Post on 16-Jan-2016
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Lecture 2: Lecture 2: Biblical Worldview ThinkingBiblical Worldview Thinking
Introduction to Worldview Introduction to Worldview SystemsSystems
~ Paul R. Shockley~ Paul R. Shockley
Our overall objective for biblical worldview class is to Our overall objective for biblical worldview class is to be able to think and behave like Jesus Christ to be able to think and behave like Jesus Christ to such an extent that we will not be dishonored in such an extent that we will not be dishonored in
anything or by anyone.anything or by anyone.
Review from last class:Review from last class:
“People almost invariably “People almost invariably arrive at their beliefs not on arrive at their beliefs not on the basis of proof but on the the basis of proof but on the
basis of what they find basis of what they find attractive.”attractive.”
--Blaise Pascal--Blaise Pascal (17 (17thth century French philosopher) century French philosopher)
Why do you believe what you Why do you believe what you believe?believe?
SOCIO-LOGICAL REASONS
Parents
Friends
Society
Culture
Geography
Community
Peer Pressure
PSYCHO-LOGICAL REASONS
Comfort
Peace of mind
Meaning
Purpose
Hope
Identity
Feelings orIntuition
RELIGI-OUS
REASONS
Scripture
Pastor/Priest
Guru
Rabbi
Imam
Church
Tradition
Mysticism
PHILO-SOPHICAL REASONS
Consistency
Coherence
Completeness
Adapted from: James Sire, “Why Should Anyone Believe Anything At All” in Telling the Truth, D.A. Carson, ed.
BIBLICAL
TRUTH
AccurateExegesis
Biblical,TheologicalSystematicCoherence
““Did you know that there are more Did you know that there are more than 6,000 distinct religions in our than 6,000 distinct religions in our world today? world today?
Did you also know that world Did you also know that world religions and even philosophical religions and even philosophical worldview tend to break down into worldview tend to break down into 5 major categories of 5 major categories of assumptions/thoughts/perspectivesassumptions/thoughts/perspectives/values, etc/values, etc..
Consider the following worldview Consider the following worldview systems:systems:
1.1. Philosophical Naturalistic Philosophical Naturalistic WorldviewWorldview2.2. Philosophical Postmodern Philosophical Postmodern Worldview.Worldview.3.3. Religious Pantheistic Religious Pantheistic Worldviews.Worldviews.4.4. Religious Polytheism & Religious Polytheism & Spiritism Spiritism worldviews.worldviews.5.5. Theistic WorldviewTheistic Worldview6.6. Biblical Christian WorldviewBiblical Christian Worldview
What do we mean by What do we mean by “system”?“system”?
System (from the Latin, systēma; Greek System (from the Latin, systēma; Greek σύστημασύστημα; sustēma) is an assemblage of ; sustēma) is an assemblage of
entities/objects real or abstract, comprising a entities/objects real or abstract, comprising a whole with each & every component/element whole with each & every component/element
interacting or related to another one. interacting or related to another one.
Any object which has no relationship with any Any object which has no relationship with any other element of the system is not a component other element of the system is not a component
of that system.of that system.
~ Wikipedia.~ Wikipedia.
Naturalistic Worldview?Naturalistic Worldview?
VIEW OF GOD
ATHEISM:There is no God.
AGNOSTICISM:There is not enough
information to determine whether
God exists.
SECULAR EXISTENTIALISM
God does not exist so humanity must learn to live without Him
(angst).
WITHOUT GOD??????
VIEW OF MANCHANCE
PRODUCT OF EVOLUTION
ENTIRELY MATERIAL-
BIOLOGICAL MACHINE .
MAN IS FINITE AND WILL ON DAY BECOME
EXTINCT
THERE IS NO AFTERLIFE
THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS
“SIN”
VIEW OF TRUTH
TRUTH IS USUALLY
UNDERSTOOD AS SCIENTIFIC
PROOF
KNOWLEDGE GAINED BY FIVE
SENSES
ONLY THAT WHICH CAN BE
OBSERVED WITH THE FIVE
SENSES IS ACCEPTED AS
REAL
VIEW OF VALUES:
NO OBJECTIVE PRESCRIPTIVE
VALUES
MORALS ARE INDIVIDUAL
PREFRENCES, SOCIOLOGICALLY
USEFUL BEHAVIOR.
CONSCIENCE MAY BE AN
EVOLUTIONARY DEVELOPMENT
USUALLYSITUATIONAL OR
CONTRACT MODEL OF ETHICS
VIEW OF REALITY
THE MATERIAL UNIVERSE IS ALL
THAT EXISTS
REALITY IS “ONE –DIMENSIONAL”
NO SUPER-NATURALISM.
EVERYTHING CAN BE EXPLAINED ON
THE BASIS OF PHYSICAL/CHEMICAL
LAWS/SOCIO-BIOLOGICAL
SCIENCE
POSTMODERN WORLDVIEW:POSTMODERN WORLDVIEW:
VIEW OF GOD
PAGANISM:
NEW AGE:
SPIRITUALISM:
NON-THEISM?????
