Christian Worldview 2

What to expect from this semester (Syllabus)

A Time of Review: What is a Worldview &

Why does it matter?

Syllabus

Course Description:

The course consists of the Christian worldview of human being and its
redemptive aspect.

A study of the Christian worldview of human being is the study of Biblical

anthropology (the doctrine of man) and hamartology (the doctrine of sin): his
origin, nature, purposes, and corruption because of sin. Emphasis will be given on
human being as a psycho-somatic unity created in the image of God; his state of
integrity; the covenant of work; the cultural mandate and its implications for
science and technology; the fall and its pervasive effects on human life; and the
epistemological implications of the fall. A study of the Christian worldview in
terms of its redemptive aspect will focus on Jesus Christ as the author, sustainer,
and restorer of creation. Emphasis will be given on the incarnation of Christ, His
divine-human nature, His messiahship as King, Priest, and Prophet, the meaning
of his redemptive work, and the significance of all these for developing a Christcentered worldview.

 General Instructional Objectives (GIO):

After the course, students will be able to:
Comprehend and appropriate the Biblical teaching of human being and its
redemptive aspect based on sound and valid methodology of biblical
interpretation.
Develop thorough theological concept of human being and its redemptive
aspect with its implications based on the Biblical teaching.
Demonstrate the significance and coherency of theological teaching of human
being and its redemptive aspect in the framework of Christian worldview.
Built and implement the framework of Christian worldview, with its Theological
teaching of human being and its redemptive aspect as integrated elements, in
making decisions related to objects and issues in his discipline, vocation,
ministry to others, and community.
Defend the Biblical soundness and rational validity of Theological teaching on
human being and its redemptive aspect, as the only presupposition for the
intelligibility of reality.
Analyze and critically evaluate every contemporary stream of thoughts in all
scientific disciplines related to humanity and cultural studies based on Christian
understanding of human being and its redemptive aspect.

Course Requirement:

Must be Christian or Catholic. If not and you want to take this class, please sign a statement
stating that you have registered for the class voluntarily.

Must have passed the Religion course: Survey of Old Testament and New Testament and
Christian Worldview 1 Course: Prolegomena, Bibliology, and Theology Proper.

Class Policy:
Students must come on time. Students will sign the attendance book at the start of class and,
after fifteen (15) minutes, the lecturer will call the roll. Students who do not answer the call
will be considered absent.
Students must come in proper clothing and are not allowed to wear sandals as the Program
Kasih stipulates.
Students must switch off their mobile-phones during class otherwise they will be confiscated.
Inattentive and intolerant students will be given penalty or lose 5 marks for each time they
create troubles or bring troublesome in the class.
Students must attend every class session. If a student cannot attend a class for any reason s/
he will be marked absent.
85 % of minimum attendance is strictly required before a student can sit for the Final Exam.
Attendance is counted starting from the first day of the class (not after the Drop-Add Period)
No permission letter is necessary; every absence for any reason will be counted towards the
15% maximum absences with result in a penalty applied to students final grade.

Media : Computer, LCD projector, whiteboard, and textbooks.

 Evaluation:
Presentation and Disputation (KAT 1)

10%

Chapel Attenance + Reflection paper (10x) (KAT 2)

Book Review (KAT 3)

15%

15%

Mid Semester 30%

Final Exam

30%

Total 100%
Execution
Presentation and Disputation (ongoing throughout the semesterBE IN CLASS
& ENGAGE IN DISCUSSION!!)
Reflection papers on Chapel Attendance must be turned in by the end of
November (sooner the better!)
Book Reviews will be turned in monthly (One in September, One in October, and
One in November). I will not accept all three book reviews at once and failure to
turn in a book review by the end of the month will result in a zero.
Exams will be ORAL and taken in groups of two or three. Questions will be
offered each class by the professor and you would be wise to record and review
the questions offered by the lecturer. You are expected to be able to integrate
lectures, reading, and experiences into your oral exams.

For worldview :

David C. Nauggle, Worldview : A History of A Concept,

Ronald H. Nash, Faith and Reason, Publisher :

Abraham Kuyper, Lectures On Calvinism,

For Biblical Anthropology, Hamartology, and Christology

Antony Hoekema, Created in Gods Image

Louis Berkhof, Systematic Theology (New Combined Edition 1996

Reformed Confession : Heidelberg Catechism and Westminster Standards (Confession of Faith,

Shorter, and Larger Catechism).

References for Lecturers :

Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology

Bavinck, Herman. Reformed Dogmatics:God and Creation

Bavinck, Herman. Reformed Dogmatics:Sin And Salvation In Christ.

G Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction To Biblical Doctrine, InterVarsity

Press,1994.

Calvin, John. Institutes of the Christian Religion.

Abraham Kuyper, Lectures on.

 Middleton, The Transforming Vision (Illinois:Intervarsity Press, 1984).

Henry R. Van Til, The Calvinistic Concept of Culture
J.P. Moreland and William Lane Craig, Philosophical Foundations For A
Christian Worldview
Journal of Christianity and Society, XIII No. 2, April 2003 (Available at
http://www.kuyper.org).
Til, Cornelius Van. Introduction to Systematic Theology. Ronald Nash, Iman
dan Akal Budi (Surabaya : Penerbit Momentum, 2003).
Klaas Schilder, Christ And Culture (Available at
http://www.contra-mundum.org).
Herman Bavinck, Calvin and Common Grace ( Available at
http://www.contra-mundum.org).
J. Richard Middleton, Liberating
Gordon J. Spykman, Reformational Theology: A New Paradigm For Doing
Richard B. Gaffin Jr. (Ed.), Redemptive History and Biblical Interpretation: The
Shorter Writings of Geerhardus Vos (Phillipsburg, New Jersey: P&R Publishing,
1980).
John M. Frame, A Theology of Lordship: The Doctrine of The Christian Life Vern
S. Poythress, Reedeming Science: A God-Centered Approach
John Murray, The Imputation of Adams Sin

What is a Worldview
> review<

What is a Worldviewreview

According to Albert Wolters in his book Creation

Regained, a worldview is the comprehensive
framework of ones basic beliefs about things.
Things = everything in general and they can include
God, the world, human life, education, purpose, etc.
Beliefs = cognitive claim and basic heart commitment.
Basic = the fundamental beliefs, general principles, and
answers to questions about ultimate reality.
Framework= each belief relates to other beliefs and
form a coherent and consistent whole.

