Judging the Relevance and worth of ideas part 2.pptx
The Worldview Families
1. INT-460 Christianity & Culture | Topic 3 Part 1
The Worldview Families
Premodernism, Modernism, Postmodernism, Critical Social Theory
2. Animism Premodernism Modernism Postmodernism Critical Theory
Ancient World
Non-Western Cultures
1st Century 17th Century World War II 21st Century
Middle Ages Age of Enlightenment
Age of Reason
Nineteenth Century
Mid 20th Century to Present Future?
5. Pre-Modern Worldviews
1. Revelation is the source of ALL KNOWLEDGE
2. Revelation cannot be CRITICIZED
3. Revelation is MEDIATED
4. ALL AUTHORITY has a divine source
5. HUMAN LAW has a divine source
6. No di
ff
erence between SECULAR & SACRED
7. SUPER NATURAL taken for granted
6. Pre-Modern Worldviews
1. Revelation is the source of knowledge -
a) special revelation — Scripture
b) Natural revelation — science & philosophy
9. Pre-Modern Worldviews
1. Revelation is the source of all knowledge
2. Revelation cannot be criticized
3. Revelation is always mediated — through priest, rabbi,
imam; through an oral tradition and divine chain of authority
10. Torah read in Hebrew
on Saturdays and
interpreted by a rabbi
12. Pre-Modern Worldviews
• Judaism: Chain of authority from Moses to rabbis
• Catholicism: Chain of authority Peter to Pope to priests
• Islam: Chain of authority Muhammad to the Imam
18. What prompted the Englightenment?
• Emergence of “Reason”
• Renaissance, and interest in Greek & Roman writings
• Scienti
fi
c
fi
ndings reconciling with Faith
19. Modern Worldview
1. Reason becomes source of knowledge
2. Human authority originates in society (not God)
3. Human & Natural Laws are absolute and universal
4. Di
ff
erentiation between the secular and sacred
5. Inexplicable phenomena have rational explanations
6. Scripture is accessible and subject to inquiry
20. 1. Reason is the source of knowledge
• Empirical Knowledge
• Deductive Knowledge
21. 1. Reason is the source of knowledge
• Empirical: Knowledge comes from senses
• Rational: Knowledge comes from deduction
22. 1. Reason is the source of knowledge
• Empiricism: Inductive Knowledge
• Rationalism: Deductive Knowledge
23. 2. Society determines laws
Democracy:
“We the people” (Preamble to US Constitution)
“Government of the people, by the people, for the people” (Abraham Lincoln)
Communism:
Property held in common by the People (State) (Manifest)
Laws determined by State
Elimination of all social classes, and equalization of members of the State
24. 3. Laws: Universal and Absolute
• Isaac Newton (Laws of Motion)
• Adam Smith (Wealth of the Nations)
• Charles Darwin (Law of Natural Selection)
• John Locke (Law if Nature)
The state of nature has a law of nature to govern it,
which obliges everyone (Treatises II.2.6)
• Thomas Jefferson (Declaration of Independence)
We hold these truths to be self-evident
25. 3. Laws: Laws are universal and absolute
• All phenomena are governed by universal laws
• Universal laws can be described & understood
• Universal laws are true in every frame of reference
• Universal laws are always true
26. Implications
1. Reason: Inexplicable phenomena have natural explanations
2. Authority: Society determine laws (ex. Democracy, Marxism)
3. Law: Laws are same in all frames of reference
4. Separation: Between the sacred & secular
27. Immanuel Kant
1724 - 1824
Critique of Pure Reason
Limits of metaphysical inquiry
28. Kant stated bluntly that the observable facts of the
physical world are completely described by "science
proper"; [but] “philosophy" can never tell us anything
about them.
Frank, P. (May 1952). The Origin of the Separation between Science and Philosophy. American Academy of
Arts and Sciences 80 (2). 115-139.
29. In the nineteenth century, there came into being a divorce
between scientists and philosophers. The scientists looked with a
certain suspicion upon philosophic speculations which appeared
to them too frequently to lack precise formulation and to attack
vain, insoluble problems.
Louis DeBroglie, Quantum Physicist
Cited in: Frank, P. (May 1952). The Origin of the Separation between Science and Philosophy. American
Academy of Arts and Sciences 80 (2). 115-139.
