...the world around himself. It is based upon a set of “presuppositions” about the life and the world. A presupposition is a belief that one may hold before gaining knowledge or beginning to form opinions. A worldview is not simply your opinion, but instead is the foundation on which you base all of your decisions and opinions. One of the easiest ways to uncover a person’s worldview is to ask the five key questions that all worldviews must answer: the questions of origin, identity, meaning, morality and destiny. What is a biblical worldview? A biblical worldview uses the Holy Bible as the foundation on which the answers to the five key questions are answered, presuppositions are laid out, and opinions on all matters are formed. The basis of the biblical worldview can be summarized in a few statements. First, the God of the Bible exists Second, we know that He exists because He reveals himself to us through creation, humankind (moral conscience), and His Word. Third, the Bible is the Word of God, therefore it is authoritative in its declaration of presuppositions by which all humans should live. And finally, Jesus Christ came as the Redeemer to save each person from their own sinful nature and restore an eternal relationship with God. Through these truths, as well as those found in the Bible, biblical theists can answer the five vital questions without much difficulty. Origin is discussed in the very first chapter of the Bible, Genesis clearly describes that God spoke all the universe...
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...Optional Reading (Page 8) Book title: Introduction to Biblical Interpretation, by William W. Klein, Craig L. Blomberg and Robert L. Hubbard Chapter 4: First Ed, 87-116 Am I as aware both of my interpretational presuppositions and their relative strengths and weaknesses as these people are? Feedback I wish to stress my points in the following manner: Strengths This statement made by the author ‘…the Bible is a supernatural book’ leads me not just to agree that the Bible is a spiritual document, it is a book written by those ancient authors who were anointed and chosen by God to write. With this in mind, I would have the full confidence to say that that there is no error made in the text and that God’s truth is displayed truly in front of me. Thus, I believe that the Holy Spirit will guide me to interpret the text as accurately as possible. Weaknesses Would I have my own agenda when I do my interpretation? The author says : People interpret the Bible for a reason and with some agenda. I am an Asian and live in a modern situation; sometimes, I may argue and translate according to my own understanding and culture...
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...“Worldview, Philosophy, Faith and Ethics” Reading ARTICLE 1: What Is a Worldview and Why Is It Important to Me? The first set of questions in part 1 asked you to evaluate the extent to which you seek to apply faith, values, and philosophy to your personal and business decisions. To really have a sound foundation for ethical decisions, we have to have an understanding of how our worldview influences the decisions we make and how we perceive reality. Too often, we barely understand what our worldview is all about and how it impacts decisions. As such, our decisions in life may or may not be informed by sound principles. This is true even for Christians, who may even have unbiblical ideas influencing their worldview. The non-Christian faces a different challenge: trying to make sense of life in a meaningful way without a Biblical, theistic starting point. All of this will be discussed in the series of article for this assignment. Defining Worldview • A worldview is the intellectual, emotional, and perhaps even spiritual framework by which we apprehend reality and assign meaning to life. • Everyone has a worldview; it may not be very developed, but nevertheless, everyone is approaching life based upon one. The Worldview “House” • To speak metaphorically, our worldview is the intellectual, emotional, and spiritual “home” in which we live all of our lives. It may change drastically, undergoing serious renovations or damage as we go through...
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...relevant and significant for an interpretative task. Basically, obtaining a meaning of a biblical context is not determined by any grammatical analysis or definitions. Thiselton warns that an author who may trap into an intentional fallacy for achieving his goal. Therefore, an interpreter must take note of this warning and try to analyse his work carefully. Meaning is theoretical, however, it is presumed ‘somehow connected to reality or reflects reality vary in focus because they define realty in a different way’. Presupposition may happen in the reading. As such, the reader could be the one that is creating the meaning while reading the interpretive text. In other words, the said reader is producing another set of interpretation....
