Dualism
This is a view that all of life can be splitted in 2 ways eg Secular and sacred split.
This is promoted by Plato which taught about the body (can be seen) vs soul (cannot be seen). Of course, the further addition was that what could be seen is evil and what could not be seen is good. This kind of worldview crept right into the church father as well. St Augustine classified things as eternal vs temporal. ANd given his past, he condemned sex as always an act of lust; he could be see sex as from God ie a Fall-Redemption mindset. Aquinas added to St Augustine with Nature vs Grace. When this thinking flowed into the Institutional Church, grace was exalted above all of life. Nature was reduced and removed from the church agenda. As a result the church lost touch with the rest of the world and became inward looking.
Rise of Secularism
Interest in Nature (actually a God-given interest) was widespread and soon secularism became more exciting for people. And the institutional church was left into the private domain of one's life. In fact, it was viewed that only the weak need to have faith. But our gospel is a gospel of All things; we should never have left secularism to rob the nature out of the domain of our faith.
Schaeffer – “Nature began to eat out grace”.
Rise of Science
Science came into the forthfront since it was able to explain and empower man to provide "dominance over creation again". only this time, it is done without God's intention.
This god-less movement brought forth Empiricism and Rationalism – science revolution. there is nothing wrong with Science. But when Science beame Scientism (absolute claim over nature) it became a worldviews that set us apart from true worship of God.
(Worldviews are incarnated in our lives. They are more than mere concept.)
Affirmation of Creation
Renaissance – glory of man
Reformation – glory of God
Idols of Modernism
Scientism – omniscience ; There is nothing I cannot know
Technicism – omnipotence; There is nothing I cannot do
Economism – sovereignty; There is nothing I cannot have
We are encouraged to bow down to these “idols”.
Worldview Crisis
Attack from post-modernism
Modernism reduces humanity; that man is only rational
The dream has failed. “Worldview” of despair.
It’s all about power and coercion of people.
No Worldview is true.
Opportunity for Christian
We need to leave reservation ; time to claim that there is absolute
“the world can now put up with Christian so long as we stay in reservation. The moment we step out of reservation and speak, the world benign smile to savage stare.” – RC Sproul
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