Which Story Will Shape Your University Education?

Lecture One

Michael GoheenMichael Goheen

IDIS 102, TWUIDIS 102, TWU

Romans 12.1-2Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your proper worship as rational beings. Do is your proper worship as rational beings. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is--his good, pleasing, approve what God’s will is--his good, pleasing, and perfect will.and perfect will.

Romans 12.1-2

Offer Offer wholewhole of your bodily lives as living of your bodily lives as living sacrifice—including university educationsacrifice—including university education

Negative: Do not conform to this worldNegative: Do not conform to this world Positive: Be transformed by renewing of Positive: Be transformed by renewing of

your mindyour mind Then you can know God’s willThen you can know God’s will

Paraphrase for this course

Offer up your whole university education as part Offer up your whole university education as part of your living sacrifice to God; this is simply of your living sacrifice to God; this is simply what you should do if you are a Christian. Do what you should do if you are a Christian. Do not allow your university education to be shaped not allow your university education to be shaped by the idolatrous story of our culture but let it be by the idolatrous story of our culture but let it be transformed by the gospel, by the story of the transformed by the gospel, by the story of the Bible. Then you will know, as a Christian Bible. Then you will know, as a Christian student, what pleases God—and you will grow student, what pleases God—and you will grow in that discernment of what kind of university in that discernment of what kind of university education conforms to God’s will.education conforms to God’s will.

Three parts to this course . . . and an assumption!

Assumption: You want to offer up your whole Assumption: You want to offer up your whole bodily lives as living sacrifices to Godbodily lives as living sacrifices to God

Biblical story and worldview (be transformed)Biblical story and worldview (be transformed) Western story and worldview (don’t be Western story and worldview (don’t be

conformed)conformed) University education (test and approve God’s University education (test and approve God’s

will)will)

Our whole lives are shaped by Our whole lives are shaped by some story.some story.

Our university education is Our university education is shaped by some story.shaped by some story.

Fox and the Crow

A fox compliments a crow: “My you have a lovely voice; won’t you sing me a song?”

What is the meaning of this event?

Fox and the CrowThe crow sits perched high in a tree with a piece of meat. There is a famine in the forest and all the animals use different strategies in an attempt to get the meat. The fox compliments the crow. It opens its mouth; the meat falls out and the fox runs away with it.

Don’t be deceived by flattery!

Story

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxBeginning Theme EndBeginning Theme End

Conflict/ResolutionConflict/Resolution

“I can only answer the question “What am I to do?” if I can answer the prior question “Of what story do I find myself a part?”

-Alasdair MacIntyre

“The way we understand human life depends on what conception we have of the human story. What is the real story of which my life story is a part?”

-Lesslie Newbigin

N. T. Wright

““. . . a story is the best way of . . . a story is the best way of talking about the way the world talking about the way the world actually is.”actually is.”

Brian Walsh

“ “ . . . The world is temporal, in . . . The world is temporal, in process, a worldview always process, a worldview always entails a story . . .which provides entails a story . . .which provides its adherents with an understanding its adherents with an understanding of their own role in global history. . of their own role in global history. . . Such a story tells us who we are . Such a story tells us who we are in history and why we are here.”in history and why we are here.”

A story functions like:

Spectacles - enable us to see, understand Spectacles - enable us to see, understand worldworld

Maps - show us the way in which we Maps - show us the way in which we should goshould go

Compasses - provide us with directionCompasses - provide us with direction Lights - illuminate pathLights - illuminate path Foundations - give shape and stability to Foundations - give shape and stability to

liveslives

Lesslie Newbigin In our contemporary culture . . . two quite different In our contemporary culture . . . two quite different

stories are told. One is the story of evolution, of the stories are told. One is the story of evolution, of the development of the species through the survival of the development of the species through the survival of the strong, and the story of the rise of civilization, our type strong, and the story of the rise of civilization, our type of civilization, and its success in giving humankind of civilization, and its success in giving humankind mastery of nature. The other story is the one embodied mastery of nature. The other story is the one embodied in the Bible, the story of creation and fall, of God’s in the Bible, the story of creation and fall, of God’s election of a people to be the bearers of his purpose for election of a people to be the bearers of his purpose for humankind, and of the coming of the one in whom that humankind, and of the coming of the one in whom that purpose is to be fulfilled. These are two different and purpose is to be fulfilled. These are two different and incompatible stories.incompatible stories.

