How Now Shall We Live? Charles Colson & Nancy Pearcey 1999 C&P Chapters 40-44

2 The Basis for True Science (Chapter 40)  What is science?  The study of the natural world  “The standard assumption is that science constitutes objective knowledge while religion is an expression of subjective need” (p. 419)  What is scientism (= scientific naturalism)?  The elevation of science to an overall philosophy that assumes that “the only things that are real are those that can be known and measured by experience and observation” (p. 419)  “The philosophy that the natural world is all that exists” (p. 420)

3 Science and the Christian Worldview  Important elements of the Christian Worldview that underpin scientific investigation:  The physical world is real, not an illusion.  Pantheism (Eastern cultures): the physical world is an illusion  Nature is good but not divine.  Animism (pagan cultures): the world is the abode of the divine or an emanation of God’s own essence  “Every rock and tree and creature has a life, has a spirit, has a name”—Pochahontas, Walt Disney

4 Science and the Christian Worldview  More elements of the Christian Worldview that underpin scientific investigation:  Nature is orderly and predictable.  There are “laws of nature”  Humans can discover nature’s order.  We need to experiment to learn.  Voluntarism: a Christian theology that teaches that rational order is not something inherent in nature but is imposed on nature by God’s will and design.

5 Science and the Christian Worldview  More Christian elements that underpin scientific investigation:  The order in nature is mathematically precise.  “The world comes completely from God’s hand (creation ex nihilo, from nothing) and is completely at his command” (p. 424)

6 Soli Deo Gloria (Chapter 42)  Soli Deo Gloria – to God alone be the glory  Objectivism: the classical understanding that the arts are a powerful means of communicating something significant about reality, a means of representing truth

7 Modern Science and Modern Art  Modern Science and Modern Art:  “If science is true, then art must be false, or at best merely an expression of personal emotion” (p. 446)  So, artists gave the physical world to science and made the creative world its own sphere  The result: Subjectivism  Artistic standards were attacked and cast aside  “The very concept of quality, of standards, is rejected by many of today’s artists as a ‘paternalistic fiction’”  The anti-art movement

8 The Arts and The Christian Worldview  “Scripture treats the arts as a divine calling” (p. 449)  The Old Testament artist Bezalel: God chose him and “filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts” (Exod 31:3)  How to reclaim culture  “We must start by finding ways to reconnect with our own literary and artistic heritage. Go to concerns, read classic literature, visit art museums” (p. 450)  “Good stories do what scolding or lecturing can never do: They make us want to be good” (p. 452)  Children don’t ask “do I want to be good?”  Children ask: “Who do I want to be like?”

9 Does the Devil have all the Good Music? (Ch 44)  “Popular culture is like a narcotic: Over time it can actually impair the brain’s function” (p. 467)  Popular culture “encourages an unreflective, emotional response to life instead of disciplined thought and analysis—which can lead, in turn, to a simplistic spiritual life” (p. 468)  “Everything is permissible—but not everything is beneficial” (1 Cor 10:23)

10 Christians and Popular Culture  “The danger is that Christian popular culture may mimic the mainstream culture in style, which changing only the content” (p. 470)  What can we do?  Link art to truth  Say no to the worst of popular culture

11 Christians and Culture  “to be a redemptive force in popular culture, we must... go beyond being critical and start being creative” (p. 474)  “What we want is not more little books about Christianity, but more little books by Christians on other subjects—with their Christianity latent”—C. S. Lewis (p. 475)

12 The Last Word “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—thing about such things” (Phil 4:8)

13 Coming up... December 13: Final Exam Format: 45 multiple choice questions