a  set of presuppositions which we hold about the basic makeup of our world.

• Is God who he is because of who I am?

• Am I who I am because of who God is

Epistemology

Epistemology

-Naturalist view

All answers must come from with-in the system

Reason

Answers can come from outside the system

Revelation

What has value

What is right

Materialism-No standards of right and wrong

Humanism-Humans establish their own standards

Teleology-supernaturalist

God breaks into history

History will break out of the present reality into the "Kingdom of God"

Monotheism

Dualism

Polytheism

1. Experiences
2. Impressions
3. Opinions
4. Beliefs/convictions

Multiple gods

"soft polytheism"-(multiple god's with unique personalitys)

-often in conflict with one another

• "gods" and "godessess" are manifesttations of one god

• all god's are one god, all goddesses are one Goddess and there is one intiator

• world divided into two catagories

-good vs. bad

• yin and yan represent the duality in nature and all things

One God

1. Christianity
2. Islam (allah)
3. Judaism (Jehovah)

1. Changeless and yet he changes
2. Transcendant and immanent -Keeps his distance yet comes close
3. Holiness and Love -morally pure and commited to justice yet infinitely loving

1. Atheism
2. Secular Humanism
3. Agnosticism
4. Deism

no supernatural being

(ontology)

Supernatural being created the universe then "corked the vase"

(ontology)

We don't know and we can't know

(ontology)

God exists only as a projection of human imagination

(ontology)

Naturlist Teleology view

modern pessimism

God breaks into history

Hitory will break out of the present reality into the "kingdom of God"

History is linear (genesis-exodus)

It has a beginning and end

sudden appearing of Christ to gather his followers

-living and dead

1. commitment
2. Relativity
3. Multiplicty
4. Duality
5. Pre-critical thinking

child's view

-everthing centere on her/his frame of referecne

-other perspectives are rejected as "weird"

Simplicity

1. Everything seen in polar opposites

-true/false, right/wrong

2. Learning is accumulating facts and having right answers

3. Teachers are experts with the answers

-individual accepts possiblity of more than one perspective...still maintain one view more correct than others

2. learning is processing ideas

3. teachers should present options fairly without bias

Stage 3-Relativism

1. student accepts the relativity of truth, sees options as equally valid, dependion on one's assumptions

2. Learning is appreciating diversity

3. students are intelligent and should challenge a teachres's wisdom

1. student commits to a clear position while acknowledging possiblity of other perspectives

2. learning is personal commitment, without finding absolute certainty

3. teachers serve as models of responsibility and co-learners (colleagues) with students

rules man-made vs. standards from scripture

each have own standards vs. fixed standards

Standars are flexible based on will of the people vs. violation of standards is sin, break from God

consequences for violations made by culture vs. sin can be forgiven by God

Sinfulness rather than particular sins

we are sinners, not people who happen to commit sins

"we sin every day in word, thought, and deed."

Sin is multi-faceted

different kinds of sin create different kinds of problems

different sin require different kinds of remedy

Problem- defiance of God's will

Solution-pardon and forgiveness

Sin as sickness

-orginal sin-

problem-natural inclination to stray

solution- cleansed heart and "new birth"

Problem - bondage to forces beyone our control

Solution-freedom & power in christ

problem-unintentional acts that are displeasing to God and harmful to others

Solution-God's mercy and new light from the spirit

1. Classical

2. modern

3. post-modern

Classical

1. Authority

2. Worldview

3. Concern

4. Perspective

1. Authority-comes from the bible

2. worldview- "i can explain world view in reference to God (or gods)

3. Concern-orthodoxy

4. Perspective-Fatalistic "everything is out of my control."

Modern

1. Authority

2.Worldview

3. Concern

4. Perspective

1. Authority-comes from reason and scientfic explanation

2. Worldview-scientific, "I can explain much of my world in referecne the laws of nature

3. Concern- liberalism, "We must be tolerant"

4. Perspective- optimisim "technolology will solve the problem."

Postmodern

1. Authority

2. Worldview

3.concern

4. perspective

1. Authority-replaced with relativism

2. worldview-theological, "I can explain the world to others and my opinion matters

3. Concern- individualism, "live and let live."

4. Perspective- Fatalistic "look out for yourself"

Reality may not be real

False sense of community

False sense of involvement

False sense of truth

• Scripture
• Reason
• Tradition
• Experience

"what we view as 'knowledge' is a purely human creation

Postmodern

Postmodern

every interpretation of reality, every assertion of knowledge is an assertion of power

"knowledge as power"

Postmodernism

Argued all that emerges in knowing process is the perspective of the interpreter

Posmodernism

argued that we should give up the search for truth and be content with interpretation

1. Demonize it
2. Baptize it
3. Ignore it
4. Critically engae it

Demonize it

Conviction

6. evaluation

5. Synthesis

4. Analysis

3. Application

2. Comprehension

1. Recall

Evaluation