Article

Military-Madrasa-Mullah
A Global Threat Complex 127
127

The Genesis of Values in Genesis Journal of Human Values

19(2) 127–132
© 2013 Management Centre
for Human Values
SAGE Publications
Los Angeles, London,
New Delhi, Singapore,
Washington DC
DOI: 10.1177/0971685813492271
William H. Bishop http://jhv.sagepub.com

Abstract
The genesis of values occurred in the Garden of Eden when God created man. He instilled in man the
value of knowledge, which Satan used as part of his deception. God created man with a core intellect
capable of external influence. Our modern culture interprets the world through its values and beliefs,
both of which are codified and forged into a worldview. The Christian worldview is predicated upon
biblical teaching and interpretation. It is the foundation for family values. These values are prevalent in
the Book of Genesis1 and are what comprise the family unit, the decline of which is eroding the values
given by God.

Keywords
Values, intellect, Christian worldview, enesis

Introduction
Much like the origin of the universe, man has pondered the origin of his values. Values are defined as:
‘socially and personally shared conceptions of the good, desirable, and righteous. They are stabilized
beliefs about personally or socially preferred modes of conduct or end-states of existence. They deter-
mine how one ought to or ought not to behave or act’ (Suar & Khuntia, 2010, p. 443). Some attribute
their origin to the environment and others believe they emanate from within the individual. Christians
believe values were instilled by God to man at creation. The account of the fall of man in Genesis is a
clear indication that man was created with values. In this case, man valued knowledge. Specifically, he
valued knowledge he was not meant to have, which is indicated by the use of the word ‘desirable’.
Genesis 3:6 states,

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for
gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
(NIV)

What is unique about man’s value for knowledge is that it was innate to him at creation, ‘before’ the fall
and he had the ‘desire’ to obtain more. The Oxford English Dictionary defines the word ‘desirable’ as

William H. Bishop, Regent University. Lord Dunmore Drive, Virginia Beach, VA.
E-mail: williamhbishop@yahoo.com
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128 William H. Bishop

‘wanted or wished for’. Moore (2004) notes, ‘A person who desires, an object, state of affairs, or
sensation, for itself and not just for something it can bring about, has an intrinsic desire for it’ (p. 76).
This was certainly the case with Eve. Moore (2004) goes on to state, ‘Value does not afford a single
uniform measure of preference but a measure relative to each valuer [sic]’ (p. 77). In other words,
the worth of values is individualized and intrinsic. We desire that which we value. Although man had
been given all the knowledge he needed, he freely chose to give into his desire for more because he
‘valued’ it.
Genesis 1:26 states,

Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea
and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along
the ground.’ (NIV)

God created man in his image; God is omniscient. Therefore, it is logical to conclude man was given an
amount of knowledge. In Genesis 2:19–20, Adam was tasked with naming the animals. This presupposes
he had an intellect and a measure of knowledge commensurate with the task given him by God. Eve’s
temptation was based on gaining ‘more’ knowledge, or wisdom. The temptation did not become sin until
‘after’ Adam and Eve took the fruit and ate it, which was an act of disobedience. Prior to sin entering the
world, man valued knowledge. This demonstrates man was created with values.
Although Adam and Eve were created and not born, it is reasonable to conclude their descendants
were born with a core intellect from which their values emanated. Much like DNA, man is born with a
base intellect from which his values emanate. Webster’s defines intellect as ‘knowing or understanding;
the capacity for knowledge, for rational or highly developed use of intelligence.’ While we all have
different values, the selection ability to recognize and modify our values is a reflection of our God-given
intellect. Therefore, from a Christian worldview, all values ultimately stem from God.

Worldview
A worldview is a way of interpreting the world. One author states, ‘A worldview is a complex system
of interpretations of experiences and orderings of relationships that provides a cohesive way of under-
standing reality’ (Fagerberg, 2001, p. 553).
McCormack (2008) notes, ‘A worldview is the assumed model of reality through which a society
understands and interprets the world. It is like an invisible map through which we perceive reality’
(p. 40). While a worldview is map used for perception, Oster (2012) notes, ‘We filter the world through
our values.’ If we filter the world through our values, we also base our worldview on them. Thus our
worldview is formed by our values. However, it is also formed by our beliefs. Kim, Fisher and McCalman
(2009) note, ‘Our beliefs and values are imbedded in our worldview’ (p. 116).
Christianity is a worldview itself. ‘Works by Christian writers and thinkers would suggest that
Christianity is more than a religion or a set of moral guidelines or beliefs. It is a worldview that
applies to all areas including social issues, history, politics, science, and anthropology’ (Kim et al.,
2009, p. 119). The universality of a Christian worldview does not exist due to the variations in
beliefs by Christians. What is important, though, in regard to the genesis of values, is the broad scope of
Christianity as a worldview. Its inclusiveness permeates every facet of life from which values receive