Both stories:

Are normative: Claim to be true for allAre normative: Claim to be true for all Are comprehensive: Claim all of human lifeAre comprehensive: Claim all of human life Are religious: Centred in ultimate Are religious: Centred in ultimate

commitmentscommitments

Yet only one can be basic!Yet only one can be basic!

Living at the Crossroads

Problem

Faithfulness depends on understanding the Faithfulness depends on understanding the clash of these two stories. Yet . . .clash of these two stories. Yet . . .

. . . many Christians in West unaware of . . . many Christians in West unaware of their cultural story and its danger! (So we their cultural story and its danger! (So we are are somewhatsomewhat conformed to the world) conformed to the world)

. . . many Christians in West unaware of . . . many Christians in West unaware of Bible tells one story about the world (So are Bible tells one story about the world (So are not not sufficientlysufficiently transformed and renewed) transformed and renewed)

The Bible as one story

. . . the whole point of Christianity . . . the whole point of Christianity is that it offers a story which is the is that it offers a story which is the story of the whole world. It is story of the whole world. It is public truth. (N.T. Wright)public truth. (N.T. Wright)

“I can’t understand why you missionaries present the Bible to us in India as another book of religion. It is not a book of religion—and anyway we have plenty of books of religion in India already. We don’t need any more! I find in your Bible a unique interpretation of universal history, the history of the whole creation and the history of the human race. And therefore a unique interpretation of the human person as a responsible actor in history. That is unique. There is nothing else in the whole religious literature of the world to put alongside of it.

-Badrinath (Hindu scholar)

Danger!

Breaking up the Bible into little bits—moral, Breaking up the Bible into little bits—moral, sermon, theological, historical-critical, devotionalsermon, theological, historical-critical, devotional

““If we allow the Bible to become fragmented, it is in If we allow the Bible to become fragmented, it is in danger of being absorbed into whatever danger of being absorbed into whatever otherother story is story is shaping our culture, and it will thus cease to shape our shaping our culture, and it will thus cease to shape our lives as it should. Idolatry has twisted the dominant lives as it should. Idolatry has twisted the dominant cultural story of the secular Western world. If as believers cultural story of the secular Western world. If as believers we allow this story (rather than the Bible) to become the we allow this story (rather than the Bible) to become the foundation of our thought and action, then our lives will foundation of our thought and action, then our lives will manifest no the truths of Scripture, but the lies of an manifest no the truths of Scripture, but the lies of an idolatrous culture. Hence, the unity of Scripture is no idolatrous culture. Hence, the unity of Scripture is no minor matter: a fragmented Bible may actually produce minor matter: a fragmented Bible may actually produce theologically orthodox, morally upright, warmly pious idol theologically orthodox, morally upright, warmly pious idol worshippers! (worshippers! (Drama of ScriptureDrama of Scripture, 12), 12)

Some story will affect the whole Some story will affect the whole of your lives including your of your lives including your university education . . . university education . . .

. . . the only question is which one?. . . the only question is which one?

This course’s concern:

To understand the Biblical story and To understand the Biblical story and worldview and its shaping power university worldview and its shaping power university educationeducation

To understand the Western story and To understand the Western story and worldview and its shaping power on worldview and its shaping power on university educationuniversity education

To ask how we can be faithfulTo ask how we can be faithful

Which foundation will you build your university education on?

Jesus’ challenge: Matthew 7.24-27Jesus’ challenge: Matthew 7.24-27 Apostle Paul’s challenge: 1 Apostle Paul’s challenge: 1

Corinthians 3.11-15Corinthians 3.11-15