WORLD VIEWSEveryone Believes …

BELIEF–John Mayer

–John Mayer

Is there anyone who Ever remembers changing their mind from The paint on a sign? Is there anyone who really recalls Ever breaking rank at all For something someone yelled real loud one time

Everyone believes In how they think it ought to be Everyone believes And they're not going easily

–John Mayer

Belief is a beautiful armor But makes for the heaviest sword Like punching under water You never can hit who you're trying for

Some need the exhibition And some have to know they tried It's the chemical weapon For the war that's raging on inside

Everyone believes, From emptiness to everything Everyone believes, And no ones going quietly

WHAT IS THIS CLASS?

What Is This Class?•What is a “worldview”? Do you have one? Is there a Biblical worldview?

•We'll spend time in this class understanding:

•How different people understand the world

•How the Bible tells us we should understand the world

•How we as the Church should engage the world around us with the Gospel

Outline•Introduction

•Biblical Worldview

•Pre-Modern Worldview

•Modern Worldview

•Post-Modern Worldview

•Apologetics & Evangelism

INTRODUCTION

Introduction

•What is a Worldview?

•How do you know if you have a good Worldview?

SPADE WORK

NOETIC STRUCTURES

Noetic Structures•A noetic structure is the sum total of everything that person believes.

•A noetic structure is characterized by the way its beliefs are related.

•Basic beliefs (fundamental) are not based on other beliefs.

•Non-basic beliefs are built on other beliefs.

Basic Beliefs

•I believe other people (you) have minds.

•This is a basic belief.

•There is no way I can prove it, absolutely.

•I do have a fair amount of evidence for it.

•Sometimes I seem to get evidence against it.

Non-Basic Beliefs•Because of this belief about others having minds, I maintain a lot of other beliefs about people.

•For instance, I expect them to behave in rational ways, even when they are driving.

•This is a non-basic belief.

Think of a House …

Or This House …

Noetic Structures•Noetic Structures include differing degrees of certainty & conviction with which people hold various beliefs, ie. Some people’s belief in God is stronger than others.

•Different beliefs in a person’s noetic structure will differ in their amount of influence or control they have over other beliefs in the structure.

For Example•I believe Menorca is an island about 150 miles off the coast of Spain. Finding out that it was further from the coast is not basic to me, but finding out it doesn’t exist at all would be much more fundamental. It might cause me to question my own sanity, for example.

•Less important beliefs can be doubted without much significance to my life at all.

Think of a Web

More like THIS Web

PARADIGMS

Paradigm

•A set of assumptions, concepts, values, and practices that constitutes a way of viewing reality for the community that shares them, especially in an intellectual discipline.

•Psychology, Theology, Economics …

Paradigm•Important section of a person’s noetic structure, which helps them to process other parts of their noetic structure

•Collection of very important beliefs.

•A habitual way of thinking or interpreting our experiences.

•EXAMPLE: Copernican astronomy

WHAT IS A WORLDVIEW?

Worldview

•German: Weltanschauung

•The overall perspective from which one sees and interprets the world.

•A collection of beliefs about life and the universe held by an individual or a group.

Worldview

•You could say … It is a very large, very important paradigm.

•“A worldview is a comprehensive framework of one’s basic beliefs about things.” - Albert Wolters

Beliefs Included in a Worldview•Existence of God (Theology) – Is there a God? Can you know him? What is the nature of God like? Is there one or many? Personal or impersonal?

•Ultimate reality: Is the world eternal? Was there a beginning? How did everything get here? Is the world primarily physical or spiritual?

•Knowledge: Is truth relative? How do we know truth? Can we know truth? Is there such a thing as truth?

Beliefs Included in a Worldview•Ethics: Are there universal moral standards? Are ethics & morality subjective & arbitrary? Can a moral principle be true in one culture but not in another? Is abortion wrong? Is cannibalism wrong?

•Human beings: Is there life after death? Is man basically good or bad? Is there a problem with man? Can it be solved? How?

•Ideals: Is the world as good as it could be? What should it be like?

•Solutions: What is the problem? How is it solved?

POINTS TO PONDER

Points to Ponder•Does everyone have a Noetic structure? Do you believe everyone believes they have a Noetic structure?

•Does everyone have practical paradigms in which they live and breathe and function? Do they know this?

•Does everyone have a worldview? Does everyone know they have a worldview? Do you think if you explained a worldview to everyone they would then agree that they have one?

Points to Ponder•What role do Worldviews play in our lives? How do they function?

•Does everyone live consistently with their worldview? Why or why not?

•Do people act because of what they believe or how they feel? In general, or sometimes?

A Worldview functions like a Map or a Pair of Spectacles. If you have the wrong one you are in big trouble. You are both lost and blind!