select 100 Christians—from hundreds of applications—and train them through an intense combination of rigorous reading assignments, teleconferences, three weekend residences, worldview devotionals, weekly newsletters, monthly meetings with accountability and prayer partners, and a thriving online forum that supports a free-flowing exchange of ideas and experiences.

If accepted into the program, you will sharpen your biblical knowledge, your critical thinking skills, and your communication skills so that you can engage and educate others articulately, knowledgeably, and appealingly. And you will begin to form a strategy to teach others to do the same.

Needless to say, it's an honor to have Rethinking Worldview included in the curriculum. For more information on the program, follow the link. Materials are also available so you can study along with the Centurions.

My Mars Hill Audio Journal Interview

Yesterday afternoon, I did an interview with Ken Myers for the Mars Hill Audio Journal, in which we discussed the state of today's worldview discourse, the nature and future of reading, and much more. I'm not sure which edition of the Journal the interview will appear in, but when it's out I'll post an update. As a long time Mars Hill subscriber, it was a thrilling experience -- like listening to the Journal and being able to talk back to it. Ken is a superb conversationalist, too. Even though you know he's the smart one, he somehow manages to make you feel you're holding your own!

By the way, if you're not already a Mars Hill subscriber, I urge you to sign up. The third post I ever made to my main blog, www.jmarkbertrand.com, back in March of 2003, was about two must-have subscriptions -- the Mars Hill Audio Journal and Books & Culture (which Mike Duran just wrote about). At the time, David Naugle had just been interviewed in Volume 60 about his excellent book Worldview: History of a Concept. Since Dr. Naugle was gracious enough to endorse my book, Rethinking Worldview, my sense of having come full circle is pretty strong.

An Award from Hearts & Minds

Byron Borger, who already reviewed Rethinking Worldview so positively, has now made my day by including it in his list of 2007's best books -- with an eponymous award, no less:

(RE)THINKING AWARD FOR ANSWERING THE QUESTION: CAN ANYBODY WRITE A BOOK ABOUT WORLDVIEW AND SAY SOMETHING NEW?

(Re)Thinking Worldview: Learning to Think, Live, and Speak in This World J. Mark Bertrand (Crossway) $16.99 Hooo-ray, this is one great book. You know that the concept of worldview, and worldviewish cultural discernment is a foundational part of our work here at the bookstore; we love to help Christian folks “connect the dots” between the way they see, the way they evaluate our world, how they embrace their callings in these days. This book not only explains worldviews in refreshing and smart ways, but it is deeply Biblical, thoughtfully written, and very practical. We reviewed it when it first came out over at the blog and we remain convinced it is a wonderful and important book by a very clever fellow. As Davey Naugle writes, “Bertrand’s book is a rich gift to serious citizens of the Kingdom of God.” Maybe I should (re)think the name of this award to convince you to take it seriously. This is a great, great book.

I'm truly honored.

Listen to the 2-Hour Point of View Interview

On January 3, I was a guest on Point of View, a national radio talk show hosted by Kerby Anderson and Carmen Pate. Kerby is the national director of Probe Ministries, which offers a rich variety of worldview-related resources. The entire two-hour broadcast was devoted to Rethinking Worldview, and now an archive of the program is available online if you'd like to listen. I've added a direct link to the mp3 file under the Interviews link at right. For convenience, here it is:

Point of View, January 3 -- Rethinking Worldview

My wife heard the last half hour on the radio as she was driving, and thought it was very funny to hear her husband pontificating on the airwaves! I'm grateful to Kerby and Carmen for devoting so much time and effort to Rethinking Worldview, and thank everyone who tuned in -- and called!

A Chapter-by-Chapter Study of Rethinking Worldview

Over the holidays, Dr. William Larkin got in touch to let me know that he was using Rethinking Worldview as the text in a three-month adult Sunday School course on Biblical World and Life View at First Presbyterian Church in Columbia, SC. Since December 2, students have been discussing the book chapter-by-chapter, with Dr. Larkin bringing his considerable knowledge to bear on the topic. The series is scheduled to continue until February 23. What's more, the classes are being recorded and posted online, which gives other people interested in the topic an opportunity to listen in. Here's a link to the class webpage:

Biblical World and Life View: (Re)Thinking Worldview

One of the things I talked to Kerby Anderson and Carmen Pate about in my January 3 interview on Point of View was the importance of churches taking their teaching ministry seriously. After seeing the materials Dr. Larkin has prepared at First Presbyterian, I was overwhelmed. This is a great example of what we should all be striving toward. If you've read Rethinking Worldview and want to take the discussion deeper -- or if you're contemplating using the book as a text -- follow the link and start listening in!

Buy an ESV Bible, Get Rethinking Worldview at 50% Off

My publishers at Crossway have extended a great offer to readers of my Bible Design and Binding Blog. From now until December 14, when you purchase an ESV Bible from Crossway, you can get Rethinking Worldview for 50% off retail, which works out to just $8.50. That's the lowest price I know of. Here's what you do:

1. Follow this link: http://www.crossway.org/jmb7a

2. Add whatever ESV Bible(s) you'd like to your Shopping Cart.

3. Then add Rethinking Worldview to your Shopping Cart. It will show up at the 50% price.

I don't have to tell you what a great stocking stuffer a book about worldviews is! :) For more details, check out my post about the offer at the Bible Design and Binding Blog.

Word FM Radio Interview

I'll be doing another radio interview today in support of Rethinking Worldview. This time I'll be on Word FM's afternoon show in Pittsburgh, PA. I'm scheduled for 5:10 PM Eastern Time. So if you're in Pittsburgh, be sure to tune in!

Where to Buy Rethinking Worldview

One of the most frequent questions I'm asked is where people can purchase a copy of Rethinking Worldview. Can you walk into your local bookstore and pick one up? Here's the scoop. Rethinking Worldview is available from all booksellers ... in theory. That means anyone can order it for you. But the odds are, your local bricks-and-mortar store isn't going to keep it in stock. This book covers a fairly specialized topic, after all, so until your local booksellers realize there's interest, you can't expect them to have inventory. If you really want to do me a favor, you'll go to your local bookstore and, if they don't have the book, ask them to order one for you.

But for immediate gratification, you might want to try an online seller. I've compiled a list of sources where you can purchase Rethinking Worldview. Check them out:

Hearts & Minds Books
Westminster Books
Mongergism Books
Christian Book Distributors
Amazon.com
BN.com

If I've missed any sources, be sure to let me know so I can update the list!

The World Magazine Ad

If you subscribe to World Magazine, be sure to check out the November 17, 2007 issue, which features a full-page ad from Crossway just opposite the table of contents. It features John Piper's new book The Future of Justification, as well an anthology he co-edited with Justin Taylor (The Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World) and another to which he contributed a foreword (Pierced for our Transgressions). Right beside them -- first on the list in the ad copy, in fact -- is my own book Rethinking Worldview.

I knew the ad was coming, so when I started getting e-mails from World readers, I was prepared. When I actually saw the piece, though, I experienced something similar to the feeling I had when I first saw myself in the Crossway catalog, side-by-side with authors who've done so much to further my own formation. "Humbled" doesn't begin to cover it. Let's just say I'm deeply grateful to be included in such august company, knowing full well I don't deserve it!

You can click on the image at right to see a larger version of the ad. I think I'm going to pull mine out and frame it.