Getting Started
The devotional materials in your advanced field practicum seminars (SWK 666-669) are specifically designed to explore important foundations for ethics and ethical decision-making in social work. Ethical decisions are rooted in beliefs and assumptions regarding the nature and role of truth and values. As a series, these devotionals will provide a Biblical framework, principles, and tools to help you think and respond critically and effectively to ethical issues in practice.
9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.
Philippians 1:9-11
8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces[a] of this world rather than on Christ.
Colossians 2:8
Resources
Bible
Book: A Practical Guide to Culture: Helping the Next Generation Navigate Today’s World – request through OCLS
Video: Worldview Basics: Lesson 1
Background Information
Social work is a values-driven profession. Every decision social workers make should be grounded in ethical values. For Christian social workers, every professional decision is also a faith decision, made with a desire to do all to the glory of God (1 Peter 5:10). For Christian social workers to make sound ethical decisions, work effectively with clients of various beliefs and backgrounds, and advocate for system and policy change it is essential to understand the importance of worldview and its implications for themselves, those they work with and the communities and culture around them. 
All ethical decisions are rooted in the worldview of the person who is making them. A worldview is a lens with which someone sees the world including the assumptions he or she makes that lead to certain options and choices. A worldview includes the underlying beliefs someone has about life, God, people, relationships, and more. A worldview, and the ideas and assumptions within it, also determine how people view what is right, wrong, good, bad, healthy, and unhealthy. A worldview represents the underlying beliefs that guide people’s reactions and choices in every area of life. Unfortunately, most people are unaware of their worldview, where it comes from, or that they are using it in how they think and make daily choices, including such things as how they view politics or interpret the Bible.
Because worldview affects how people think and the choices they make, it is essential for social workers and especially Christians to understand how different worldviews lead to different decisions, goals, and results for themselves, agencies, clients, and culture. Every choice social workers make, including the choice of theories, interventions, and strategies comes with a worldview and the assumptions behind them. Every policy decision, prevention effort, community plan, and political advocacy decision is also driven by an underlying worldview and the values and priorities it represents. All decisions, whether micro or macro, are driven by ideas that have consequences either for good or ill. To work effectively with others while holding firm to a Biblical worldview that proclaims the unchanging and eternal truths of God, Christian social workers must understand the importance of worldview.
To help you examine the impact of worldview on ethical and moral decision-making, the devotionals in this first advanced field seminar will explore several underlying worldviews currently affecting culture and people in the United States more broadly. All ideologies, religions, and grand theories come with a worldview, and those that follow in this series are just a few of the current worldviews in American culture impacting the way people think today. The worldviews presented will be compared to a Biblical worldview to help you consider their differences and implications for faith and practice. As you reflect on these worldviews, consider their implications for the clients and policy-related issues you may face as a social worker, including issues such as abortion, end-of-life issues, sexual behaviors, sexual identity, ethnic and cultural issues, use of medication, marijuana, addiction, mental health, immigration, gun control, etc.
Christians believe that the Bible is God’s revealed truth to humankind and that to faithfully follow God’s will they must carefully determine their actions by learning to think Biblically about all of life. The devotions in this course are designed to help you in this process.
Prayer:
God, you made all things, and all things come from you. Because you are God, truth exists, and you want me to know it. Open my eyes to see the world, and people the way you do. Shape my ideas and thinking to align with your truth so that I may be better used by you to bring life and freedom to the individuals, families, and communities I will serve. In Jesus name. Amen.
Instructions
Read Chapter in “A Practical Guide to Culture” listed in the resources for this devotional. 
Read the following, “How We Should Evaluate a Worldview?” (https://www.toughquestionsanswered.org/2012/06/08/how-should-we-analyze-a-worldview/)
Watch the video, “What is Worldview?”. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I52mZTcYThA)
Complete your personal Worldview Checkup. (https://www.worldviewcheckup.com/cgi-bin/tssw12.cgi?f=SummitWVCU+5RWV50038)
Navigate to the threaded discussion and respond to the following discussion prompts:
Based on your results from your Worldview checkup, explain what surprises you and what your thoughts are about your results.
Based on your top percentage score in the survey (Christian, Postmodern, New Spiritual, Islamic, Secular or Marxist), explain one way you think your primary worldview currently affects you personally or your role as a social worker.
Based on your reading and the video resource, describe the ideas of how a worldview impacts our view of reality. How do you see this at work in your own worldview or that of a client with whom you have worked? Explain.
According to Stonestreet and Kunkle (2017), a worldview affects how we view the world, how we make sense of the world, and our view for the world. Describe how you have seen this to be true in your own life or the life of someone you know. Identify and explain the impact your worldview has on each of these areas in your response.