WV Review (cont.)
According to David K. Naugle, worldview is a
system of narrative signs that establishes a
powerful framework within which people think
(reason), interpret (hermeneutic), and know
(epistemology).
Worldview is a semiotic phenomenon.
Culture is a communicative phenomenon

 Popular Culture is the product of large, heterogeneous and

technologically developed societies. Within popular culture,
businesses manufacture products that are intended to generate
profit through mass consumption and frequent disposal. In this
way, popular culture changes very little over space but it varies
greatly in time (no one wears last summer's fashions, ect). Popular
Culture does not respond to, or take into consideration, local
environments or conditions.
Folk Culture is the product of small, isolated, homogenous
societies. Within folk culture, people produce goods in response to
the local environment in order to meet a need. In this way, folk
culture is highly variable over space (a community on this island
may farm or build houses or speak languages that are very different
from those expressions on the island that is one mile away), but it is
not very variable in time (the people of this island have been
farming this way for centuries).

 So How do we decide the ethics of eating or the

morals of marriage?

Can we eat horses and marry children? Can children

marry horses? Are our standards relative to our
cultures?

The unifying tie of narrative

How our framework is organized: STORY

Worldview as STORY (how everything is related)
STORY as SOLUTION (How the tough questions are answered)
STORY united in SYMBOLS (How the values are celebrated and
represented)

STORY giving SUBSTANCE (How one lives in light of these realities)

Video discussion: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUz0L4emNko

 Blooms journey to find significance in his brothers

story, looking for substance in the symbols of lives
of theft.

How do our journeys find significance in other

stories, looking for substance in the symbols of our
fields of study, social lives,?

Example of a worldview

A scientific narrative : ...there is an external world which can in

principle be exhaustively described in scientific language. The
scientist, as both observer and language-user, can capture the
external facts of the world in propositions that are true if they
correspond to the facts and false if they do not. Science is ideally
a linguistic system in which true propositions are in one-to-one
relation to facts, including facts that are not directly observed
because they involve hidden entities or properties, or past events
or far distant events. These hidden events are described in
theories, and theories can be inferred from observation, that is,
the hidden explanatory mechanism of the world can be
discovered from what is open to observations. Man as scientist is
regarded as standing apart from the world and able to
experiment and theorize about it objectively and
dispassionately. The story of science and her symbols give us
significance to life and solutions to our problems

THE STRUCTURE & TEST of a Worldview

In theoretical dimensions, our worldview is a function of what we learn. When we have
attained a maturity in the development of our cognitive ability, we can define our
worldview philosophically. Philosophically speaking, our worldview is an answer to three
different philosophical questions. Firstly, metaphysics. We always ask questions like what is the
nature of reality ? what is the relation between God and reality ? Is there a meaning in this
reality ? Is there a miracle in reality ? Secondly, epistemology. We always ask questions like can
we trust our common sense ? What is the role of common sense in science ? Can we trust our
sense perception to give us accurate knowledge about reality ? Can God and revelation be know ?
Is there an ultimate truth ? Thirdly, ethics. We always ask moral questions like is there a moral
law ? Is the moral law relative or absolute ? Is moral law transcend the limitation of culture,
history, and individual ?
According to biblical teaching, worldview is a basic heart commitment and a gift. But in
philosophical-academic level, scholars try to devise some methods to test a worldview : First, a
theoretical test. This test includes, firstly, a rational test. A worldview must in accord with the
laws of logic especially the law of non-contradiction. Second, an experience test. A world view
must in accord with our inner and outer experience. Third, a practical test. A worldview is
not only a matter of cognitive but also an applicative. Actually, we must live out our worldview
consistently. We cannot live on a contradictory worldview.

Christianity as Worldview

Is Christianity a worldview too ? Yes. God the Creator of Heaven &

earth & there is no distinction between the secular and Sacred( or even
the Holy and prophane Lev. 19). Secondly, Christianity gives
us basic and ultimate principles about all of the component of
worldview mentioned earlier, theology, metaphysics, epistemology,
ethics, and anthropology & answers major ???s of life.
From Reformed Theologian, Herman Bavinck : The essence of the
Christian religion consists in the reality that the creation of the
Father, ruined by sin, is restored in the death of the Son of God
and re-created by the grace of the Holy Spirit into the Kingdom of
God. This give us insight that Christian WorldView covers the aspects
of creation, fall, and redemption. This is our pattern to comprehend all
of reality in all its totality and answers all the questions of life.

How a Redemptive Historical

Timeline helps us see the
STORY
Creation

REDEMPTION

I-I-----------------------------I----------------------I------>
FALL

Gen 1-3
Exodus
Israel
Christ
Church
New Havens & the New Earth

CONSUMATION

Lecture 2- Biblical
Anthropology

Contemporary Images
of Humanity

Pertama
BOOK REVIEW: ONE BOOK- CREATION
REGAINED by Albert Wolters
A GOOD BOOK REVIEW

A thorough Summary (@ a page)

A Personal engagement (@ a page)
A Sincere application (@ page)
DUE BY OCTOBER 29

Questions from last class

What is a worldview and what are the functions of a
worldview (include a particular application for your
field of study)?
How does Scripture (Gods Word) offer a worldview
for the Christian through giving us the True Story of
the world, offering us true solutions to our
questions and true significance for our lives?
ALSO, class will end regularly at 3:20
Questions? Email me at Albert.Moore@uph.edu

WHAT DO YOU SEE?

Worldview shaped by
Popular culture
MONEY!
POWER!
COMFORTABLE THINGS I CAN BUY
SIGNIFICANCE!
SECURITY!
Why? It is a closed world view with no eternal
perspective. What matters is how I look and feel and
what others think of me! SHOW ME THE MONEY!!

A Biblical Worldview
on piles of money
Money is a Monetary System Created by Humans, who were created
by God created (Ps 24:1) Money is printed & coined on materials God
has (Hag 2:8)
We are to remember the Lord who gives us wealth (Deut 8:18)
Worshipping wealth is a trap & will cause grief (1 Tim 6:9-10)
We worship God with our money (Mal 3:8-10) & we cannot serve
Jesus and money (Mt 6:4)
Money can be used for good (2 Cor 8:1-5,9:7; Gal 2:9-10, MT 25)
Wealth Builds the eternal Kingdom (Rev 21:18-21) & should be used
to build the Kingdom today as we serve the purposes of the king

You see the difference a

worldview makes?
Your comprehensive framework of ones basic beliefs about
things helps you identify
Whose STORY are you living in (Comprehensive framework)?
(Pop culture humanism OR Scripture)
What symbols do you celebrate (hermeneutical interpretation)?
(Cars, houses OR Cross, Kingdom)
How are you finding solutions (metaphysical questions)?
(money = happiness? OR Gods design)
What is the substance of your life (ethics- how do you now live)?