30. 4. Separation between Sacred & Secular
• Search for the “Historical Jesus”
• Emergence of Higher Biblical criticism
• Questions historicity and authorship of Bible
35. Authorship of Pentateuch
• Conservative Scholarship: Mosaic authorship 1400 BC
• Critical Scholarship: Multiple sources 1400-400 BC
J - Jehovah
P - Prophets
E - Elohim
D - Deuteronomic
37. Authorship of Isaiah
• Conservative Scholarship: One author who lived 750 BC
• Critical Scholarship: Two authors (2nd lived during Cyrus)
I am the LORD…who says of Cyrus, “He is my
shepherd…saying of Jerusalem she shall be rebuilt.”
(Isaiah 44:24-28, ESV)
43. Implications
1. Reason: Inexplicable phenomena have natural explanations
2. Authority: Society determine laws (ex. Democracy, Marxism)
3. Law: Laws are same in all frames of reference
4. Separation: Between the sacred & sacred
5. Emergence of Liberal Christianity
44. Liberal Christianity (aka mainstream)
• Embraces religion’s moral principles
• Embraces religion’s traditions and rituals
• Embraces religion’s importance in society
• Rejects supernatural & miraculous
• Rejects historicity of the Bible
45. Liberal Christianity (aka mainstream)
• Embraces religion’s moral principles
• Embraces religion’s traditions and rituals
• Embraces religion’s importance in society
• Rejects supernatural & miraculous
• Rejects historicity of the Bible
46. Liberal Christianity (aka mainstream)
• Embraces religion’s moral principles
• Embraces religion’s traditions and rituals
• Embraces religion’s importance in society
• Rejects supernatural & miraculous
• Rejects historicity of the Bible
• Claims Christian theology is human invention
49. The fate of our times is characterized by
rationalization and intellectualization and, above
all, by the 'disenchantment of the world’!
Max Weber, “Science as Vocation” , 1919
50. Implications
1. Reason: Inexplicable phenomena have natural explanations
2. Authority: Society determine laws (ex. Democracy, Marxism)
3. Law: Laws are same in all frames of reference
4. Separation: Between the sacred & sacred
5. Emergence of Liberal Christianity
6. Humanity has become the master of his world
61. Postmodernism
1. Humanity is not the master of his universe
2. Truth is relative
3. Individuals determine “meaning”
4. Government is a social construct
5. Reason cannot explain everything
70. Postmodernism
1. Humanity is not the master of his universe
2. Truth is relative
3. Meaning is found in the person
4. Government is a social construct — is Democracy right for everyone?
Questioning that western culture is superior
72. Model of Bible Interpretation
Text Reader
Translation
Writer’s
Cultural
Milieu
Reader’s
Cultural
Milieu
Audience
Exegete
is
Addressing
Postmodern Bible Interpretation: Reader Gives Meaning
Meaning
74. Review
• What is culture
• How do we exegete a cultural text to understand culture
• How do we read a sociological study to understand culture
• What are the worldviews that frame the context of culture
• What are the generational di
ff
erences that frame culture(s)
75. Give her a Hoover
and you give her the Best!
(Hoover Magazine Ad, 1937)
76. Critical Theory
De
fi
ned
A “critical” theory is a method of inquiry that seeks human
emancipation from slavery, liberation from oppression, and
works to create a world which satis
fi
es the needs and self-
determination of individuals. This approach has been applied
to many disciplines such as social science, literary theory,
legal theory, theories of education, and most recently race
relations.
“Critical Theory”. 2005. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/critical-theory/
77. “The history of all…society is the
history of class struggles”
Karl Marx (1818–1883)
(Marx, Karl.1848/1913. Manifesto. p. 5)
78. • Theory of Psychoanalysis
• All text emerges from subconscious
• All text contains implicit bias
• We can deconstruct the text to
explode the bias
Sigmund Freud (1856–1939)
Whitebook, Joel. 2006. “The Marriage of Marx and Freud” Cambridge Companions.
79. Max Horkheimer
• Brought together: Freud, Marx,
literary theory, and philosophy
of education.
• Traditional & Critical Theory
(Horkheimer,1937)
1895—1973
80. Traditional Theory vs. Critical Theory
Traditional Inquiry:
“is content to describe existing social institutions more or less
as they are”
Critical Inquiry:
Seeks to expose the social institutions’ false claims to
legitimacy, reveal their methods of oppression, and promote
truth and justice for those who are oppressed.