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...Institute for Christian Teaching THE BIBLE: REVELATION AND AUTHORITY Richard M. Davidson 402-00 Institute for Christian Teaching 12501 Old Columbia Pike Silver Spring, MD 20904 USA Symposium on the Bible and Adventist Scholarship Juan Dolio, Dominican Republic March 19-26, 2000 Page 1 of 33THE BIBLE: REVELATION AND AUTHORITY 3/2/2014http://fae.adventist.org/essays/26Bcc_017 -055.htm Introduction I have not always held the view of Scriptural revelation and authority that I now maintain. Having journeyed through a different perspective on the revelation/authority of Scripture and then returning to the position that I now hold, I am convinced that this issue is basic to all other issues in the church. The destiny of our church depends on how its members regard the revelation and authority of the Bible. In the following pages I have summarized the biblical self-testimony on its revelation and authority. The major focus of the paper is biblical authority, but a short statement concerning revelation-inspiration-illumination introduces the subject, and other biblical testimony on the nature of revelation is subsumed under the discussion of biblical authority. The paper also includes a brief historical treatment of the Enlightenment and post-Enlightenment understandings of biblical revelation/authority and an analysis and critique of their basic presuppositions in light of Scripture. Following the conclusion, a selected bibliography of sources cited and other...
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...understand, describe, and diagnose human behavior but Christian theology seeks to understand “what it means to be human” (Entwistle, 2010, p. 3). In the end Entwistle (2010) reoccurring theme throughout the book is that this integration is possible because “all truth is God’s truth” (p. 13). All the reasoning, precise measurements, and descriptives of psychology are possible because of God’s work in creation. Entwistle expands on the concept of worldviews and how each individual interprets everything around them. Each person will search for the truth but it will be biased according to the individual’s worldview. To understand these biases it is important for each individual to examine their own presuppositions because these effects the way the person interpret the world and the Bible. Entwistle (2010) expands on five models for integration: (1) Enemies, (2) Spies, (3) Colonists, (4) Neutral Parties, and (5) Allies. Enemies of integration believe science cannot be in agreement with...
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...1. Apologetics- Being able to defend the faith. 1 Peter 3:15 Apologia-Greek word “defense’ 2. Atheism-The lack of belief in a god and/or the belief that there is no god. The position held by a person or persons that 'lack belief' in god(s) and/or deny that god(s) exist. 3. Circular argument- argument in which the conclusion of an argument is one of its premises; argument assuming something that would ordinarily not be assumed by someone who didn’t believe the conclusion 4. Coventalism- or Covenant theology; is an interpretive framework for understanding the overall flow of the Bible, focusing on the covenants God made. 5. Deduction-A system of logic, inference, and conclusion drawn from examination of 6. Dispensationalism-a method of interpreting the Bible that divides history into periods of time called “dispensations.” 7. Empiricism-The belief that real knowledge is only acquired through sense experience. 8. Epistemological Dualism-Knowledge consists of a mind that knows and ideas that are known. 9. Epistemology--The branch of philosophy that deals with knowing and the methods of obtaining knowledge. 10. Ethics-Study of right and wrong, good and bad, moral judgment, etc. 11. Evidential Apologetics-An apologetic approach emphasizing individual facts and arguments, including: archaeology, effects on society, historical evidences, miracles, prophecy, and the uniqueness of Christianity and/or Scripture. 12. Faith-Acceptance of ideals...
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...Institute for Christian Teaching THE BIBLE: REVELATION AND AUTHORITY Richard M. Davidson 402-00 Institute for Christian Teaching 12501 Old Columbia Pike Silver Spring, MD 20904 USA Symposium on the Bible and Adventist Scholarship Juan Dolio, Dominican Republic March 19-26, 2000 Introduction I have not always held the view of Scriptural revelation and authority that I now maintain. Having journeyed through a different perspective on the revelation/authority of Scripture and then returning to the position that I now hold, I am convinced that this issue is basic to all other issues in the church. The destiny of our church depends on how its members regard the revelation and authority of the Bible. In the following pages I have summarized the biblical self-testimony on its revelation and authority. The major focus of the paper is biblical authority, but a short statement concerning revelation-inspiration-illumination introduces the subject, and other biblical testimony on the nature of revelation is subsumed under the discussion of biblical authority. The paper also includes a brief historical treatment of the Enlightenment and post-Enlightenment understandings of biblical revelation/authority and an analysis and critique of their basic presuppositions in light of Scripture. Following the conclusion, a selected bibliography of sources cited and other useful books and articles on the subject is provided. Appendices include: (1) a chart schematizing the two major...
