Session 2: Chapters 3&4Session 2: Chapters 3&4

World ViewWorld ViewInstructor: David M. HaszInstructor: David M. Hasz

Feb. 4, 2008Feb. 4, 2008

What divides the world?What divides the world?

““Not so much geographic boundaries Not so much geographic boundaries but religious and cultural traditions.” – but religious and cultural traditions.” – Samuel Huntington.Samuel Huntington.

IE: Iraq, Afghanistan, YugoslaviaIE: Iraq, Afghanistan, Yugoslavia

Huntington predicted a clash between Huntington predicted a clash between the worldviews of what three major the worldviews of what three major traditional civilizations?traditional civilizations?

THE BIG CLASHTHE BIG CLASH

The Western World (Who is that?)The Western World (Who is that?)

The Islamic World (Who is that?)The Islamic World (Who is that?)

The Confucian East (Who is The Confucian East (Who is that?)that?)

The other clash??The other clash??

James Kurth predicted what?James Kurth predicted what?

The other clashThe other clash

Clash between those who adhere Clash between those who adhere to a Judeo-Christian framework to a Judeo-Christian framework and those who favor and those who favor postmodernism and postmodernism and multiculturalism.multiculturalism.

Why?Why?

Western Culture may soon Western Culture may soon dominate the globe:dominate the globe:

TechnologyTechnology

Fall of the Iron Curtain (What is Fall of the Iron Curtain (What is that?)that?)

US Cultural InvasionUS Cultural Invasion

Our Responsibility Our Responsibility

As American Christians we affect As American Christians we affect the globe!!the globe!!

What is the major challenge we What is the major challenge we face today?face today?

Theism vs. NaturalismTheism vs. Naturalism

What is Theism?What is Theism?

TheismTheismThe belief there is a The belief there is a transcendent God who transcendent God who created the universe.created the universe.

NATURALISMNATURALISM

The belief that natural The belief that natural causes alone are causes alone are sufficient to explain sufficient to explain everything that exists.everything that exists.

The Fundamental QuestionsThe Fundamental Questions

Is ultimate reality God or the Is ultimate reality God or the cosmos?cosmos?

Has God spoken and revealed His Has God spoken and revealed His truth to us or is truth something we truth to us or is truth something we find and invent for ourselves?find and invent for ourselves?

Is there a purpose to our lives or Is there a purpose to our lives or are we cosmic accidents?are we cosmic accidents?

The walk down the road – know The walk down the road – know this!!this!!

NaturalismNaturalism leads to Moral leads to Moral Relativism.Relativism.Moral RelativismMoral Relativism – every principle – every principle and “moral” is relative to the person… and “moral” is relative to the person… why?why?Relativism leads to Multiculturalism.Relativism leads to Multiculturalism.MulticulturalismMulticulturalism – cultures are also – cultures are also then relative to the people.then relative to the people.

The Walk Cont.The Walk Cont.

Multiculturalism leads to Pragmatism.Multiculturalism leads to Pragmatism.

PragmatismPragmatism – Whatever works best – Whatever works best is right.is right.

The Christian by contrast is an The Christian by contrast is an idealist, judging actions not by what idealist, judging actions not by what works but by what ought to be, based works but by what ought to be, based on objective standards.on objective standards.

The Walk cont….The Walk cont….

Pragmatism leads to Pragmatism leads to UtopianismUtopianism

Utopianism- Utopianism- Enlightenment is Enlightenment is embraced… human nature is embraced… human nature is good. If only we create the right good. If only we create the right social and economic structures, social and economic structures, we can usher in an age of we can usher in an age of harmony and prosperity.harmony and prosperity.

Ultimately -Ultimately -

This world perspective – This world perspective – Naturalism leads to only Naturalism leads to only considering what happens in this considering what happens in this world, this age, this life. Christians world, this age, this life. Christians see things from an eternal see things from an eternal perspective.perspective.

Post ChristianPost Christian

Meaning most American’s no Meaning most American’s no longer rely on Judeo-Christian longer rely on Judeo-Christian truths as the basis of the public truths as the basis of the public philosophy or their moral philosophy or their moral consensus.consensus.

Not the worst of it…Not the worst of it…

Post ModernismPost Modernism

Postmodernism rejects any notion Postmodernism rejects any notion of a universal, overarching truth, of a universal, overarching truth, and reduces all ideas to social and reduces all ideas to social constructions shaped by class, constructions shaped by class, gender and ethnicity.gender and ethnicity.

ExistentialismExistentialism

Existentialism proclaimed that life Existentialism proclaimed that life is absurd, meaningless, and that is absurd, meaningless, and that the individual self must create his the individual self must create his own meaning by his own choices. own meaning by his own choices. Choice was elevated to the Choice was elevated to the ultimate value.ultimate value.

Multiculturalism and ExistentialismMulticulturalism and Existentialism

Multiculturalism is not the Multiculturalism is not the celebration of folk cultures, it is celebration of folk cultures, it is about the dissolution of the about the dissolution of the individual into the tribal group.individual into the tribal group.

