For the Christian, the implacable offensive of science seems about ready to drive God out of His own creation entirely. Up to a point, such research did underscore the perfection of the natural order. The universe looked like a perfect watch, to use Newton's analogy. The watchmaker cannot tinker with his watch without admitting there is something wrong with it. This may be usefully summed up in the term world view.
Cultures have world views and so do individuals.
And there are world views belonging uniquely to periods of history. In its assessment of man's significance in the universe, the medieval world view, which was essentially spiritual, contrasts markedly with the modern world view, which is essentially technical. Today we have corrected the foundations to some extent, but in doing so, we have shattered the superstructure and found nothing to put in its place. The gradual shift in perspective and goal from those days until the present is traced in some detail, and the sad consequences in terms of man's spiritual health are analyzed. Some suggestions toward the recovery of a world view appropriate to man's spiritual needs, yet in harmony with the factual knowledge we now have, are proposed with particular attention being paid to the responsibility of the Christian in this process of recovery.