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...Quiz 1 Study Guide Towns: Chapter I What does “prolegomena” mean? ➢ Things that are said before; introduction to the study of theology. What are the three presuppositions of prolegomena? ➢ 1) There is a God, 2) truth exists, & 3) person can know truth. What is the contemporary usage of the word “theology?” ➢ 1) Science of God and relations between God and the universe, and 2) essential being and His relationship to the universe as set forth in the Holy Scriptures. pg. 7 What is catechism? ➢ A scheme of questions and answers. What are five presuppositions for the task of theologizing? ➢ 1) there is a God and He has revealed Himself, 2) there are laws that are self-evident, 3) man has the ability to know things to the degree to which he directly observes them, 4) truth does not contradict itself, but is consistent and corresponds to reality, & 5) the mind accepts that which is logical and rejects that which is illogical. What are the tests used to verify theological truths? Explain. ➢ 1) test of consistency, 2) test of correspondence, 3) test of priority of data (what’s essential or irrelevant?), 4) test of cohesiveness, & 5) test of thoroughness (examine beliefs) pg. 12 What is the aim of Biblical theology? ➢ To arrange and classify the facts of revelation, confining itself to the scriptures for its material, and treating of doctrine only so far as it was developed at the close of the apostolic age. Where does Biblical theology get its material? ...
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...about the Bible and God. The knowledge is very useful for me. I learned the worldview of Bible and try to understand it. The western religious culture is amazing, through study of the Bible, I learned so many philosophy of life，include people should love each other and keep one's promise, be a kindness man, and try to felling grateful to God and the people around of you. The biblical worldview is said: The Lord God is without beginning or end, he is everlasting, and he created the universe world and all things. Therefore, God is not a part of the universe，he exists in the universe outside. When he produces the world, God also created all the laws of nature, free to run the universe. God created all things, especially in his own image made man (Adam and Eve). The man was later tempted by Satan, be sinned and against God. Therefore they separated with God. However, God so love the world, sent his only begotten Son came to the world, to become a scapegoat for the death of the world on the cross. He was raised on the third day, and ascended to heaven forty days after. Then continue to go back into the world，and judge the world. Those who believe in him neither need no longer be the trial, to Reply relations with God and receive eternal life. They believe that God exists (Heb. 11:6) and that He is the standard by which we measure everything else. God created everything that exists (Gen.1:1) and everything is held together by Him (Col. 1:17). We believe the Bible is God’s divinely...
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...Evolution VS Creation Faith Collins Honors Biology 4/22/2014 For over the past one hundred and fifty years there has been an ongoing battle about evolution versus creation. Evolutionists believe we evolved over millions and millions of years; while creationists believe that God created us and the rest of the world in seven days. Both theories do seem quit absurd. People think there is no possible way we could have evolved from nothing. Still, other people believe there is no possible way God could have created us. Charles Darwin was a British scientist and the founder of evolutionism. Darwin was born and raised in a wealthy and well connected family. He started his higher education studying medicine, but half way through transferred to divinity at Cambridge. In 1831, he joined a five year scientific expedition. On this expedition he started studying and observing things, and thus the idea of evolution was born. Evolution is the theory that everything descended from a common ancestor. Everything that has life, trees, flowers, bears, fish, humans – they’re all related. Charles Darwin, the founder of evolution, believed strongly in natural selection. He thought that animals, by natural selection, could practically change into a whole new species of animals. Darwin stated that this process takes long periods of time. He said it can’t just happen overnight, rather it takes millions of years for this to take place. Evolution, just like creation, is considered...
