Regent University Faculty Retreat August 2005

1. Regent University Faculty RetreatAugust 2005 Michael Palmer

2. Workshop Format • General Topic: Worldview • Part I: Setting the Stage • Break • Part II: Small group discussion • Part III: Plenary review and discussion

3. My Approach to the Topic • In general, I prefer to approach the topic: • Descriptively rather than prescriptively • Inductively, using examples from a wide variety of sources: historical, literary, biblical, cross-cultural, personal • Interactively – conversation, not lecture

4. GoalsBy the end of the workshop you should understand: • The main components of a worldview • The primary functions of these components • How the various components fit together to form a whole • Some of the key challenges we face in transmitting our worldview to younger generations

5. Worldview

6. What is a Worldview?Some Preliminary Definitions 15th Century Catalan map of the world

7. A worldview is “the widest view which the mind can take of things in an effort to grasp them together as a whole from the standpoint of some particular philosophy or theology.” James Orr, The Christian View of God and the World (1890)

8. A worldview is “the central systematization of conceptions of reality to which the members of the culture assent (largely unconsciously) and from which stems their value system.” Charles H. Kraft, Christianity in Culture (1979)

9. “A people’s world view is their way of thinking about life and the world, coupled with the values they set for themselves in the context of that way of thinking.” Nicholas Wolterstorff (1984)

10. “For our purposes worldview will be defined as ‘the comprehensive framework of one’s basic beliefs about things’ … [A worldview] belongs to an order of cognition more basic than that of science or theory.” Albert M. Wolters, Creation Regained: Biblical Basics for a Reformational Worldview (1985)

11. “A worldview (or vision of life) is a framework or set of fundamental beliefs through which we view the world and our calling and future in it … It is the integrative and interpretive framework by which order and disorder are judged; it is the standard by which reality is managed and pursued; it is the set of hinges on which all our everyday thinking and doing turns.” James H. Olthuis, “On Worldviews” (1989)

12. A worldview is “a comprehensive framework of beliefs that helps us interpret what we see and experience and also gives us direction in the choices that we make as we live out our days.” Richard T. Wright, Biology Through the Eyes of Faith (1989)

13. “In its simplest terms, a worldview is a set of beliefs about the most important issues in life … A fancy term that can be useful here is conceptual scheme, by which I mean a pattern or arrangement of concepts (ideas). A worldview, then is a conceptual scheme by which we consciously or unconsciously place or fit everything we believe and by which we interpret and judge reality.” Ronald H. Nash, Worldviews in Conflict (1992)

14. “A worldview is a set of presuppositions (assumptions which may be true, partially true or entirely false) which we hold (consciously or subconsciously, consistently or inconsistently) about the basic makeup of our world.” James W. Sire, Naming the Elephant, Worldview as a Concept (2004)

15. Common Features of the Definitions A worldview is principally a belief system: • “from the standpoint of some particular philosophy or theology” • “the central systematization of conceptions of reality” • a “way of thinking about life and the world” • “the comprehensive framework of one’s basic beliefs” • “a framework or set of fundamental beliefs”

16. A Broader Definition

17. “A worldview may well be defined as one’s comprehensive framework of basic beliefs about things, but our talk (confessed beliefs or cognitive claims) is one thing, and our walk (operative beliefs) is another and even more important thing. A lived worldview defines one’s basic convictions; it defines what one is ready to live and die for … [It is] the vision that one gets from home or from the public square, the vision that one has assimilated for oneself with difficulty or grown up with, so much so that one almost takes it for granted.” John H. Kok, “Learning to Teach from Within a Christian Perspective” (2003)

18. Features of Kok’s Definition Kok reaches beyond strictly cognitive language and categories: • beliefs (“talk”); but also behavior (“walk”) • the “lived world” • a vision gotten from “the public square” • a vision one has “grown up with”

19. So … if a worldview is more than just a set of beliefs (philosophical, theological, or otherwise), then what else makes up a worldview? To answer this question, it is helpful to reflect on some concrete data.