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The New DemographicsThe New Demographics

Cultural CreativesCultural Creatives: embrace : embrace “trans-modernist” set of values, “trans-modernist” set of values, including, “environmentalism, including, “environmentalism, feminism, global issues, and feminism, global issues, and spiritual searchingspiritual searching.”.”

Cultural CreativesCultural Creatives

Skeptical of moral absolutesSkeptical of moral absolutes

See nature as sacredSee nature as sacred

Blue Like JazzBlue Like Jazz

““It isn’t that I didn’t love my Christian friends or It isn’t that I didn’t love my Christian friends or that they didn’t love me, it was just that there that they didn’t love me, it was just that there was something different about my hippie friends, was something different about my hippie friends, something, I don’t know, more real, more true.” something, I don’t know, more real, more true.” (pg. 210)( Of the hippie friends, “They certainly (pg. 210)( Of the hippie friends, “They certainly smoked a lot of pot. They drank a lot of beer. smoked a lot of pot. They drank a lot of beer. And man did they love each other, sometimes And man did they love each other, sometimes too much, perhaps, too physically, you know, but too much, perhaps, too physically, you know, but nonetheless they loved; they accepted and nonetheless they loved; they accepted and cherished everybody,…”( Pg. 207)cherished everybody,…”( Pg. 207)

Blue Like JazzBlue Like Jazz

““I liked them very much because they I liked them very much because they were interested in me. When I was with were interested in me. When I was with the hippies I did not feel judged, I felt the hippies I did not feel judged, I felt loved.” (pg. 208) loved.” (pg. 208)

Donald MillerDonald Miller

““It isn’t that the Christians I had been with It isn’t that the Christians I had been with had bad community; they didn’t. I just liked had bad community; they didn’t. I just liked the community of the hippies because it the community of the hippies because it was more forgiving, more, I don’t know, was more forgiving, more, I don’t know, healthy.” (214 healthy.” (214 The problem with the Christian community The problem with the Christian community was that we had ethicswas that we had ethics, we had rules and , we had rules and laws and principles to judge each other laws and principles to judge each other against against

Donald MillerDonald Miller

Pg. 216: “I wanted to love everybody, I Pg. 216: “I wanted to love everybody, I wanted everything to be cool I realize this wanted everything to be cool I realize this sounds like tolerance, and to many in the sounds like tolerance, and to many in the Church the world tolerance is profanity, Church the world tolerance is profanity, but that is precisely what I wanted. but that is precisely what I wanted. I I wanted tolerancewanted tolerance. (He has stated clearly . (He has stated clearly what he wants – he does not want sin, what he wants – he does not want sin, ethics or principles, he want everything to ethics or principles, he want everything to be OK – live and let live.)be OK – live and let live.)

TraditionalismTraditionalism

““Heartlanders” , “Country Folk”, Heartlanders” , “Country Folk”, holding to a nostalgic image of holding to a nostalgic image of small towns and strong churches.small towns and strong churches.

29% of adults in 199729% of adults in 1997

ModernismModernism

47% adults in 199747% adults in 1997

Value technological progress and Value technological progress and material success, tend to be material success, tend to be politicians, military leaders, politicians, military leaders, scientists, business people.scientists, business people.

Pragmatic, less concerned with Pragmatic, less concerned with ideology and social issues.ideology and social issues.

The Battle is on..The Battle is on..

The most significant class is The most significant class is between classic Christian between classic Christian theism and naturalismtheism and naturalism

TRUTH wins so we Christians TRUTH wins so we Christians need to stand strong in our need to stand strong in our Faith.Faith.

Chapter 4 – WHY we must Chapter 4 – WHY we must understand worldviewsunderstand worldviews

Pre evangelismPre evangelism

Minister of Justice in BulgariaMinister of Justice in Bulgaria

Different responsesDifferent responses

Response to the common charge Response to the common charge that Christians want to impose that Christians want to impose their views on others….their views on others….

The common charge answeredThe common charge answered

Christians vigorously defend the Christians vigorously defend the persecuted because they believe persecuted because they believe human rights are God given.human rights are God given.

Knowing how to be salt and light Knowing how to be salt and light in our communities without in our communities without offending.offending.

Story of Ron Greer…Story of Ron Greer…

Why were you not upset Ron?Why were you not upset Ron?

““I had not more reason to be I had not more reason to be angry with them than I would angry with them than I would with a blind man who stepped with a blind man who stepped on my foot.”on my foot.”

The Christian CallingThe Christian Calling

We are called not only to save souls We are called not only to save souls but also to save minds…but also to save minds…

We must understand the faith and We must understand the faith and reason go together!reason go together!

It is crucial to cultivate the mind in It is crucial to cultivate the mind in order to avoid the snares and expose order to avoid the snares and expose the false values of modern culture.the false values of modern culture.

The Christmas Tree ExampleThe Christmas Tree Example

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THE CHARGETHE CHARGE

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