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The Genesis of Values in Genesis 129

their external stimulus. Naugle (2002) notes, ‘Its [Christian worldview] popularity is due in part to its
attempt to provide a comprehensive explanation of reality that is rooted in the Word of God’ (p. 4).
The Christian worldview has become increasingly influential in recent decades, especially by
evangelicals. ‘As a matter of fact, in the entire history of “worldview”, no single philosophic school or
religious community has given more sustained attention to or taken more advantage of this concept than
Protestant evangelicals’2 (Naugle, 2002, p. 31). The Christian worldview is a means of interpreting the
world through the teachings, concepts and principles in the Bible and taking action based on that
interpretation. Furthermore, it incorporates values commensurate with that worldview, for example,
family values.

Origin of Values
Evidence supports the contention that we are born with a sense of values. Kropp, Lavack and Silvera
(2005) concluded that values can be classified into three dimensions:

Internal values (self-fulfillment, self-respect and sense of accomplishment); external values (security, sense
of belonging, warm relationships with others and being-well respected); and interpersonal values (fun and
enjoyment in life and excitement. In general, internal values do not require the judgments or opinions of others.
In contrast, external values generally require the presence, judgments, or opinions of others. Interpersonal values
combine some aspects of both internal and external values; however, by definition, they focus upon interactions
between people (p. 11).

Man’s internal values are a reflection of God. They are man’s core and comprise his moral structure
much like all people are comprised of DNA. No two people, not even identical twins, are alike. The same
is true of values.
A great analogy that illustrates the internal argument for values’ origin is in Newton’s first law of
motion, which states an object at rest will remain at rest unless acted upon by an external force. Values
act much the same way in that we are born with a basic sense of values, for example, the value of human
life, particularly our own and they remain somewhat fixed throughout our early childhood until we begin
to walk, talk, and comprehend. It is during this time that external factors begin to impact the core beliefs
with which we were born.
A study revealed that cognitive development occurs in children between the ages of 6–11, and that
‘children focus on concrete, observable elements of their world, but they also begin to organize these
elements into trait categories when they describe themselves and other persons’ (Doring, 2010, p. 440).
Researchers believe it is during this time of cognitive development that external factors begin to have the
greatest influence on value formation.
Schwartz proposed a theory of basic values common to everyone that broke their formation down into
ten categories. They are:

  1. Conformity: Restraint of actions, inclinations and impulses likely to upset or harm others and
violate social expectations or norms.
  2. Tradition: Respect, commitment and acceptance of the customs and ideas of one’s culture or
religion provide.

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130 William H. Bishop

  3. Benevolence: Caring for the welfare of the people with whom one is in frequent personal
contact.
  4. Universalism: Understanding, appreciation, tolerance and protection for the welfare of all people
and for nature.
  5. Self-direction: Independent thought and action—choosing, creating, exploring.
  6. Stimulation: Excitement, novelty and challenge in life.
  7. Hedonism: Pleasure, gratification of the senses.
  8. Achievement: Personal success through demonstrating competence in accordance with social
standards.
  9. Power: Social status and prestige, control and dominance over people and resources.
10. Security: Safety, harmony and stability of society, of relationships and of self (Cieciuch, 2012,
p. 321).

These values were then grouped into four higher order categories that form two bipolar dimensions.
“The first contrasts self-transcendence values (universalism and benevolence) with self-enhancement
values (power and achievement). The second dimension contrasts openness to change values (tradition,
conformity and security).
‘Hedonism is located between openness to change and self-enhancement’ (Cieciuch, 2012, p. 321).
Schwartz concluded, ‘The idea of a continuum implies that the domain of values can be partitioned into
broader or more fine-grained value constructs, depending on how finely one wishes to discriminate
among motivations (Cieciuch, 2012, p. 321). The premise of the theory is that at least ten common values
are innate to everyone. Establishing granularity between them is essentially a matter of interpretation.
Nevertheless, the theory supports the Christian worldview that the genesis of values lies within an
individual as instilled by God. How they are forged during middle childhood and early adulthood is a
matter of external influence and personal choice based upon experience.