20. Chaim Potok’s 1967 award winning novel, The Chosen, offers several thought provoking hints.

21. What is a Worldview? A worldview is a set of beliefs and practices that shape a person’s approach to the most important issues in life.

22. Through our worldview we: • determine priorities • explain our relationship to God and fellow human beings • assess the meaning of events • justify our actions

23. Our worldview even speaks to the most ordinary practices in everyday life, including: • the types of things we read, view, and listen to • the types of entertainment and leisure activities we seek • our approach to work and leisure

24. Who Has a Worldview? In the broadest sense, virtually everyone has a worldview. Certainly anyone capable of understanding the question has a worldview.

25. But not everyone has a worldview in the same way. • Some people have a worldview only in the sense that they have inherited a set of beliefs and practices. • Others have chosen their worldview. • Choice implies: • reflection • deliberation • alertness • being present to the alternatives

27. Ideology An ideology is a set of authoritative beliefs or statements that form a central framework, or system, for explaining reality. Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think.” Gautama the Buddha “The indispensable and fundamental condition of all action is the freedom of the acting being.” Jean-Paul Sartre

28. The Apostles' Creed I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.  And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic Church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. AMEN. Functions of ideology: • To bring order and coherence to our experiences • To provide a basis for assessing the values, insights, and beliefs of others • To define the community

29. Content of ideology: • Background theory • The cosmos • God • History • Account of human nature "The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles..."  Karl Marx Q. 1. What is the chief end of man?A. Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.

30. Narrative Worldview narratives are stories that tell something special about the worldview or about the people who hold it. Don Antonio Lopez De Santa Anna Davy Crockett Battle of the AlamoMarch 6, 1836

31. Worldview narratives may be about: • A famous person

32. The founding of a people or a nation The Origin of the Iroquois Nations Abraham, Genesis "Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.“ Qur’an 48:29

33. The beginning or end of the world Joachim of Fiore Three Circles,12th Cent. The Apocalypse Old Man and the Beginning of the World Blackfoot Indian legend Zoroaster, 1500 BCE

34. Someone’s interaction with God or gods Job, the faithful servant of God, struggles with the meaning of loss and suffering. Krishna consoles and instructs Prince Arguna as he is about to go into battle. Odysseus returns to Ithaka with the help of the grey-eyed goddess Athena.

35. Any event integrally tied to the worldview. Boston massacre March 5, 1770 First Crusade 1099 Six Day War June 1967

36. Functions of worldview narratives: • They reinforce and embellish central ideological themes. • They provide patterns, or models, for the adherents of the worldview.

37. Types of worldview narratives: • Sacred writings

38. Myths “How Coyote Stole Fire,” Native American myth

39. Historical narratives

40. Literature & drama

41. Visual art and architecture

42. Artifacts

43. Norms • A norm is a standard of some kind. • Examples: • Legal standards: 70 mph Interstate highway speed limit • Religious standards: Sabbath keeping • Culinary standards: French fries should be golden crisp • Etiquette standards: Greet acquaintances when you pass them in the hall

44. Typically, two of the most important norms in a worldview are its moral and aesthetic norms. Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. Egyptian Proportion Canon (rules governing depiction of the human form)

45. Moral norms govern behavior and character development. They are standards that require, prohibit, or allow certain kinds of behavior or the development of certain kinds of character traits. The Master said, “A young man should be a good son at home and an obedient young man abroad, sparing of speech but trustworthy in what he says, and should love the multitude at large but cultivate the friendship of his fellow men. If he has any energy to spare from such action, let him devote it to making himself cultivated.

46. Aesthetic norms are standards by which we judge what is beautiful, pleasant, or sublime. • Example: Islam forbids “image making,” symbols, and most types of 3-dimensional sculpture. As a result, in architecture Muslims commonly use geometric or arabesque motifs.

47. Ritual A ritual is a ceremonial act performed periodically on special occasions to reenact or recall an important event, to memorialize a notable person, or to mark an important transition. African funeral dance Burkina Faso

48. Kinds of rituals: • Rituals intended to renew bonds

49. Rituals that recreate an event, making it real in the present

50. Christian infant baptism • Rituals that facilitate transition Thai wedding ancient Egyptian burial