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF

HUMANITY?
& CONTEMPORARY
IMAGES?

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF HUMANITY?

& CONTEMPORARY IMAGES?
A complex machine formed by chance through
evolution?
A sexual being purposed to reproduce
A social being, not important as an individual,
important only for creating utopia?
A pawn to play a role OR a free being to grow in
intelligence
What we believe about the purpose of humanity
speaks volumes about
our belief of the origin of humanity

Westminster Shorter
Catechism
What is the Chief end of man (purpose)?
>To Glorify God and enjoy Him forever
WHY? Because a Biblical worldview has a clear starting
point for humanity: God Created us, so in Him we find
our purpose, happiness, and satisfaction!
READ: Genesis 1:27, Colossians 1:12-17, Heb 1:1-3

Popular theories on the origin

of humanity
Naturalism: Trying to explain the origin of
humanity apart from a Creator
Chance has caused random combinations of atom, motion,
and time. After many creatures appeared in this world, nature
still produces many creatures by the same process.
Natural selection happens when the higher level of evolved
creatures compete for survival. or competition. The best
creatures will survive.
Humans won the evolutionary struggle for survival in the
evolutionary journey and are the highest evolv
-

Introduction to Naturalism
Copernicus (1473- 1543)
Published On the Revolutions of the Celestial
Sphere.
The first astronomer to formulate a comprehensive
heliocentric cosmology.

Introduction to Naturalism
Geocentric Universe

Heliocentric Universe

Introduction to Naturalism
Johannas Kepler (1571-1630)
Was the first important
astronomer to follow
Copernicus.
Deeply influenced by
Pythagorean philosophy,
Kepler developed a model of
the universe that was
mathematical in nature.

Introduction to Naturalism
Rene Descartes (1596-1650)
Descartes set the stage for naturalism by conceiving of
the universe as a giant mechanism.

Introduction to Naturalism

Descartes Mechanistic Universe

Introduction to Naturalism
Charles Darwin (1809-1882) & The Origin of Species
He established that all species of life have descended
over time from common ancestry, and proposed the
scientific theory that this branching pattern of
evolution resulted from a process that he called
natural selection.

Naturalism
Question : What is the nature of the world around
us?
Answer: The universe exists as a uniformity of
cause and effect in a closed system.

Naturalism
Question : What is a
human being?
Answer: Human beings
are complex machines;
personality is an
interrelation of chemical
and physical properties
we do not yet fully
understand.

Naturalism
Question: What happens to a person at death?

Naturalism
Question : How do we know what is right and
wrong (ETHICS)?
Answer: Human experience in cultural
frameworks.
God

Right
and
Wrong

Naturalism
Question: What is the meaning of history?
Answer: History is a linear stream of events
linked by cause and effect but without an
overarching purpose.

IS NATURALISM
COMPATIBLE WITH A
BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW?

IS NATURALISM
COMPATIBLE WITH A
BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW?

NATURALISM MUST ANSWER THESE ??s

Where is the origin of Creation? Hoe do we relate to things like

math, Science, history, and philosophy? They are GOOD! But
they are NOT GOD! Vehicles for HIS GLORY
(Richard Dawkins at the end of his logichttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoncJBrrdQ8 )
How do you explain the complexity of nature and organisms
and their internal communication within systems?
How do you explain natural laws such as gravity?

Implications of contemporary
views of humanity

Business: Health: Education. Science. Rule of Law. City

Planning

A central component of Christian social teaching, and Catholic

social thought in particular, is how to best avoid objectifying
man, how best to maintain a social order that retains both the
dignity and the liberty of every individual, so that they may have
the opportunity to develop of their own accord, following in the
footsteps of Christ. The effect that economic processes have on
man and society is therefore a crucial inquiry. It is a concern that
every good Christian has an obligation to take pause and
consider. Michael Novak in the
JournalofMarkets&Morality Publisher:ActonInstitute

We need a Copernican
Revolution of our SOUL!
When we make the spiritual discovery that God is sovereign
over all of creation, the maker of all that exists, the sustainer of
every atom and molecule, the architect of human history, and
the planner of our very own lives as well, a similar revolution
takes place in the human heart. Our discovery of the theocentric state of the universe-- that God reigns in every sphere of
life through the radiance of His Son Jesus Christ-- is no
accident. This new manner of thinking is nothing less than the
drawing, prompting, and confirmation of Gods Holy Spirit
Himself.
BE TRANSFORMED! (Romans 12:1-2)

Theology/CWIILECTURE 3
Opening our system with a Biblical
worldview to better integrate our faith.

Study Questions
1) What is the importance of having an eternal
perspective on our fields of study and vocations?
How is our life, studies, and fields of vocations a
chasing after the wind if we do not live our of a
Biblical World View?
2) How does understanding the complexity of
creation (particularly humans in this lecture) help
us embrace the reality of a loving Creator and,
through that knowledge, an eternal perspective?

Synthesis between Science

& Faith
What fields of study are used in this video?
How do we see different fields in this video
serving as vehicles for glorifying God?
How do we see different fields of expertise
worked into the greater Story of God?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zWKm-LZWm4

The issue: chasing after the

wind or seeing from the Son
Ecclesiastes: All of life is vanity, a chasing after the wind (1:14).
But from what perspective? UNDER THE SUN

Ecc Chapter 2
Wild living (1)
Wine (3)
Wisdom (3)
Work(s) (4)
Woman & workers (7)
Want (10)
Weariness = result (2:11, 17 ), wrangling the wind

The issue: chasing after the

wind or seeing from the Son
Peggy Noonan, former speech writer for Presidents Reagan and
Bush, wrote in a 1992 issue of Forbes magazine:
"I think we have lost the knowledge that happiness is over-rated - that, in a
way, life is over-rated. We have lost, somehow, a sense of mystery - about us,
our purpose, our meaning, our role. Our ancestors believed in two worlds,
and understood this to be the solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short one.
We are the first generations of man that actually expected to find happiness
here on earth, and our search for it has caused such unhappiness. The
reason: if you do not believe in another, higher world, if you believe only in
the flat material world around you, if you believe that this is your only
chance at happiness - if that is what you believe, then you are not
disappointed when the world does not give you a good measure of its riches,
you are despairing." (From The Florida Times Union, Jacksonville,
Thurs. June 23,1994)

The issue: chasing after the wind

or seeing from the Son
After 11 chapters of re-enforcing this message, the Preacher
opens the system and connects us with the eternal:
Remember your Creator in the days of your youth (12:1)
Receive the wisdom of the written Word (12:9-10)
Revive yourself with seeing life from the perspective of the
Lord (12:13-14)

REALIZE your work is not in vain!

