Being a Counterculture Church
Understanding Paradigms: Part 1.
1 Corinthians 9:19-23
The disciple is expected to exercise
self-control and God given
intelligence.
Paradigms
Theism
Deism
Naturalism
Nihilism
Existentialism
Postmodernism
Seven questions to be answered by
each worldview.
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What is prime reality?
What is the nature of external reality?
What is a human being?
How is it possible to know anything at all?
How do we know right from wrong?
What is the meaning of history?
What happens to a person after death?
Theism (The Truth) is based upon
the necessity of an outside agent
to give meaning and purpose.
Theistic Worldview
• Prime reality is God. God is infinite, personal,
immanent, transcendent, omniscient,
sovereign and good.
• The nature of external reality is that it was
created out of nothing by God to operate with
a uniformity of cause and effect in an open
system.
Theistic Worldview
• The human being is a being created in the
image of God. We possess personality, selftranscendence, intelligence, morality,
gregariousness, and creativity.
But the image of God has been defaced with
the fall. Though ruined it is not beyond
restoration. Restoration begins through the
belief of and surrender to Jesus Christ.
Theistic Worldview
• We “know” because God has given us
knowledge through general revelation and
specific revelation.
• Goodness has been revealed to us through the
character of God who is both holy and loving.
This in turn establishes what is right and
wrong.
Theistic Worldview
• Human history has meaning. It is the
sequence of events that lead to the fulfillment
of God’s purposes for humanity.
• Death is a gateway to either eternal life with
God or eternal separation from the one thing
that ultimately fulfills man’s aspirations.
Deism (The Lie) takes a personal
God out of the equation.
Deistic Worldview
• Prime reality is God, but God is not immanent,
not fully personal, not sovereign over man’s
affairs and not providential.
• The nature of external reality is that it was
created out of nothing by God to operate with
a uniformity of cause and effect in an closed
system.
Deistic Worldview
• Though personal, human beings are a part of
the clockwork of the universe.
• The world is understood to be in its normal
state (it is not fallen) and can be known
through studying the world around us.
• Morality is limited to general revelation which
means we can observe the universe to find
out what is right and wrong.
Deistic Worldview
• History is linear. The course of the cosmos was
determined at creation.
• There are varying views of what happens after
death. Many deists believe that man will go to
heaven based on merit. (There is no need of a
Savior)
Naturalism (Blind Faith) takes God
completely out of the equation.
Naturalistic Worldview
• The prime reality is matter. Matter is eternal
and all there is.
• The cosmos exists as a uniformity of cause and
effect in a closed system.
• Human beings are complex machines;
personality is an interrelation of chemical and
physical properties we do not fully
understand.
Naturalistic Worldview
• Is knowledge really possible? Many will say
observation of the world around us reveals
certain truths, but truth is/can be relative.
• Ethics is only related to human beings. Values
are manmade and morality is merely a feeling.
• History is simply a linear stream of events
linked by cause and effect. There is no
overarching purpose.
Naturalistic Worldview
• Death is extinction of personality and
individuality.
Nihilism (Doubt) is Naturalism
taken to its extreme.
Nihilistic Worldview
• Matter exists eternally and is all there is.
• The cosmos exists as a uniformity of cause and
effect in a closed system.
• Humans are complex machines and a product
of evolution. We serve no purpose.
• It is not possible to really know anything. Our
minds, being the product of a closed system,
cannot determine truth.
Nihilistic Worldview
• Even though right and wrong are perceived
there really is no right or wrong.
• History is a linear stream of events linked by
cause and effect but without an overarching
purpose.
• Death is extinction.
The futility of Nihilism leads to a
glimmer of hope found in Atheistic
Existentialism (False Freedom).
Existentialist Worldview
• Cosmos is composed solely of matter, but to
human beings reality appears in two forms –
subjective and objective.
• The cosmos exist as a uniformity of cause and
effect in a closed system except that the
subjective human mind does have a level of
control over cause.
Existentialist Worldview
• Existence must precede essence. Humans
make themselves how they are. Each person is
totally free in regards to their nature and
destiny.
• Subjectivity makes it possible to reason and
think. This allows us to come to conclusions
about the world around us.
Existentialist Worldview
• Conscious man creates value. With value
comes the concepts of right and wrong, but in
reality right and wrong are subjective.
• Human has as much meaning as a person
wants to give. It is more important to
construct meaning for one’s life.
• Death is extinction. What is most important is
the here and now.
Post-modernism (Wishy-Washy) is
another child of Nihilism.
Postmodern Worldview
• The cosmos is whatever you are able to
describe it to be.
• The nature of reality depends upon how a
person describes it. No one person’s
perception is the ultimate truth. All
perceptions are true.
• Language defines humanity. Humans
construct themselves through the language
they use.
Postmodern Worldview
• The language used by one’s culture conveys
knowledge.
• The difference between right and wrong is
subjective. There is no standard. A person’s
culture and language construct morality.
• The meaning of human history is whatever one’s
culture gives it.
• Does anyone really know what happens after
death? Many say all paths lead to the same place.
Where do we go from here?
Some things to think about.
• Are you trying to understand those around
you who do not know Jesus?
• As you think about those you are trying to
share Jesus to, do they fit into any of the
worldviews discussed today?
• What aspect of their worldview do you need
to challenge?
• Who are you going to talk to about today’s
sermon?