Application
Values are integrally related to an individual’s worldview. In this instance, the evangelical Christian
worldview makes assumptions as to the origin of values. As such, their application to everyday life is
governed by fundamental beliefs that in many ways parallel and support Schwartz’s theory. For example,
Peterson (2005) noted three predominant values in the Book of Genesis: ‘(1) the value of defining family
in expansive terms; (2) the value of familial continuity; (3) and the value of nonviolent resolution of
conflict within the family’ (p. 22). Family was a value and it was enforced externally through the
environment, which consisted of a tribe society where beliefs were universal. This relates to conformity,
tradition, benevolence and universalism.
As society has expanded, the amount of influence on individual and group values has increased,
which has caused diversification and even departure from ‘traditional values.’ In 2010, George
commented, ‘People lose their values.’ It appears he may be onto something, particularly in regard to
family values. ‘At least one in five women around the globe has been a victim of spousal abuse’ (Peterson,
2005, p. 22). This does not bode well for non-violent resolution to family conflict and the family values
held in high regard by the Christian worldview.

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The Genesis of Values in Genesis 131

Family values are part of the Christian worldview. Family is defined as ‘the fundamental institution
of society, an immutable structure established by our Creator’ (Dowland, 2009, p. 607). The American
family has been on decline in recent decades. Houseknecht and Sastry (1996) state, ‘That the change in
the family that has occurred in recent times represents family decline’ (p. 727). The decline of the
American family can be interpreted as a direct result of the decline in Christianity. This decline represents
a shift in the balance and application of the categorical values identified by Schwartz. It does not,
however, indicate the absence of any specific value.
An article in The Futurist noted, ‘…we are at a critical crossroads for Christianity in America’ (1995,
p. 55). Indeed we are. Buchanan (2011) states, ‘Today’s social decomposition is the first consequence of
the collapse of Christianity and the moral order it sustained’ (p. 68). The moral order it sustained was a
direct result of the family values it instilled. The decline of Christianity is practically synonymous with
the decline of the American family. As both decline, the Christian worldview begins to fade away taking
its associated values with it.
While this shift in values may be perceived by evangelicals as the demise of the Christian worldview’s
dominance, it can be argued that such a change is merely the reorientation of the values continuum
suggested by Schwartz. In other words, the component values continue to exist within the concentric
construct; however, a redistribution of their importance and relevance to external factors is now present,
which manifests itself in an altered worldview. This is significant because ‘our worldview has a profound
impact on how we decide what is real versus unreal, what is right versus wrong, and what is important
versus unimportant. It shapes our culture and expresses itself in all institutions including the arts, religion,
education, media, and business’ (Kim, McCalman & Fisher, 2012, p. 205).
This redistribution of identified values represents a departure from the Christian worldview in social
application and a shift toward modernism. However, this redistribution does not nullify or invalidate the
hypothesis that values originate in man as instilled by God. It simply indicates the replacement of values’
origin by modernism, which place values’ origin in ‘human reasoning and the scientific method’ (Kim
et al., 2012, p. 205). Worldview and Christianity are mutually exclusive entities that have the capability
to coexist but are not interdependent on one another for their existence.

Conclusion
Perhaps it is a stretch to make such a bold statement, but the search for values’ origin is the search
for God’s truth in all of us, the divine will. We are each born with a sense of being, of right and
wrong. Our environment influences how and what we think. Family, friends, school, culture and
religion, to name a few, shape our values and help us form a worldview through which we interpret the
world. We are each born with an internal compass that remains neutrally fixed—the factory setting, if
you will.
God gives intellect to us. Man has free will over his intellect and can so use it as he pleases. His ability
to choose gives him the freedom to develop his values and worldview. However, as man has plunged
further into sin, his values and worldview has shifted, causing a notable decline in the American family
and Christianity itself. Man must right his course to preserve the future of the family and Christianity.
He must realign his values and reset his compass.

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132 William H. Bishop

Notes
1. The Book of Genesis is the first book of the Bible, the governing book of Christianity and Roman Catholicism
and contains the creation narrative beginning with Adam and Eve. Moses is believed to have authored the book
approximately in 1400 B.C.
2. Protestant evangelicals are Christians who hold to the fundamental belief that the Bible is the complete and
inerrant word of God. It contains the full account of creation and the beginning of history, as we know it. They
believe the only path to salvation is through Jesus Christ and that it is their duty to proselytize, that is, evangelize.

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