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Worldviews are like navels :. We all have one—we just don’t think of it very often. As statements of faith worldviews are inherently religious . Even the atheist’s assertion that there is no God is a statement about God!. Four components to a worldview:. Story Ultimate Questions Symbols
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Worldviews are like navels: We all have one—we just don’t think of it very often.
As statements of faith worldviews are inherently religious. Even the atheist’s assertion that there is no God is a statement about God!
Four components to a worldview: • Story • UltimateQuestions • Symbols • Praxis
Stories communicate a worldview in narrativeform—the most basic way we think! Story is a basic principle of mind. Most of our experience, our knowledge, and our thinking is organized as stories. Mark Turner, The Literary Mind
Ultimate Questions • Who am I? • Where am I? • What time is it? • What is the problem? • What is the solution?
Stories in the Questions • Who am I?Characterization • Where am I?Setting • What time is it?Act • What wrong?Plot Conflict • What’s the remedy?Plot Resolution
What I do today is what I really believe. Everything else is just religious talk! Vance Havner Praxis—a way for living!
A picture isn’t really worth a thousand words. Amillionis more like it! Symbols—stories at a glance!
Each component affects the others: Story Ultimate Questions Praxis Symbols
A good God created a good world—but something went terribly wrong. But God will come to the rescue of his people precisely because he is good. He has done this supremely in the person of Jesus Christ—his champion, who secures the victory for God. He wants his people to tell others the good news. The Christian Story
The Christian Answers • Who am I? I am a person loved by and created for God. • Where am I? I am in a world that is good, but not what it ought to be. • What is the problem? I am separated from the God who loves me. • What is the solution? God has acted on my behalf and expects me to respond.
The Christian Symbols • The Lord’s Supper pictures Jesus’ death for sinners. • Baptism pictures his resurrection. • The cross pictures not only Jesus’ death, but also the ethic of Christianity. • Together they communicate the heart of the Christian Gospel.
Christian Praxis • Celebrating the victory of God • Announcing good news • Setting right what was wrong • Making disciples of all races
Worldview Categories • Christianity • Naturalism/Atheism • Islam • New Age Spirituality/Paganism
The universe is all there is, ever has been, and ever will be. It consists of material objects. Life emerged from the accidental combination of the right elements and has evolved through the eons as the result of gradual mutations coupled with natural selection, i.e., the survival of the fittest. The Naturalist Story
The Naturalist Answers • Who am I? I am a cosmic accident, the result of physical forces interacting with one another. • Where am I? I inhabit a tiny portion of an eternal universe. • What is the problem? For too long I’ve been superstitious, believing in God/gods. • What is the solution? Embrace reality & construct a meaningful life & society.
The Naturalist Symbols • Darwinism • Freudianism • Marxism • Humanism • Rejection of Christian Symbols
Naturalist Praxis • Reductionistic Science • Darwinian Faith • Proclaim the inherent goodness of humanity • Point out religious extremism or ignorance
Questions That Clarify/ Critique a Worldview • What do you mean? • Why do you believe that? • What must I believe (or not believe) if you’re right? • How does that make you feel? • What about . . . ? • What if you’re wrong?
So How Do You Share with a Persons of another Worldview? • Listen to and analyze their story • Tell the Christian Story so that it addresses their ultimate concerns • Tell the Christian Story so that it subverts their story (Ask Questions) • Practice what you preach • Invite them to make His story their own