1Cor. 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast,
immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord,
knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

Psalm 139:14
I will praise thee; for I
am fearfully and
wonderfully made:
marvelous are thy
works; and that my soul
knoweth right well.

Cellular Complexity

Cellular Information
Nucleus

Cellular Complexity
To grasp the reality of life as it has been
revealed by molecular biology, we must
magnify a cell a thousand million times
until it is twenty kilometers in diameter
and resembles a giant airship large
enough to cover a great city like London
or New York. What we would then see
would be an object of unparalleled
complexity andDenton,
adaptive
design
.
M,. Evolution: A Theory in Crisis,
Adler and Adler, Maryland, p328, 1986

Human DNA = about 1000

books.
2mm pile of DNA =
500 stacks of books
reaching the moon.
stack reaching the sun.
1600 km stack of CDs.

Body Systems
Circulatory
Respiratory
Digestive
Excretory
Skeletal
Muscular
Nervous
Endocrine
Immune
Integument
Reproductive

Irreducibly
Complex

Immune System
Interaction
Multiple systems are
involved in providing
protection from
infectious organisms.
Circulatory system
Lymphatic system
Skeletal system

Immune system origin?

Gerhart, John and Marc Kirschner. 1997.

Cells, Embryos & Evolution. Malden, MA: Blackwell Science.
p. 161.

Nervous
System
The nervous system connect
the sensory systems with
the response systems.
There are nearly 45 miles of
nerves running through
our bodies.

Nerve Cells
(neurons)
Longest is more
than a meter long
100 billion neurons
in human body
1 billion in the
spinal cord alone.

Nerve Cells
(neurons)
1,000 to 10,000
synapses
(connections) for a
"typical" neuron.
100 trillion
synapses minimum.

Our Amazing
Brain

The brains weighs only

3 pounds but uses 25%
of the bodies oxygen.
There are about 100
billion (neurons) giving
a minimum of 100
trillion connections in
the brain.

Our amazing Brain

Cosgrove, Mark P. 1987.

The Amazing Body Human: Gods design for
personhood. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.
p. 145

The Eye

 There are over 10

million cone & rod
cells in the retina of
the eye - packed
together with a
density up to
200,000/sq. mm
Each of these minute
photoreceptor cells is
vastly more complex
than our most
sophisticated
computer.

Photoreceptors

Retina
10 billion calculations occur every second in the
retina before the image even gets to the brain.

We are beginning to know something about the scientific

mechanism involved in signal processing of 3-D color
vision in real time . . .
But evolutionists are no
closer to a scientific
explanation of how the
eye evolved than
Darwin had in the
1860s

Respiratory System
Our lungs inhale over two
million liters of air every
day to bring in O2 and
discard CO2

They contain about 600

million tiny air sacs called
alveoli. If flattened out,
the lungs would cover
about 1,000 square feet.

Skeletal System
There are 206 bones in the adult
human body - more than half are
in the hands and feet.
The skeletal system is also
responsible for making new cells
for the circulatory system and
immune system. In the adult, the
marrow of flat bones makes 2.5
million RBCs/second.

Circulatory System

Hard working heart..

Your heart beats100,000 times in one day, about
40,000,000 times a year, and 3 billion times during the
average life span pumping a total of1.2 million pounds
of blood .

In one hour, the

heart works hard
enough to produce
the energy necessary
to lift almost 2000
pounds of weight
one meter off the
ground.

 Is only the size of the tip of your thumb and

weighs 4 g.
Yet it regulates homeostasis as well as
thirst, body temperature, water balance,
hunger, and blood pressure.
It links the endocrine system with the
nervous system.

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enough memory to open the image, or the image may have
been corrupted. Restart your computer, and then open the file
again. If the red x still appears, you may have to delete the
image and then insert it again.

Smell
Human olfactory
receptors 40 mill.
Dog olfactory
receptors - ???

True Science

 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do

good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do--Ephesians 2:10

Chris Ashcraft M.S., M.Ed., MTMS. USED W PERMISSION

CW2/ Theology 2
lecture 4
Psychological & sociological
understanding of a human being

CW2/ Theology 2
lecture 4
A GOOD BOOK REVIEW

A thorough Summary (@ a page)

A Personal engagement (@ a page)
A Sincere application (@ page)
DUE BY OCTOBER 29

Creation Regained for Book review. You can find the

book in the Momentum Christian Book Store in
Tanah Abang 3 Street, Number 1 OR look online at
google books- Creation Regained (free)

Human Development
After briefly looking at the amazing
complexity of the Human body, lets take
a moment to learn about the process of
development from conception to birth:
http://www.evolutionnews.org/2012/03/
mathematician_a057741.html

Remember our worldview

Your comprehensive framework of ones basic beliefs about
things helps you identify
Whose STORY are you living in (Comprehensive framework)?
(Pop culture humanism OR Scripture)
What symbols do you celebrate (hermeneutical interpretation)?
(Cars, houses OR Cross, Kingdom)
How are you finding solutions (metaphysical questions)?
(money = happiness? OR Gods design)
What is the substance of your life (ethics- how do you now live)?

Test your worldview:

Human Development
Ethics within the womb: Embryonic Stem Cell
research & the questions of abortion
Since stem cells have the ability to differentiate into
any type of cell, they offer something in the
development of medical treatments for a wide range
of conditions. Treatments that have been proposed
include treatment for physical trauma, degenerative
conditions, and genetic diseases (in combination
with gene therapy). Yet further treatments using
stem cells could potentially be developed thanks to
their ability to repair extensive tissue damage.-Science Daily 29th march 2006

Embryonic stem cell

research cont
Embryos are not equivalent to human life while they are still
incapable of surviving outside the womb (i.e. they only have the
potential for life).
More than a third of zygotes do not implant after conception.[20][21]
Thus, far more embryos are lost due to chance than are proposed to
be used for embryonic stem cell research or treatments.
Blastocysts are a cluster of human cells that have not differentiated
into distinct organ tissue; making cells of the inner cell mass no
more "human" than a skin cell.[19]
Some parties contend that embryos are not humans, believing that
the life of Homo sapiens only begins when the heartbeat develops,
which is during the 5th week of pregnancy,[22] or when the brain
begins developing activity, which has been detected at 54 days after
conception.[23]
Peter Singer & Kathlene Berger

The question of abortion

abortion for the sake of the mother's health
including her mental health
abortion where a pregnancy is the result of a crime
such as crimes like rape, incest, or child abuse
abortion where the child of the pregnancy would have an ' unacceptable quality of life' such
as cases where the child would have
serious physical handicaps,
serious genetic problems,
serious mental defects
abortion for social reasons, including:
poverty,
mother unable to cope with a child (or another child),
mother being too young to cope with a child
abortion as a matter of government policy
as a way of regulating population size
as a way of regulating groups within a population
as a way of improving the population

Where do you stand on the

ethics of abortion & Stem
Cell research?