WHY EVEN ASK THE
QUESTION?
VIEW OF MAN
HUMANS ARE NODES IN
CULTURAL-REALITY
THEY ARE PRODUCES OF
THEIR SUBCULTURAL/
SOCIAL SETTING
COULD BE A PRODUCT OF EVOLUTION
BIASES, SCRIPTED BY SUBCULTURE
VIEW OF TRUTHTRUTHS ARE
MENTAL CONSTRUCTS MEANINGFUL
TO INDIVIDUALS/
SUBCULTURAL PARADIGMS.
TRUTH IS REDEFINED AS A
PARTICULAR CONSTRUCT/
NO UNIVERSAL TRUTHS
RESIST ALL FORMS OF
CATEGORIZA-TION
VIEW OF VALUES:
NO OBJECTIVE MORAL
OBJECTIVES
ANTI-AUTHORITARIAN.
VALUES ARE MENTAL
CONSTRUCTS MEANING TO
INDIVIDUALS/SUB-CULTURAL
PARADIGMS
PARTICULAR MORALISM
TOLERANCE IS PRIZED VIRTUE
VIEW OF REALITY
REALITY IS SOCIALLY
CONSTRUCTED.
THE IDEA THAT THERE IS A
REALITY OUT THERE IS A
PRODUCT OF GREEK
PHILOSOPHY/WESTERN THOUGHT.
THE IDEA THAT PEOPLE ARE
AUTONOMOUS AND FREE IS A
MYTH.
POSTMODERNISTS RESIST ALL FORMS OF CATEGORIZATIONS, STRUCTURES, LABELS, & DEFINITIONS.
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Seven Effects of Relativism by John Piper.Seven Effects of Relativism by John Piper.
11stst::22ndnd:: Relativism cultivates duplicity.Relativism cultivates duplicity.33rdrd:: Relativism conceals doctrinal Relativism conceals doctrinal
defection.defection.44thth:: Relativism cloaks greed with flattery.Relativism cloaks greed with flattery.55thth:: Relativism cloaks pride in the guise Relativism cloaks pride in the guise
of humility.of humility.66thth:: Relativism Enslaves People.Relativism Enslaves People.77thth:: Relativism leads to totalitarianism.Relativism leads to totalitarianism.
THE RELIGIOUS WORLDVIEWS THE RELIGIOUS WORLDVIEWS OF PANTHEISM:OF PANTHEISM:
VIEW OF GOD
HINDUISM:Polytheism.
TAOISM:Ultimate Reality is
Impersonal:Ying-Yang Dualism.
BUDDHISM:Polytheism
NEW AGE BELIEFS.
VIEW OF MAN
MAN IS ONE WITH REALITY,
THUS MAN IS SPIRITUAL AND
ETERNAL
INDIVIDUALISM IS AN ILLUSION
AN PERSON WHO BECOMES
AWAKENED FROM THE “SLEEP OF
IGNORANCE” BY DIRECTLY THE TRUE NATURE
OF REALITY IS A “BUDDHA.”
VIEW OF TRUTH
TRUTH ISAN EXPERIENCE
OF UNITY WITHIN
“ONENESS OF THE UNIVERSE.”
TRUTH IS BEYOND ALL
RATIONAL DESCRIPTION
AWAKENING IS THROUGH
MEDITATION, VARIOUS
RELIGIOUS PRACTICES,
ETC.
VIEW OF VALUES:
BECAUSE ULTIMATELY
REALITY IS IMPERSONAL,
THERE IS NO REAL DISTINCTION
BETWEEN GOOD & EVIL.
INSTEAD, “UNENLIGHTENED
BEHAVIOR” IS THAT WHICH
FAILS TO UNDERSTAND
ESSENTIAL UNITY (IGNORANCE).
VIEW OF REALITY
THE MATERIAL UNIVERSE IS ALL
THAT EXISTS
BUDDHIST PRACTICE IS TO PUT AN END TO THE STRESS OF
EXISTENCE
ONLY THE SPIRITUAL DIMENSION
EXISTS; ALL ELSE IS ILLUSION.
SPIRITUAL REALITY IS ETERNAL &
IMPERSONAL.
SPIRITISM & POLYTHEISM:SPIRITISM & POLYTHEISM:
VIEW OF GOD
ANIMISM:Primitive beliefs, the doctrine of spiritual
beings.
Spirit beings inhabit ordinary objects,
inorganic or organic.
The world is populated by
“spirit beings” who govern what goes on.
POLYTHEISM:There are many gods that exist
both beyond and in the universe.
VIEW OF MANMAN IS A
CREATION OF THE GODS LIKE
THE REST OF THE CREATURES
ON EARTH.
OFTEN, TRIBES OR
COMMUNITIES HAVE A SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP
WITH SOME GODS WHO
PROTECT THEM & CAN PUNISH
THEM .
VIEW OF TRUTH
FOR SPIRITISM, TRUTH ABOUT THE NATURAL
WORLD IS TYPICALLY
DISCOVERED THROUGH A
SHAMAN FIGURE WHO HAS VISIONS
THAT TELL HIM OR HER WHAT THE GODS AND DEMONS ARE
DOING & HOW THEY FEEL.
