Book Review: What's Your Worldview?

As a certified Centurion through the Colson Center for Christian Worldview, I have continued to grow in my interest in how people talk about the issue of worldview. As I began to hear rumblings about James Anderson's book What's Your Worldview: An Interactive Approach to Life's Big Questions (2014), I was very excited.

Anderson took a novel approach to this book.  Essentially, by posing a series of questions and providing a brief discussion of each, this book was modeled after the popular Choose Your Own Adventure books of several years past. I spent much of my time reading CYOA books, so this was an intriguing approach to a more "academic" book.

As an example, the second question, the freedom question, asked "is there any objective truth?" Over a single page, Anderson discussed this question in language that is easily accessible. At the end, he directs the reader to one of two different pages. This leads to a series of questions that, when the reader follows through, leads to the conclusion that a person fits into one of 21 different worldviews, such as Christianity, Panentheism, or Atheistic dualism, to name a few.  The reader is then encouraged to explore different avenues to develop a fuller understanding.

On the positive side, this was a unique book exploring issues of worldview in a clear, concise manner. I fear that many people will think that it is too "concise"; in other words, the nature of the book limited the author's ability to explore questions and worldviews in any depth, which Anderson himself admits. His questions were well chosen. His worldview descriptions enlightening. His viewpoint relatively balanced.

The only negative I would point out is that although I found the CYOA approach novel at the outset, I came to the point where I found it cumbersome. Perhaps if I had been reading a paper copy rather than digital it would have proven more engaging.  In retrospect, I would have preferred a more linear book, something along the lines of Glenn Sunshine's Portals, which is another excellent, concise volume regarding worldviews.

I would happily recommend this book to someone in the beginning stages of worldview exploration, either a believer or not. Readers will probably come away with more questions, but that is probably a positive thing as well.


I received this book free from the publisher through the Crossway Publishing Beyond the Page book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”