The math of human life: Essay- The Sword of Solomon (From Ravi
talk 1) There is a sense in which two and two are four,The plane of
ledgers and cashbooks on which these propositions are
approximately sound, But if you rise from that plane to a loftier
one, You will find at once that they are untenable it is obviously
untrue that half-a-baby and half-a-baby make a baby, Let the
sword do its deadly work The two halves of a baby make no
baby at all, "On this higher plane of human sentiment and
experience, the laws of mathematics collapse completely

From 1 Kings 3:16-28

Why is the value of human

life incalculable?
God Created: Gen 1
Man in His image: Gen 1:27
The Lord is involved in the womb: Jer 1:5; Gen
25:24, 30:3; Job 31:15; Ps 71:6, 139:13; Luke 1:31
The Lord cares about life: Gen 4:10 (what have you
done!?... & He came that we may have life: Jn
11:25-26, 14:6
The Lord wants us to protect life: Gen 9:6, Ex 20:13

The Origin of Humanity

In the Christianity itself, there are several theories about humanity. The key point of difference
between these theories is about the nature of Gods work to create all things. Is Gods work
characterised by a process or by immediacy and discontinuity ? This question is answered
differently by Christian scientific theories about the origin. Firstly, there is fiat creationism. This
view believes that God has brought everything out from nothing. There are two features of this
theory. Firstly, the brevity of the time envolved. While there are various stages in the creation, but there
is not substantial amount of time elapsed from beginning to the end of the process. Secondly, God
created everything by His direct or immediate actions and by discontinuities. Therefore, creation was
brought out not from ever existing organism but from nothing. Instead of that, every species was
created by God too. This view is built upon the literal reading of the Bible. So there is no difficulty to
reconcile this view with what the Bible said about the origin.

Secondly, deistic evolution. According to this view, God just created the first living matter and
implanted the laws that will govern the matters development. After that, God withdrew from His own
creation and give way to that creature, through the process of evolution, to become what it is now by
itself. In this view, God is the ultimate cause of everything but evolution is the proximate cause. This
view contradicts the Bible because the Bible told us that God never created just first living matter but
He was involved in all the process of creation, including in the creation of man. Beside that, this view
contradicts the Biblical teaching of Gods providence, which is define as God is personally and
intimately concerned with and involved in what is going on the specific events within his entire
creatuion.

Question 1
How does a Biblical worldview
differ from a secular worldview on
the question of ethics in regards to
human development in the womb?
WHY!?! And please give specific
examples

Does it matter what we are

born into?
he 1989 overthrow and execution of Romanian dictator Nicolae
Ceausescu provided the first glimpse of a country that had been
mostly closed to the outside world and many of the scenes were
appalling.
Among the most disturbing were images of tens of thousands of
abandoned children suffering abuse and neglect in Romania's
orphanages. Many were confined to cribs, wallowing in their own
filth and facing mental health issues.
There was outrage globally & many moved to adopt.
Abandoned children suffered from Reactive Attachment Disorder.
The lack of expressed love (hugs, encouraging words, a safe family
atmosphere) led to dysfunctional development (do not trust
authority) and self destructive behavior
Several thousand are still homeless

(From NPR)

When we do not connect in a

loving community we will not
mature and develop as God
has designed us toPhysically, Emotionally, &
Spiritually

 The Value & Perspectives of Psychology & Sociology:

Psychology helps us in Study of the mind & human behavior
from several perspectives (Psycodynamic, behavioral,
Cognitive, Biological, Cross-Cultural, evolutionary,
humanistic). To understand modify behavior. To understand
the world and how our environment shapes us. To improve
our emotional and spiritual well being and our relationship
with others.
Sociology aid us in our understanding of group attitudes
cultural values, behaviors , political processes of workers,
families, organizations, consumers, and governments. Major
perspectives include structural/ functional models, Social
conflict models, Symbolic interactive models, knowledge
based models, interpretive, critical, and empathetic models, as
well as scientific models all helping us have a systematic
study of human society.

How a Biblical Worldview

can enhance these
disciplines

Human relationships
What was not good
before the fall?

Human Relationships
It is not good for man to be alone
Gen 1:28
Wisdom from above the sun points
us to the value of relationships:
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

Human relationships
We are created in Gods image:
Genesis 1:27
Why does this matter?

Human Relationships
COMMUNITY OF GOD FATHER
God exists in relationship
within Himself- Father, Son,
& Holy Spirit

SON

HOLY SPIRIT

John 14:16; 16:13-15; Mt 3:13-17;

Creation, Recreation

Human relationships
GOD
Loving
Communicating

imaging

Humanity
Loving
Communicating

Ruling

ruling

Giving

Giving

Sharing

Sharing

Knowing

Knowing

Human Relationships
Kuypers Sphere of Society: the family, business, science, the arts
and so son. It stands in antithesis to the State. Society, he declares,
is not one whole, but a number of diverse parts. Each part has
"sovereignty in the individual social spheres and these different
developments of social life have nothing above themselves but
God, and the state cannot intrude here" (p. 116). The family is the
basis of all human social relations, and as such is based upon the
primal blood relationship. Thus society functions organically and
may be compared at this level to a plant. In society "the chief aim
of all human effort remains what it was by virtue of our creation
and before the fall - namely, domination over nature" (p. 117).
(SPHERE OF STATE WILL BE COVERED LATER)

Human Relationships
THE FAMILY: How our families shape us
(nature or nurture?)

