1. What’s Ahead? From where have we come? Where are we going? Why are we here?

2. 2 Ingredients of a World-View 1.Beliefs. 2.Virtues. 3.Practices.

3. 3 Towards an Understanding of World Views: “A mental and emotional filter that allows us to make choices consistent with what we believe to be true, significant, and appropriate …” (George Barna, Think Like Jesus, p. 21.) “World view is the life compass by which each child, youth, and adult perceives, processes, and practices reality, relationships, and responses.” (Greg Carlson, R.I.Vision Conference, p. 34.)

4. 4 Towards an Understanding of World Views: “A world view is a commitment, a fundamental orientation of the heart, that can be expressed as a story or in a set of presuppositions (assumptions which may be true, partially true, or entirely false) that we hold (consciously or unconsciously, consistently or inconsistently) about the basic constitution of reality, and that provides the foundation on which we live and move and have our being.” (James W. Sire, The Universe Next Door, 5 th ed., p. 20.) Hien’s worldview – Ravi Zacharias and Vietnamese translator

5. Towards an Understanding of World Views: 1.Worldview as a commitment. The essence of a worldview lies deep in the inner recesses of the human self. A worldview involves the mind, but it is first of all a commitment, a matter of the soul. It is a spiritual orientation more than it is a matter of mind alone. It includes: 1.Wisdom 2.Emotion 3.Desire and will 4.Spirituality 5.Intellect

6. Towards an Understanding of World Views: 2.Expressed in a story or a set of presuppositions. When I reflect on where I and the whole of human race have come from or where my life or humanity itself is headed, my worldview is being expressed as a story. 1.The Christian story – Hien’s story 2.Propositions – what would be an example of this?

7. Towards an Understanding of World Views: 3.Assumptions that may be true, conscious, consistent. Our assumptions may be true, partially true or entirely false. 1.There is, of course, a way things really are; but people disagree about what reality really looks like – what is an example of this? 2.Sometimes we are aware of what our assumptions are, and other times not 3.Sometimes our assumptions are inconsistent – we believe two contradictory things at the same time

8. Towards an Understanding of World Views: 4.The foundation on which we live. Our worldview may not be what we think it is. 1.How can we tell what our worldview is? 2.Our worldview lies so deeply embedded in our subconscious that unless we have reflected long and hard, we are unaware of what it is.

9. 9 Components of a World View: Human KnowledgeSpiritual Formation“Mind of Christ” “The World” “The Word” “The Walk”

10. 10 World View Components (More Details) Human Knowledge Arts, Humanities, Philosophy, Music Mathematics, Language, Biological & Physical Sciences, Social Sciences, Communications (oral and written), History, & All Professional Disciplines Spiritual Formation Common and Saving Grace, Spiritual Disciplines (especially prayer), Faith-Growing Experiences, Obedience to Truth and Spirit-promptings, Clear Conscience (Spirit-Filled) Living, and Human Relationships Mind of Christ / Wisdom Hermeneutics, Biblical Studies (OT & NT), Theological Studies (biblical, systematic, historical, dogmatic,& contemporary) and Illumination by the Spirit “The World”“The Walk”“The Word”

11. Why Is Worldview An Issue? Worldview: the underlying belief system held by an individual that determines his/her attitudes and actions in life. “Our children are being raised in a society that has largely rejected the notions of truth and morality, a society that has somewhere lost the ability to decide what is true and what is right.” Josh McDowell, Right From Wrong, p. 12

12. Why Is Worldview An Issue? People without a biblical worldview are:  92 times more likely to endorse abortion  78 times more likely to expose themselves to pornography  31 times more likely to accept cohabitation  15 times more likely to condone gay sex  Eight times more likely to buy lottery tickets

13. The Universe Next Door; A Basic Worldview Catalog by James W. Sire 1. What is the prime or ultimate reality? aka Why is there something rather than nothing?  Christian Theist -> God 2. What is the nature of external reality, or the world around us.  Christian Theist -> The world is a spatio- temporal universe created by God ex nihilo (out of nothing.)

14. 3. What is a human being?  Christian Theist -> A human is a being, created by God, in the image of God, to have a relationship with God. 4. What happens to a person after death?  Christian Theist -> Either to life with God and His people or eternal separation from God. The Universe Next Door; A Basic Worldview Catalog by James W. Sire

15. 5. How do we know what we know?  Christian Theist -> We are made in the image of God and thus we have intelligence and reason and self-determination (free will.) 6. How can we know the difference between right and wrong?  Christian Theist -> Ethics (morality) is objective and transcendent, based on God's character.

16. The Universe Next Door; A Basic Worldview Catalog by James W. Sire 7. What is the meaning of human history?  Christian Theist -> History is linear, a meaningful sequence of events leading to the fulfillment of God’s purpose for humanity. 8. What personal, life-orienting core commitments are consistent with this worldview?  Christian Theist -> ?