TRUTH CAN BE ARBITRARY.
VIEW OF VALUES:
FORM OF TABOOS, WHICH ARE
THINGS WHICH IRRITATE OR
ANGER VARIOUS SPIRITS.
THESE TABOOS ARE DIFFERENT FROM THE IDEA
OF “GOOD & EVIL” BECAUSE IT IS
JUST AS IMPORTANT TO
AVOID IRRITATING EVIL SPIRITS AS IT IS
GOOD ONES.
VIEW OF REALITY
WORLD IS POPULATED BY
BEINGS WHO GOVERN REALITY.
GOD & DEMONS ARE THE REAL
REASON BEHIND NATURAL EVENTS.
MATERIAL THINGS ARE
REAL, BUT HAVE SPIRITS
ASSOCIATED WITH THEM;
REALITY CAN BE INTERPRETED SPIRITUALLY.
MONOTHEISTIC WORLDVIEW:MONOTHEISTIC WORLDVIEW:VIEW OF
GOD
CHRISTIANITY
ISLAM
JUDAISM
AN INFINITE-PERSONAL GOD
EXISTS BOTH BEYOND & IN THE
UNIVERSE
GOD IS THE CREATOR OF THE
UNIVERSE, WORLD, VALUES, LIFE, INCLUDING
MAN.
VIEW OF MAN
HUMANITY IS THE UNIQUE
CREATION OF GOD
PEOPLE ARE PERSONAL,
SPIRITUAL, & BIOLOGICAL.
MAN IS ETERNALLY
JUDGED BY GOD.
MAN IS TYPICALLY VIEWED AS
SINFUL, IN NEED OF REDEMPTION.
VIEW OF TRUTH
TRUTH ABOUT GOD IS KNOWN
BOTH BY GENERAL &
SPECIAL REVELATION
REVELATION, USE OF FIVE
SENSES, & RATIONAL THOUGHT
(KNOWLEDGE)
TYPICALLY, CORRE-
SPONDENT /COHERENT
VIEW OF TRUTH.
VIEW OF VALUES:
MORAL VALUES ARE THE
OBJECTIVE EXPRESSION OF AN ABSOLUTE MORAL BEING
TYPICALLY BELIEVE IN
NATURAL, MORAL LAW & SPECIAL REVELATION, A BODY OF TRUTH
REVEALED BY GOD FOR
HONORING HIM.
TYPICALLY, SOME ABSOLUTE FORM
OF ETHICS.
VIEW OF REALITY
REALITY AS IT IS CREATED BY GOD
REALITY IS BOTH MATERIAL SPIRITUAL
MIRACLES CAN AND DO OCCUR.
THE UNIVERSE HAS A BEGINNING & WILL HAVE AN
END.
OFTEN, CLASSICAL REALISM.
BIBLICAL CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW:BIBLICAL CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW:VIEW OF
GOD
DOCTRINE OF THEOLOGY
PROPER
DOCTRINE OF CREATOR –CREATION
DISTINCTION.
DOCTRINE OF TRINITY
DOCTRINE OF CHRISTOLOGY
DOCTRINE OF PNEUMATOLOGY
VIEW OF MAN
DOCTRINE OF ANTHRO-POLOGY
DOCTRINE OF THE IMAGE OF
GOD IN MAN
DOCTRINE OF EVIL & SIN
DOCTRINE OF SOTERIOLOGY
ECCLESIOLOGY/ISRAELOLOGY
BIBLICAL JUDGMENTS
VIEW OF TRUTH
DOCTRINE OF TRUTH:Typically
correspondence – coherent models.
DOCTRINE OF PROLEGOMENA & BIBLIOLOGY
HERMEN-EUTICS
BIBLICAL APPLICATION
OF TRUTH
SOLA SCRIPTURA
VIEW OF VALUES:
MORAL VALUES ARE THE
OBJECTIVE TRUTHS SOURCED
IN THE GOD OF THE BIBLE
NATURAL, MORAL LAW & SCRIPTURE
FOR GODLY LIVING.
ABSOLUTE FORM OF ETHICS:
Qualified absolutism; conflict absolutism; graded absolutism.
STEWARDSHIP
VIEW OF REALITY
REALITY CREATED BY GOD
OF BIBLE.
FIRST PRINCIPLES OF LOGIC
REALITY IS MATERIAL SPIRITUAL;
MIRACLES CAN & DO OCCUR.
ESCHATOLOGY.
ANGELOLOGY-DEMONOLOGY-SATANOLOGY.
One goal of both Systematic One goal of both Systematic Theology & Worldview Thinking is Theology & Worldview Thinking is
to (1) expose inadequate to (1) expose inadequate justifications for belief & (2) justifications for belief & (2)
provide a solid basis for validating provide a solid basis for validating or invalidating truth claims in order or invalidating truth claims in order that we may have (3) a consistent & that we may have (3) a consistent & God-honoring foundation for godly God-honoring foundation for godly
living and servant-leadership.living and servant-leadership.