We live in a generation in love with specialization. To a certain extent this is unavoidable—God has called particular individuals to particular vocational callings from the beginning of the world. But every believer is called by God to that vocation, and he is to pursue it in faith while oriented rightly to the rest of the world. This means that he has to be a generalist as well.
If you are a cobbler, a lawyer, a musician, or an engineer, then you should strive to excel, under Christ, in that pursuit. Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings (Prov. 22:29). That is all very well, and so he should.
But vocational excellence should not be pursued in such a way as to make you narrow. That is the way of educating yourself or your children to be idiot savants—outstanding in one area, and clueless in all the rest.
A Christian worldview does not consist of having certain thoughts in your head, rattling around. It means living in a certain way—striving for excellence, certainly, but also demonstrating catholicity and generosity of spirit. You appreciate fine dining, but are not above eating a corn dog at the county fair. You know what kind of music glorifies God in worship, and you also love the intricate simplicity of the blues. You love good writing, but you are not critical of the punctuation on the grocery list you are trying to read. Following Christ means striving to grow up into all true excellence—and becoming a snob is not excellent.
Â
Â