God designed the family: Gen 2:18-25 & gives

direction for the family (Duet 6:6-7; Eph 6:1-4)
Sin has destroyed the family: Genesis 4:1-12

Human Relationships
The casualties of family destruction:

The power of family redemption:

Choose this day whom
you will serve

Human Relationships
God chooses a family to redeem
families and give us a new family
Genesis 12:1-3;
We can come from anywhere into
Gods family by faith: Joshua 2:1-14
We are apart of the same family by
faith (Galatians 4:1-7)

Throughout church history great men and women have written a

this journey to help us understand the larger picture, or map, of w
in our lives. In The Critical Journey: Stages in the Life of Faith,
Robert Guelich developed a model that includes the essential pla
our journeys.1
The following
is my
adaptation
of FAMILIES
their work. Should we?
DEALING
WITH
BROKEN

Human relationships
Stage 1
Life-Changing
Awareness of God

Stage 6
Transformed into Love

Stage 2
Discipleship
(Learning)

Stages of
Faith
Stage 3
The Active Life
(Serving)

Stage 5
Journey Outward
(From my inner life)

adapted from
Janet Hagberg/ Robert Guelich

Stage 4
Journey Inward

THE WALL

Human Relationships
God Grieves (Jn 11) and can be grieved (Eph 4:30)
God has anger (Jn 2:12-16; Deut 1:37)
God rejoices (Isa 62:5; Zeph 3:17)
God gets a broken heart (Gen 6:6)
God meets us in our brokenness (Isaiah 63:7-9) to heal us
(Psalm 147:3). God entered into our brokenness Phil to make
everything sad become untrue (Revelation 21:1-4)

Human Relationships
It was said to Dietrich Bonhoeffer
God doesnt understand my
suffering, to which he replied, Only
the suffering God can help. It is said,
God doesnt care about my emotions
to which I reply, Only an emotional
God can help you understand what it
means to be created in His image.

Human Relationships
The New Order of God in the here and now:
Control Vulnerability
Dread Faith & trust
Self will Surrender
Hopeless apathy hope filled compassion
Resignation acceptance
Management Mystery

Lust passion

Helpless powerless

Defensive security

Worry faith

Judgment discernment

Pride confession
repentance

Self-justification humble

Penance transformation

Survive thrive

Human
relationships
The benefits of emotions
VS
IMPAIRMENT
HURT
Feel your feelings, name your wounds, begin healing
Resentment
SADNESS
LONLINESS
FEAR

Value and honor what is present & missed

Self Pity

Frees us to ask for help and reach for relationship

Apathy

Helps us practice and prepare for accomplishment Anxiety/ Rage

ANGER helps us tell truth, dares to hope, arouses desire

Depression/
perfectionism
SHAME Awakens us to humility (Biblical need & dependency)
shame/ Pride/ Rage

Toxic

GUILT Offers freedom to seek forgiveness Pride/ toxic shame

GLADNESS Reveals fullness and richness of life

Happiness/ Entertainmen

Human Relationships
The Psalms mirror the human soul.
We look into them & we see
ourselves- TCOTS
The Psalms- Language for Life
(Example Ps 6)

Human Relationships
Sociology aid us in our understanding of group attitudes
cultural values, behaviors , political processes of workers,
families, organizations, consumers, and governments. Major
perspectives include structural/ functional models, Social
conflict models, Symbolic interactive models, knowledge
based models, interpretive, critical, and empathetic models,
as well as scientific models all helping us have a systematic
study of human society.
Our societies are broken and twisted by sin. What is the
problem?

Human relationships
According to UNICEF, 22,000 children die each day due to
poverty. And they die quietly in some of the poorest villages
on earth, far removed from the scrutiny and the conscience of
the world. Being meek and weak in life makes these dying
multitudes even more invisible in death.
Number of children in the world2.2 billion; Number in poverty1 billion
(every second child)Shelter, safe water and health. For the 1.9 billion
children from the developing world, there are:
640 million without adequate shelter (1 in 3)
400 million with no access to safe water (1 in 5)
270 million with no access to health services (1 in 7)
Children out of education worldwide121 million

Human Relationships

Human Relationships

Slavery still exists. It is estimated that there are anything

between 10 million and 27 million slaves in the world
today.4 (ILO and freetheslaves.net)

The reason for this broad range is that those people being
counted are largely a hidden population.5 (CNN
Freedom Project)

It is estimated that human traffi cking alone generates

annual profi ts of around $32 billion. (ILO)

The majority of trafficking victims are between 18 and 24

years of age.7 (UN.GIFT)

In 1850, the cost of a slave (in todays dollars) was $40,000,

the avg. price of a slave today is $90.8 (Free the Slaves)

Human Relationships
The victims most vulnerable are women and children. Children in particular
are sold, bonded, trafficked, subjected to commercial sexual exploitation,
recruited into armed conflicts and forced to work as domestic workers.9
(antislavery.org)
Several factors contribute to the persistence of slavery practices despite it
being illegal in most countries, most significantly, poverty, the lack
of enforcement of anti-slavery laws, and crime and corruption, including at
the state level.10 (Free the Slaves)
Slavery has various forms today including human trafficking, forced labour,
descent-based slavery, bonded labour and child labour.11 (antislavery. org)
Other less known forms of slavery include domestic servitude, forced
marriage and those traded for the purpose of organ removal.12 (United
Nations Offi ce on Drugs and Crime)

Human Relationships
The sum total of our daily interactions lead to a
grand picture showing us that there is a problem!!!
What is the solution??

God Creates a new humanity with New Hearts and

a New Ethic where we are to bring redemption to
bear in the world: Acts 2, Philemon & slavery in the
Roman Empire. What was the churches role? How
does a Biblical worldview interact with social evils
as we have seen above?

Human Relationships
Outside of the issue of slavery, does Scripture speak
to social responsibility for the people of God?
Joseph, Daniel, Esther, Jeremiahs call for shalom (Jer
29), Jesus call for Salt & Light, vision of the New
heavens
What this looks like practically: Luther on Mt 6:11Give us our daily bread (FARM TO TABLE!!)
Planter-> farmer->reaper-> milker-> city planner-> grocery> baker-> shop keeper

Human Relationships
What is missing from this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1Ze_wpS_o0
The declaration that the market is God's greatest gift to help His people serve others.
The suburban setting, with two innocent American girls celebrating the fruits of laborers
never really seen from around the world. The total ignoring of any of the accusation of
exploitation coming from the Majority World. The total ignoring of any of the dangers
implicit in putting technologies like Smart Phones in the hands of 6 year oldswho are,
apparently, needing to talk to friends across the country "face-to-face" (with no irony) and
check the stock market.The baptizing of the market as "magical," with the disturbing
image of the iPhone blazing with light and almost sucking the young girls in as it
educates them in the way the world works. And most disturbingly of all, the clear
statement at the end, implicit throughout, that the invisible hand which turns our selfinterest into everyone's benefit is truly the Hand of God.Michael Rhodes
A Biblical Worsldview calls us to use the market as a vehicle for the Lords work and not
salvation for the Lords world.
The problem with this [dominant] theological economics is that it is soeasilyused,
soreadilyrelevant. It will not create martyrs. It will only legitimize the dominant social practices
of the ruling powers, even when it seeks to reform them with religio-moral values. . .The
economicssupportedby these theological doctrines actually does not need them . . This theology
does not matter to the economy, and this results not from the lack of theological work in this area,
but because of it. - D. Stephen Long, Divine Economy

Question 2
Does a Biblical Worldview call us to retreat from the
brokenness of our families and society or call us to
engage the brokenness? What examples do you see
of this in Scripture? Please prove your point with
practical application for your chosen field

Lecture 5
MAN
AS THE
IMAGE OF GOD

Questions
1) What is the significance of understanding the
Biblical picture of the Image of God to better
understand why we are the Crown of Creation?
Please give three examples
2) What is the Old Testament picture of the image of
God and how it was affected by sin? How does the
sin of idolatry interact with the disorder of the
image of God brought by humanities rebellion
against God?