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...My personal worldview holds the explanation as to why I live and perceive the world in the way I do. It is responsible for my presuppositions or assumptions that I hold in response to the basic makeup of the world around me. My worldview has been shaped and grown over the years by a plethora of influences. My family, friends, relationships, teachers, and even strangers have impacted my life in one way or another and helped create my take on life. This personal worldview paper has forced me to really think about what I believe in regards to the nature of reality, how I know that reality, as well as how I will act in response to what I know about my reality. Personally, my family has had a big influence on my life. We always went to church growing up and I have continued to do so throughout my days at Whitworth because I believe that God eternally exists and that he is the creator of everything from life on earth to the heaves, has died for my sins, and all in-between. This is something that has been a consistent belief of...
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...influential Christian philosophers in apologetics. He is well known for revitalizing the traditional method of apologetics to a presuppositional method for defending the faith. Although he was born in the Netherlands, he grew up on a farm in Indian. In 1922 he graduated from Calvin College, in 1925 he graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary with a ThM, and in 1927 he received his PhD from Princeton University. He later taught at Westminster Theological Seminary for forty-three years and became a minister in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church from the 1930s to his death in 1987. Van Til was instrumental in showing the Christian how not to give up ground to the unbeliever in apologetics. His defense of the faith was based on the presupposition of God being the author of all things and having the ultimate authority of all things. In this book, Van Til demonstrates the great chasm between the believer and the unbeliever in regards to worldviews. He argues that the Christian apologist must center their approach from a biblical lens in order to have a biblically defined point of contact with the unbeliever. The book is broken up into five chapters. The first chapter expounds on the systematic truth of the Christianity. He articulates the main concepts of a truly Protestant theology. Van Til makes it clear that Christianity cannot be separate from some theory about the existence and nature of God. He devotes this chapter on explaining how Christianity works as a unit articulated...
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...2013) Systematic Theology I Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary Jennifer C. Wood (ID# L25703677) September 1, 2013 Contents Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………….1 Brief Summary…………………………………………………………………………………….1 Critical Interaction………………………………………………………………………………...2 Conclusion Selected Bibliography Introduction This paper is a critical examination of Stephen Andrew’s “Biblical Inerrancy” as published January of 2002 in the Chafer Theological Seminary Journal. Andrew writes the article as a graduate student at Fuller Theological Seminary pursuing a Master of Arts in Theology. In the exposition he presents a historical overview of the biblical inerrancy debate and reviews arguments concerning inerrancy of the bible as relevant to modern evangelicalism. Due to spatial limitations, Andrew restricts his focus to examining the views in support of and against inerrancy from four major perspectives: the slippery slope, epistemological, historical, and biblical arguments. Brief Summary The article is written as an exhortation for the promotion and defense of the inerrancy doctrine while warning against a universal acceptance of all supporting arguments. Andrew opens by defining inerrancy according to Paul D. Feinberg1, as well as Article XII of the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy2; and “limited inerrancy” using a description by Stephen T. Davis3. He traces the debate from its origination in the late 19th century, with B.B. Warfield advocating inerrancy...
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...Gordon D. and Douglas Stuart, How to Read the Bible for all it’s Worth, 4th ed. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2014. 304 pp. USD $18.99 Submitted to Dr. Roy Lucas in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of NSBT 610-D03 Hermeneutics by David P. Velez March 12, 2015 Contents Introduction....……………………………………………………………………………………..1 Brief Summary…..………………………………………………………………………………...1 Critical Evaluation...………………………………………………………………………………2 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………………...5 Bibliography………………………………………………………………………………………6 Introduction In the rise of the early Orthodox Church, the early church fathers were among the few privileged ones exposed to the Scriptures, thus, the Scriptures, not available for the common person to read, created a problem in understanding God’s written Word. But times have changed. Now that the believer has access to the Bible, the problem is not the lack of understanding, but the inability to obey the Word of God. According to Fee and Stuart: “In fact we are convinced that the single most serious problem people have with the Bible is not a lack of understanding but with the fact that they understand many things too well!... the problem is not understanding it, but obeying it.” Today there a more Bible translations than we can keep up with. While revising the third edition of How to Read the Bible for all it’s Worth, Fee and Stuart realized...
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