Matt Delves

The world view project

A lot of my time in the past couple of weeks has been spent going through a book by James Sire entitled “The universe next door”. It raises a lot of questions, and particularly in the context of Swinburne University, within a lecture and even a tutorial or lab, there are bound to be many different world views that people hold to.

“The world view project” is an analysis of the different world views and how they relate to the context of Swinburne University and particularly the Hawthorn campus. The aim is to take what is a philosophical notion and lay it bare for people to see. Though I love exotic language and philosophical jargon, I shall refrain from such.

At Christian Union, we will be studying this book as part of MULCH. The material that appears in these posts will only be supplementary to the material covered in the book. You still need to read the book if you are taking part in MULCH.

The structure of each post will be an analysis of 8 questions that frame each world view. These questions are:

1. What is prime reality?
2. What is the nature of external reality, that is the world around us?
3. What is a human being?
4. What happens to a person at death?
5. Why is it possible to know anything at all?
6. How do we know what is right and wrong?
7. What is the meaning of human history?
8. What personal, life-orienting core commitments are consisten with this worldview?

Having shown these eight points about each world view, I’ll then construct a persona which will give some body to the world view. By using a persona, I endeavour to provide a relatable aspect to the world view. Any resemblance to people I know will be completely accidental and unintentional.

The final piece of each post will be a way of cultural engagement and analysis from a Reformed Christian perspective. We will be echoing the Apostle Paul who confronted the world view of the greeks when he spoke at the Areopagus.

Then Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus and said: “Men of Athens! I see that you are extremely religious in every respect. 23 For as I was passing through and observing the objects of your worship, I even found an altar on which was inscribed:

TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.

Therefore, what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. 24 The God who made the world and everything in it —He is Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in shrines made by hands. 25 Neither is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives everyone life and breath and all things. 26 From one man He has made every nationality to live over the whole earth and has determined their appointed times and the boundaries of where they live. 27 ⌊He did this⌋ so they might seek God, and perhaps they might reach out and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. 28 For in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’ 29 Being God’s offspring then, we shouldn’t think that the divine nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image fashioned by human art and imagination. 30 “Therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, God now commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because He has set a day when He is going to judge the world in righteousness by the Man He has appointed. He has provided proof of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead.” 32 When they heard about resurrection of the dead, some began to ridicule him. But others said, “We’d like to hear from you again about this.”

The Holy Bible : Holman Christian standard version. 2009 (Ac 17:22–32). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.

The first post I’ll make will be one on Christianity. This will appear some time during the week and then weekly posts there after.

God bless,

Matt.