Max Horkheimer (1895—1973)
(Horkheimer, 1937/1972, p. 188)
81. Expose the social institutions’ false claims to
legitimacy, reveal their methods of oppression
83. • Response to WWI
• Marriage of Marx, Hegel, and Freud
• German Marxism 1920s
• Shut down in 1933
• Continued at Columbia University
Frankfurt School (1918 - 1933)
84. Critical Theory
Premises
1. Oppressed v. Oppressor
2. Oppressors oppress through power
3. Oppressed conditioned to accept their status
4. First goal: Expose the structures of oppression
5. Second goal: Gain knowledge about the oppressed
6. Third goal: Dismantle the structures of oppression
Shenvi, Neil. 2019. “Critical Theory”. New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
86. Critical Theory
Types
1. Critical Literary Theory
2. Critical Gender Theory
3. Critical Race Theory
4. Critical Queer Theory
5. Decolonization Theory
Shenvi, Neil. 2019. “Critical Theory”. New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
93. Derrick Bell
1930 - 2011
Founder of Critical Race Theory
1990s Post-Civil Rights
94. Principles of Critical Race Theory
1. Race is a social construct
2. Race is socially signi
fi
cant
3. Racism is a normal feature of society and embedded in systems
4. Racism is codi
fi
ed in law and embedded in public policy
5. Importance of the lived experiences of minorities
George, Jannel. (2021) A Lesson on Critical Race Theory. American Bar Association
95. Types of Racism
1. Institutional racism
2. Personal racism (intentional and unintentional)
3. Internalized racism (acceptance of negative messages)
George, Jannel. (2021) A Lesson on Critical Race Theory. American Bar Association
99. Critical Bible Hermeneutics
Critical Interpretation
The Bible needs to be liberated from its captivity to one-sided white,
middle-class, male interpretation. It needs liberation from privatized
and spiritualized interpretations that avoid God’s concern for justice,
human wholeness, and ecological responsibility; It needs liberation
from abstract, doctrinal interpretations that remove the biblical
narrative from its concrete social and political context in order to
change it into timeless truths
Russell, Letty. 1974. “Introduction”. Feminist Interpretation of the Bible. Westminster Press, p. 12.
100. Model of Bible Interpretation
Text Reader
Writer Language Translation
Copyist
Errors
Writer’s
Cultural
Milieu
Reader’s
Cultural
Milieu
Evangelical Hermeneutics: Meaning is in the Text
Meaning
God
101. Text Reader
Writer Language Translation
Copyist
Errors
Modern
Audience
Audience
Exegete
is
Addressing
Critical Literary Theory: Expose Oppresser
Find the oppressed
Meaning
Women, homosexuals, slaves, racial minorities, immigrants, impoverished
Oppressor
102. Critical Bible Hermeneutics
Critical Interpretation
The Bible needs to be liberated from its captivity to one-sided white,
middle-class, male interpretation. It needs liberation from privatized
and spiritualized interpretations that avoid God’s concern for justice,
human wholeness, and ecological responsibility; It needs liberation
from abstract, doctrinal interpretations that remove the biblical
narrative from its concrete social and political context in order to
change it into timeless truths
Russell, Letty. 1974. “Introduction”. Feminist Interpretation of the Bible. Westminster Press, p. 12.
103. Critical Bible Hermeneutics
Queer hermeneutics
Then Jonathan made a covenant with David,
because he loved him as his own soul. And
Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on
him and gave it to David, (1 Samuel 18:3–4 ESV)
104. Critical Bible Hermeneutics
Example
When two men come from a society that for 200 years had lived
in the shadow of Philistine culture which accepted
homosexuality…and one of them is the social superior of the
other, [and] the two meet secretly and kiss each other…we have
reason to believe that a homosexual relationship existed.
Horner, Tom. 1978. Jonathan Loved David. Philadelphia: Westminster Press. 27-28.
105. Critical Bible Hermeneutics
Example
• Oppressor: Ancient Israel’s society
• Oppressed: Jonathan, David, and the Philistines
• Oppressive structure: Biblical editor
• Goal: Expose oppression of homosexuals in the Bible
Horner, Tom. 1978. Jonathan Loved David. Philadelphia: Westminster Press. 27-28.
108. What can we affirm with Critical theory?
What do we disagree with?
109. Critical Worldview vs. Christian Worldview
• Critical Narrative
• Identities: Oppressed/Oppressor
• Objective: expose oppression
• Goal: Human self-determination
• End: There will always be
oppressors and oppressed
• Biblical Narrative
• Imago Dei, Sinful, Redeemed
• Objective: Reconciliation with God
• Goal: Glorify God & Enjoy Him forever
• End: Reign of God