God Created
The Lord is INTIMATELY INVOLVED with his
creation
Psalm. 139:13
Exodus 4:11
Matthew 6:26
Psalm 104:21, 27-30

Why did God create man?

ISAIAH 43:7; I Corinthians 10:31

What is unique about the

crown of creation?

What is unique about the

crown of creation?
Nehemiah 9:6, Acts 17:24-26
Genesis 1:26-28: Image and likeness are used
synonymously and interchangeably.
TESLEM = to carve or to cut
DEMUTH = To be Like
Gen. 5:1-3 & Gen 9:6
Psalm 8 & Colossians 3:10 (more on this when we
get to NT teaching on Imago Dei next class)

What is unique about the

crown of creation?
The image of God in which man was created certainly includes what
is generally called original righteousness, or more specifically, true
knowledge, righteousness, and holiness. We are told that God made
man very good, Gen. 1:31, and upright, Eccl. 7:29. The New
Testament indicates very specifically the nature of mans original
condition where it speaks of man as being renewed in Christ, that is,
as being brought back to a former condition. The condition to which
he is restored in Christ is clearly not one of neutrality, neither good
nor bad, in which the will is in a state of perfect equilibrium, but one
of true knowledge, Col. 3:10, righteousness and holiness, Eph. 4:24.
These three elements constitute the original righteousness, which was
lost by sin, but is regained in Christ. It may be called the moral image
of God, or the image of God in the more restricted sense of the word.
Mans creation in this moral image implies that the original condition
of man was one of positive holiness, and not a state of innocence or
moral neutrality.

What is unique about the

crown of creation?
They are elements which belong to man as man, such as
intellectual power, natural affections, and moral freedom. As
created in the image of God man has a rational and moral
nature, which he did not lose by sin and which he could not
lose without ceasing to be man.

Joshua 24:14-15; Romans 2:15-16

What is unique about the

crown of creation?
God is Spirit (John 4:24)
God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life;
and man became a living soul. Gen. 2:7. The
breath of life is the principle of his life, and the
living soul is the very being of man. The soul is
united with and adapted to a body, but can, if need
be, also exist without the body. In view of this we
can speak of man as a spiritual being, and as also in
that respect the image of God.

What is unique about the

crown of creation?
God is immortal: I Tim. 6:16
Humanity receives immortality as an endowment from God.
Man was created immortal, not merely in the sense that his soul
was endowed with an endless existence, but also in the sense
that he did not carry within himself the seeds of physical death,
and in his original condition was not subject to the law of
death. Death was threatened as a punishment for sin, Gen. 2:17,
and that this included bodily or physical death is evident from
Gen. 3:19. Paul tells us that sin brought death into the world,
Rom. 5:12; I Cor. 15:20,21; and that death must be regarded as
the wages of sin, Rom. 6:23.
The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus (immortality!)

What is unique about the

crown of creation?
The dominion over the lower creation also formed a part of the image of
God sets us apart. It is indicative of the glory and honor with which man is
crowned, Ps. 8:5,6
Gen 1:28- Subdue kabas and Dominion (vs domination) or better, Rule radah
Genesis 2:15: abad used for work used here carries a literally meaning of
serve with the connotation of doing hard work in the process, and this is
why many translations use work, till it, cultivate. We are, as Gods people,
his servants of creation. The Hebrew word samar used for keep carries the
weight of to keep something safe, with protection, care, and watchfulness.
This is a fundamental aspect of our humanity, not and optional dimension of our
Christianity as it is part of who we are called to be- rulers in His place,
crowns of His creation
A kingdom of Priests: Exodus 19:3-6; Deut 17:14-20; Psalm 145

 Num. 3:7-8; 18:7 explains the works of priests and Levites in

the tabernacle, to serve and to keep the tabernacle. From this
parallel of words and their meanings, we can conclude:
1- the earth in all its aspects, just like the garden of Eden, is a
sacred place, created by God for His glory.

2- man, just like priest or Levite, must serve God in serving and
keeping the sanctity of the earth in order to glorify God. To serve
and to keep mean to cultivate the earth and to keep its sanctity in
in a godly way.

The image of God after sin

Image of God after sin

Humans, however, have filled the earth not simply with their descendants
but also with violence (Genesis 6:6, 11 in light of Gen 1:28).
What was very good God later sees that the evil of humanity has
become great on the earth (Genesis 6:5). From this point on, Scripture tells
a story of Gods purposes for the restoration of flourishing in earthly life in
tension with the human propensity to misuse the vocation of imago Dei
(which clearly continues after sin; see Genesis 5:1 and 9:6).
Gods intervention in history to set things right, initially through the election
of Abraham and his descendants as a royal priesthood (Exodus 19:6) to
mediate blessing to all families and nations (Genesis 12:3; 18:18; 22:18; 26:4;
28:14). Gods peoples vocation to the nations is analogous to the human
calling as imago Dei to the earth. And the redemption of Israel constitutes
the beginning of Gods renewal of the image, a process meant to spread to
the entire human race and will continue through eternity (2 Tim 2:12)
A FRESH LOOK At Exodus 20 (10 Commandments) & Deut 4:4-8!!

