"The last thing many believers need today is to go to another Bible Study."
Chapter 29, Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren
"To stand courageously, you have to know what the world believes and what God says is the truth. This is called a worldview — what you base your beliefs on. "
While the "last thing" many believers need today, According to Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Life, Rick would recommend they base their beliefs on something.... a worldview, because, as he has put it before,
"Worldview matters."
He continued that 2007 thought, saying,
" Clarifying worldviews is not an academic exercise, intellectual theory, or philosophical concept, a worldview in an integral part of the lives of those you minister to on a weekly basis. It determines their relationships. It determines their success and failure. It determines their goals and motivations. If you want to see someone change their lives, they'll have to change how they look at the world first."-Rick Warren
Rick Warren:Six Worldviews You Are Competeing With, by Rick Warren, Christianity Today,
christianitytoday.com, posted Septemeber 26th 2007.
In summary, Rick told us all that worldview is important. He said that it will:....determine your relationship
....determine your success
....determine your failure
....determine your goals
....determine your motivation.
and
....change your life.
By his implications about it, you had better get a changed worldview. Dr. Mehmet Oz claims in Time Magazine, 5/31/12, that he got a changed one from Rick, within one hour of meeting him!
Rick also states that clarifying tour worldview is "not an academic exercise, intellectual theory, or philosophical concept." (from his above quote.)
Um... wait a minute. How does that work?
How come he wants to negate it being academic intellectual or philosophical? Isn't the examination of "worldviews" an intellectual way of comparing and contrasting differences between various religions and philosophical constructs...ethics, values... things like that? Isn;t there a lot to consider. Aren't all religions to one extent or another, "philosophical?" How is it that worldviews are not philosophical concepts? Note too, that according to Rick, the "problem" is that in the church there are people sitting in the pews who hold the wrong "worldviews."
I thought God's Word transcends all worldviews... you know, sharper than a two edged sword, Hebrews 4:12, kinda thing, but no; Rick says you have a problem pastor:
"Every week as you stand before your people to share God's Word, they're bringing different worldviews into the room. What are some of these worldviews?"
Rick Warren:Six Worldviews You Are Competeing With, by Rick Warren, Christianity Today,
christianitytoday.com, posted Septemeber 26th 2007.
Pastor, there are is just too many wrong worldviews.. at least six of them, in your congregation and you are competing with them all when you try to teach God's Word! You will never be able to teach those people anything unless you give them a Christian worldview! Never fear, Rick is here... to help you.
In fact, Rick Warren teamed up with Chuck Colson and together they produced a six-week small group, "DVD driven" (as they say, ) study that you can use in your church. They call it, Wide Angle, Framing Your Worldview.
"Wide Angle?" Now there is an interesting title.
Isn't there a Bible passage that would indicate that making the way you look at things "wide" is NOT the way to go?
Matthew 7:13-14 says, "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."
Why isn't it called, something like, "Narrow Angle, Framing your World View?" You just have to wonder.
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| http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/wide-angle-lenses.htm |
(More examples of interesting wide-angle photographic views here.)
When using a wide angle lens, things that are close will seem very large, Far away objects will appear unusually small and distant. You get a bigger view, but it distorts the reality.
Keep in mind too that in order to do this Wide Angle small group, six-week-long study, to get the proper worldview you or your congregation members will have to purchase books from Rick. You will need a study guide (one per person,) a leaders guide, (one per group) a DVD with video teachings by Rick, (or Mp3, transcripts and notes,) or maybe both. But wait, you will also need to acquire Chuck Colson's book, called, "The Good Life" (a required reading companion.)
Once you are convinced of needing to have your congregation take a Wide Angle study, Rick tells his hearers, that by doing this study they will learn the answers to "the four big questions that form "worldview." According to Rick, these are:
1. Where did I come from ?
2. How did the world get so messed up? Why is it in the mess that it is in?
3. What is the Solution? Answer? Is there some kind of redemption?
4. What should I do about it? What difference can I make?
Hmmm. Wouldn't a Bible Study be good to
answer these "BIG" questions?
How about that Sunday Sermon
covering Genesis or maybe
one of the gospels?
Where do Christians get their views anyhow?
(Answer: The Bible!)
(Answer: The Bible!)
If your church is messed up Rick and Chuck will help you get them the answers they need and a worldview too. And aren't you glad.... through the Wide Angle class they will learn how to fit into the world.
"A worldview is simply the way we think the world works, and how we fit into it. Everyone has a worldview, though most people are not aware of it. Understanding these worldviews is vitally important, because they shape our thoughts, attitudes, and actions." -Rick Warren, Wide Angle Study Guide, pg.10,
Pardon me,
but while he is teaching this
does Romans 12:2
come to mind?
How about Galatians 1:6-8
All these 2000 years, Christians have been hearing about Jesus, from reading about him in the Bible and the Bible was important because it showed us vitally important things we had to understand. The scriptures shaped our thoughts, even conformed our minds to the thoughts of God. Sure we all have worldviews, but it didn't and doesn't really matter what our view of the world is or was once God gave us a new perspective, His!
"To stand courageously, you have to know what the world believes and what God says is the truth." This is called a worldview- it's what you base your beliefs on."
-Rick Warren
"This is called a worldview- it's what you based your beliefs on. Everyone has a worldview. It is the lens through which you view life." -Rick Warren
A question or two might be asked here.
Isn't to say, "everyone has a worldview," the kind of thing that leads not only people with various worldviews to connecting in their common denominators instead of connecting with who God is, in the person of Jesus Christ....and isn't it also the sort of thinking that leads to a cultural relativism whereby everyone has their own truth?
You just have to wonder...
What is is that gives a person forgiveness of their sin and eternal life? Is it "faith in faith" or "faith in God," or faith in both God and Christ? Is it faith in hell and heaven?
You just have to wonder...
What is is that gives a person forgiveness of their sin and eternal life? Is it "faith in faith" or "faith in God," or faith in both God and Christ? Is it faith in hell and heaven?
"The way you deal with death is the ultimate test of your worldview. The way you deal with death is the ultimate test of your own personal beliefs." -Rick Warren
Rick Warren, bigthink.com; recorded December 11, 2007
With listening to Rick, if you do not already know the gospel truth about Jesus Christ you could be in spiritual danger, because with Rick's wide angle feature on the "gospel," of Jesus Christ, you could miss it completely. He will teach you a "worldview" or you could learn to build your life on something called "purpose" and be part of a community of faith, but you may never get the straight scoop on Jesus or what the Bible really says. Rick dismisses the importance of things like bible study and then has you reading his books, and this while presenting publicly only strange distorted glimpses of the Truth.
"The only way I’m going to get into heaven is by grace. It is a gift. I can’t earn it. I could never be good enough to earn perfection, and this is what is called the good news." -Rick Warren
Rick Warren, bigthink.com; recorded December 11, 2007
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