In a generation marked by relativism the public arena is filled with differing views on the largest issues of our time. The primary source from which we draw our worldview defines where we stand and why. The following are 10 biblical truths that shape my worldview:

1. Every human being has innate dignity: Genesis 1:27 "So God created man in His own image."

2. Life is to be valued from the womb: Psalm 139:13 "You knit me together in my mother's womb."

3. A nation that honors God will prosper but a nation that turns its back on God will not: Proverbs 14:34 "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people."

4. Image without character comes up short: I Samuel 16:7 "Man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart."

5. We make an eternal investment when we tend to the poor: Proverbs 19:17 "One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the Lord, and He will repay him for his good deeds."

6. We are nurturing God's handiwork when we protect the earth: Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."

7. We must stand against injustice wherever it is found: Amos 5:15 "Hate evil, and love good and establish justice."

8. Possessions alone will never satisfy the heart of man: Luke 12:15 "...be on guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

9. Love has the power to heal a broken world: John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."

10. Death is not the final word: Isaiah 25:8 "He will swallow up death for all time."

The Scriptures tell us that it is in seeking first the Kingdom of God that we properly prioritize everything else. The issues that we face on a global and personal level demand that our convictions and actions be based in something more than subjectivity. The question that will define us more than any other is upon what do we base our worldview?

Rev. Bill Shuler is pastor of Capital Life church in Arlington, Virginia.