Police use a special set of goggles when they teach teens about the impact of alcohol on their system and how it impairs their ability to see things clearly.

Description

Session 1

TOPIC: BASICS OF WORLD VIEW: EITHER GOD IS OR GOD ISN’T!

Police use a special set of goggles when they teach teens about the impact of alcohol on their system and how it impairs their ability to see things clearly. They might have the student throw a ball toward a basket without the goggles on and then attempt the same shot with the very distorting goggles on… the result is usually pretty funny. In some ways, all of us wear a set of these goggles when we look at the world. If we have bought into the way the world sees things, then it is just as distorted. It is precisely what Paul warns about…

See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. Colossians 2:8 (New International Version)

It is not enough to focus exclusively on the spiritual, on Bible studies and evangelistic campaigns, while ignoring the distinctive tensions of contemporary life. We must show the world that Christianity is more than a private belief, more than personal salvation. We must show that it is a comprehensive life system that answers all of humanity’s age-old questions: Where did I come from? Why am I here? Where am I going? Does life have any meaning and purpose?

Colson,C., & Pearcey, N. (1999). How now shall we live? Study guide. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:

UPON COMPLETION OF THE LEARNING ASSIGNMENTS AND ACTIVITIES, STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:

What are the basics, participants, and ideas represented in the culture war?

What is a worldview is and what comprises a person’s worldview?

How can a worldview be tested and evaluated?

Reading and Viewing Assignment

Please be sure to read the following before this class session:

Sire – Preface through Chapter 2

Phillips, Brown, Stonestreet – pages 1-60

“What is a Worldview?” PowerPoint “What is a Worldview?” PowerPoint – Alternative Formats

“The Current Crisis: Worldviews in Conflict” PowerPoint

Write a one to two page paper on your initial thoughts regarding your own world view. This assignment is intentionally moving you towards the formulation of your personal world view in Session 5. Using either the seven questions from Sire’s (2015) Naming the Elephant (p. 20-21), or the six questions from Making Sense of Your World (Phillips, W. G., Brown, W. E., & Stonestreet, J., 2008, p. 9), write out your initial thoughts as they relate to your world view based on the following questions from either text:

Naming the Elephant

What is prime reality?

What is the nature of external reality?

What is a human being?

What happens to a persons at death?

Why is it possible to know anything at all?

What do we know what is right and wrong?

What is the meaning of human history?

Making Sense of Your World

Why am I living?

What is the cause of my existence and that of everyone else?

Why do I exist?

Why is there a division of good and evil within me?

How must I live?

What is death – how can I save myself?

Be sure to include at least 4 citations from the reading assignments, as well as at least 4 Scripture references for your answers to the questions chosen. Use APA formatting and be s