Worldviews Then & Now

Footnotable

We are all shaped by our worldview. However, worldviews don't have the staying power that you might think they do. Over the years, worldviews have come and gone. Which worldviews have had the biggest impact on our culture over the past century or so? How did they develop and where are they now? How do worldviews function in today's ever-changing society? Oren and Dave discuss these topics and their impact on the church and culture in the second episode of our series on worldview.

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Show Notes

Despite their importance, outside of the biblical worldview, no worldview has ever sustained its influence indefinitely.

Non-biblical worldviews have a 100% mortality rate. This means that there’s always something new on the horizon. The way most people view the world will eventually change.

Examples of Worldviews:

Modernism - Reality, knowledge, and morality are founded in science, human reasoning, and objective evidence. Faith in God along with other beliefs and values are entirely personal and subjective and, therefore, has no place in the realm of objective truth

• Began in the early 20th century.
  
• Shaped by the Enlightenment, Freud, and major scientific advances
  
• Characterized by nihilism - the rejection of religious and moral principles as being the only means for guiding a society, and individualism.
  
• Sought to achieve a type of utopia for humanity.
  

Postmodernism - A worldview characterized by broad skepticism, subjectivism, or relativism; a general suspicion of reason; and an acute sensitivity to the role of ideology in asserting and maintaining political and economic power.

• Began mid-20th century
  
• Is, in part, a reaction against modernism.
  
• Science and history can be objectively true or false
  
• Logic, reason, science, and technology can be used to better humanity.
  
• Not very well organized as a worldview
  
• The Handmaid's Tale (Margaret Atwood) is a great example of postmodern thinking.
  

Beyond Modernity and Postmodernity

Today, there is no longer a single worldview that is prevalent. People’s increased exposure to various ways of thinking has led to worldviews being treated like buffets, with people taking a little from multiple worldviews and creating their own.

What’s On the Buffet Line?

• New Spirituality - All gods or spirits are the same regardless of the names we use. Karma. (Rise of paganism)
  
• Secularism - Science is necessary to establish truth. Society determines the value of life. Meaning is material.
  
• Postmodernism - We can’t know meaning for certain. Individuals define morality. Offensive beliefs are wrong.
  
• Marxism - Private property encourages greed. The government should be in control of goods and resources. Society is controlled by those with power who use it to oppress those without.
  

Knowing which worldviews are shaping our thinking is important.

We need a better, unchanging, and lasting worldview.

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