Would appreciate your prayers as I'd be sharing on "Worldview" at the D'Nous Academy 2007 this Friday and Saturday that the message be clear, thought-provoking and transforming. Hopefully the interaction would be lively and fun too. Thanks much!
What is Worldview? (Sophie’s World)
Everyone has a view of the world, a mental map for everything or vision for life or lens through which we look at life, our own selves, the world and what is ultimately real.
Where do we come from? (Origin – There is an infinite-personal God who has created the universe out of nothing)
Who are we? (Identity – In God’s image, humans are endowed dignity, creativity and ethics)
Why am I here? (Purpose - Love, glorify and serve God as a community)
Where are we going? (Destiny – History leads to the fulfillment of God’s redeemed and renewed creation)
For example, Naturalism – We are highly evolved biological machine. Science is the ultimate provider both for knowledge and morals. There is no ultimate purpose or freedom of choice. In the long run, all of us are dead. Eastern spirituality – All of us have a spark of divinity, souls trapped in a material world of illusions and desires that result in suffering. Solution is to escape shamsara by getting rid of desires. The goal is nirvana (emptiness), escape from cycle of rebirths.
Why is Worldview important?
Martin Marty: Every religion or faith serves two functions: a message of personal salvation and a lens for interpreting the world. Walsh and Middleton: "A world view provides a model of the world which guides its adherents in the world."
Discipleship - Love the Lord with all our mind, soul and strength. Be transformed by the renewal (not removal) of our minds. Develop a biblically informed perspective on all reality.
Life As Human Being - Split mentality, spiritual schizophrenia, separation of our fragmented lives into "sacred" and "secular" realms has negatively affected how we work, view culture and read the Bible. Worship as all of life.
Mission In A Pluralistic Society: “The problem is not only to win souls but to save minds. If you win the whole world and lose the mind of the world, you will soon discover you have not won the world.” Charles Malik.
Be informed (knowledge), winsome (character) and wisdom (artful method) ambassadors for Christ in everyday life, through action (life demonstration) and words (verbal proclamation).
Conclusion:
This is not just an intellectual exercise, though I hope it is thought provoking. Developing a Christian worldview is part of loving God with our mind, with practical implications on how we live or waste our lives and how the church redeems cultures and persons in Malaysia. It is not easy, but requires devotion and dedication to use our talents and gifts for the glory of God and for the good of His people. Laypeople in every facet of life – media, politics, business, education and others – should be enabled to challenge the prevailing assumptions of society in light of the gospel. Theology should not be reserved for pastors and scholars only! (Lesslie Newbigin) May we be an ordained doctor, businesswoman, teacher or whatever calling we received as “full time ministry”.
What is Worldview? (Sophie’s World)
Everyone has a view of the world, a mental map for everything or vision for life or lens through which we look at life, our own selves, the world and what is ultimately real.
Where do we come from? (Origin – There is an infinite-personal God who has created the universe out of nothing)
Who are we? (Identity – In God’s image, humans are endowed dignity, creativity and ethics)
Why am I here? (Purpose - Love, glorify and serve God as a community)
Where are we going? (Destiny – History leads to the fulfillment of God’s redeemed and renewed creation)
For example, Naturalism – We are highly evolved biological machine. Science is the ultimate provider both for knowledge and morals. There is no ultimate purpose or freedom of choice. In the long run, all of us are dead. Eastern spirituality – All of us have a spark of divinity, souls trapped in a material world of illusions and desires that result in suffering. Solution is to escape shamsara by getting rid of desires. The goal is nirvana (emptiness), escape from cycle of rebirths.
Why is Worldview important?
Martin Marty: Every religion or faith serves two functions: a message of personal salvation and a lens for interpreting the world. Walsh and Middleton: "A world view provides a model of the world which guides its adherents in the world."
Discipleship - Love the Lord with all our mind, soul and strength. Be transformed by the renewal (not removal) of our minds. Develop a biblically informed perspective on all reality.
Life As Human Being - Split mentality, spiritual schizophrenia, separation of our fragmented lives into "sacred" and "secular" realms has negatively affected how we work, view culture and read the Bible. Worship as all of life.
Mission In A Pluralistic Society: “The problem is not only to win souls but to save minds. If you win the whole world and lose the mind of the world, you will soon discover you have not won the world.” Charles Malik.
Be informed (knowledge), winsome (character) and wisdom (artful method) ambassadors for Christ in everyday life, through action (life demonstration) and words (verbal proclamation).
Conclusion:
This is not just an intellectual exercise, though I hope it is thought provoking. Developing a Christian worldview is part of loving God with our mind, with practical implications on how we live or waste our lives and how the church redeems cultures and persons in Malaysia. It is not easy, but requires devotion and dedication to use our talents and gifts for the glory of God and for the good of His people. Laypeople in every facet of life – media, politics, business, education and others – should be enabled to challenge the prevailing assumptions of society in light of the gospel. Theology should not be reserved for pastors and scholars only! (Lesslie Newbigin) May we be an ordained doctor, businesswoman, teacher or whatever calling we received as “full time ministry”.
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