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Summary Postmodern Theological Worldview

Summary Postmodern Theological Worldview . James Van Slyke. Postmodern Worldview. 1. What is There? Dependent upon Metaphysics From Theology Eternal, knowable, loving God His/Her creation Humans Animals Natural laws Cosmos/Big Bang . Postmodern Worldview.

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Summary Postmodern Theological Worldview

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  1. Summary Postmodern Theological Worldview James Van Slyke

  2. Postmodern Worldview • 1. What is There? • Dependent upon Metaphysics • From Theology • Eternal, knowable, loving God • His/Her creation • Humans • Animals • Natural laws • Cosmos/Big Bang

  3. Postmodern Worldview • 2. How is it Organized? • Hierarchy of sciences • Theology or Metaphysics at top • Each level in the hierarchy asks Boundary questions • Some questions need answers from another science • Each science is impacted by the theories in other sciences, up and down

  4. Postmodern Worldview • 3. What makes things happen? • Causation is both bottom-up and top down • Larger systems in nature, society, God; act on the other parts of the system • Parts impact the system and create changes • Must understand reality from both a component and systems perspective

  5. Postmodern Worldview • 4. What is the place of human beings in the cosmos? Ethics • Dependent on different sciences in the system • Science provides different aspects of humanity; instinctual drives, physiological makeup • Psychology gives us understanding of development • Theology provides understanding of the value of humanity to each other and God

  6. Postmodern Worldview • 5. How should we live? Ethics • Different aspects of theology • Biblical Studies • Theories of Interpretation • Systematic Theology • Practical Theology • Historical and Contextual Questions • Respond to questions from culture • Important to contextualize Ethical dilemmas and problems

  7. Postmodern Worldview • 6. What is ultimately important? • Theology or Metaphysics • Provides direction and purpose for life • Lens or View through which reality is understood • Helps to shed light to the pattern found in reality

  8. Postmodern Worldview • 7. How do we know? • Holistic view of justification of truth • Important to distinguish between things that are true and how those truths are justified • Whole paradigms are either accepted or rejected • Truth is justified by connection to other theories and in connection to ‘data’

  9. Justifying Religious Claims • Modern Tendencies • Seek to find out that which is indubitable and build your theology from there • ‘Shore up’ the bible or provide arguments for existence of God – foundationalism • Reductive – Gospel can be reduced to one thing or a few key principles • Emphasis on adoption of certain propositional statements • Individual decision-making

  10. Justifying Religious Claims • Postmodern tendencies • Engagement of Culture – understand different perspectives; importance of context • Gospel is not reduced – holistic view • Both the embodiment of the story (action) • Revealing the truth to culture • Apologetics is about the process of engagement, rather than a single method • My favorite apologist • Coherence rather than Evidential Perspective

  11. Religious Epistemology • Using MacIntyre • Understand other religions from the inside • Spoken as a first language • Understand perspective, history • Use our tradition to explain missing aspects in another • During a crisis in another faith • Or simply in comparison; may be used for a later time • Socially embodied – both our beliefs and what we do with them shows our viewpoint to be true

  12. Evangelism as Communal Practice • Embodying the Christian Narrative • What the church does as a whole should be an important part of evangelism • Not just individuals ministering to other individuals • Engaging others using our language • Being Salt; Light • Using our language to describe other person’s situation and problems from a Christian perspective

  13. Conversion as Communal • Joining our telling of the story • May join because of failures in their own worldview • May be curious • Relationships may give person’s a view of a different worldview • Not just individual acceptance of cognitive content • Personal stories from ‘outsiders’ help us to understand our own better • Provide new aspects and viewpoints and ways to embody the story • Not just a change in attitude, but also a change in action

  14. Salvation • Complex Concept • Past, present, and future • Have been saved, are being saved, shall be saved • Forgiveness, Faith, Right Relationship (Protestant) • Presence of Christ, Union with Christ (Catholic) • Way of life, discipleship (anabaptist) • Needs to involves several aspects, not just one

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