The image of God after sin

The image of God and the sin of Idolatry
Idolatry: the construction and worship of false images of the divine. Israel,
hoped to be a picture of renewed humanity, is portrayed in Ezekiel as Gods
true image in the world, in contrast to idols. Much of the language in Ezekiel
16 describing Israels turn to idols (see verses 15-19) is first used by God to
portray his relationship to Israel; he washes them, clothes them, and adorns
them with gold and silver (Ezekiel 16:8-14). Israel (like humanity, generally)
is Gods own cult statue in the world.
The imago Dei theme recurs in Isaiah 40-55, where the presence of Gods
Spirit (ra) on the servant of the LORD enables him to accomplish justice
for the nations (Isaiah 42:1-4). This is in contrast to the images of the nations,
which are empty wind (ra vatoh), according to Isaiah 41:29. But God
gives breath (nim) and spirit (ra) to humanity (Isaiah 42:5). This
contrast between idols and humans in Isaiah echoes the statement in other
prophetic texts that the images of the nations are false precisely because they
have no ra in them (Jeremiah 10:14; 51:17; Habakkuk 2:19). Unlike
humans, idols are not living images and have no power to act in the world
(Ps 115:4-8).
(adapted from Middelton)

Theology 2, Lecture 6
The image of God
In the NT
&
A Historical Survey of discourse

Exam Questions
1) Offer insight on the Bibles teaching of the Image of
God from the new testament, particularly relating
to the incarnation of Christ. How does the teaching
of the NT help you understand what it means to be
created in the image of God? How does creation/
fall/ redemption inform your understanding too?
2) What are the three main historical understandings
of the Image of God? And how do they work
together to form a more complete understanding of
Scriptures teaching of the Image of God?

Incarnation &
the Imago Dei
In response to Gods grace we are to live out the Image of God as
made possible and modeled in the New Testament claim that
Jesus is God-with-us (Matthew 1:22-23), the Word made flesh
(John 1:14), the paradigmatic imago Dei (Colossians 1:15; Hebrews
1:3; 2 Corinthians 4:4-6). Humans as Gods image had failed in
their priestly roles to mediate the blessings between heaven and
earth (Exodus 19:6). This role was faithfully fulfilled by Jesus, the
second Adam (1 Corinthians 15:22, 25), the one who completely
manifested Gods character and presence in his life (John 14:9).
Through the obedience of Jesus, even to death on a cross,
humanitys tragic failure has been reversed (Romans 5:17-19); and
those who share in Christs death will also share in his
resurrection and rule (2Timothy2:11-12a).

The Church &

the Imago Dei
The church is a new humanity, renewed in the image of God
(Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:9-10) and called to live up to the
stature of Christ, whose perfect imaging becomes the model for
the life of the redeemed (Philippians 2:5; Ephesians 4:13-16, 24;
5:1-2; Colossians 3:13, 1 Corinthians 11:1). Indeed, the church
will one day be conformed to the full likeness of Christ (1 John
3:2), which will include the resurrection of the body (1
Corinthians 15:49).
The Image of God remains in fallen humans who comprise the
church (James 3:9) and we are to be a people who model the
image of God to the world (Romans 8:29).

The end times &

the Imago Dei
The church is the Body of Christ and the temple of the Holy Spirit
(1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 6:19; 2 Corinthians 6:16; Ephesians 2:21), a
foretaste of the promised future, the day will come when the curse
is removed from the earth (a reversal of Genesis 3:17- See Rev
21-22, esp 22:1-5). Then Gods throne will permanently be
established on a renewed earth (Revelation 21:3; 22:3), and those
ransomed by Christ from all tribes and nations will reign as
priests forever (Revelation 5:9-10; 22:5). We will one day be like
Him (1 John 3:2)! As we are fully known (and fully know- 1 Cor
13:12).

Gods Covenant
Faithfulness

The Key to restoration of the Image of God- Covenant

Faithfulness. We must answer the question of how we move
from the rebellion of our first parents to a merciful place of
restoration of the image of God, even glorification.
Genesis 15 & Gods covenant with Abraham

The King, vassal relationship of covenant

The penalty for the vassal breaking the covenant (cut to pieces)
The Lord passes through the pieces
Christ cut to pieces for His people on the cross
The perfect man (Heb 4:15) who chose to resist temptation (Mt 4:1-11)
took our place (2 Cor 5:21) so, in view of his mercy, we can be
transformed to live in worship to Him (Rm 12:1-2).

Security of the New Covenant (not replacing old) Jer 31:1-6, 31:31-34)

Major Take-a-ways
1- The image of God is the essence of man, male and female. This means that he cant be called man without the image
of God. In other words, it is mans essence that He is in the likeness and image of God.
2- As an image of God, man is assigned a mandate from God to multiply, to subdue, to have dominion, to work, and to
keep the earth. This is the implication of the image of God in the sense of representation and likeness. Man belongs to
God and because he belongs to God, he represents and like God in the realization of His mandate. To multiply, to
subdue, to have dominion, to work, and to keep the earth is mans mandate and in the realization of this mandate he
represents and like God.
3- There are two aspects of the image of God according to the meaning of its terms. Like and represent God mean
some poor reflections of Gods attributes is in man and man can do what God does in some poor ways. Man as the
image of God means the attributes and the works.
4- There are three relations in which God had put man, that is relation with Himself, with their neighbor, and with earth.
In relation to God, they must devote themselves to Him absolutely, in relation to their neighbor, they must love each
other, and in relation to the earth, they must subdue, have dominion, to work and to keep it.
5- Christ is the perfect human being so that He is the model, the pattern, and the goal of the image of God.
6- There is a four states of the image of God that correspond to the four states of man in the light of salvation history:
Creation, fall, redemption, and consummation. The image before the fall, the image after the fall, the image after the
redemption, and the image after the consummation.

Historic Views of Imago Dei

1) Substantive view teaching that the image of God is some definite
characteristics or quality inherent in man that differentiate him from the
rest of creatures.
2) Functional view defines the imago Dei according to how an individual
acts, namely, the way in which one functions as an image bearer...
Middleton, describes it as seeing the image of God as the royal
function or office of human beings as Gods representatives and agents
in the world, given authorized power to share in Gods rule over the
earths resources and creatures.
3) Relational view who teaches that the image of God is not something
inherent in man or just a matter of relationship but in what man does.

Historical views
Substantive:
the imago Dei can be described by any one or more of its essential
parts, but particular human rationality. Church fathers such as
Irenaeus (d. 202) and Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) fashioned their
theological views around Gods creating humankind in his image
with the ability to reason and think over the non-human creation.
Influenced by Plato and Aristotle, Irenaeus is acknowledged as
distinguishing between the image of God and the likeness of God (i.e.,
Gen. 1:26: Then God said, Let us make man in our image, in our
likeness and let them rule). He maintained that humans retained
Gods image after the fall but lost Gods likeness because of
disobedience. Drawing from his magnum opus, Summa Theologica
(Summary of Theology) Aquinas, a theologian of the medieval
church, also regarded the imago Dei as mans intellectual and
reasoning capacity.

Functional
Gen. 1:26b, 28: let them rule . . . Be fruitful, increase in
number, fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the
sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that
moves on the ground. The functional view asserts that being
created in the imago Dei means to have stewardship, dominion,
and oversight over Gods creation. This view directly ties to
these three areas: vocational, physical/wellness, and economic/
resource formation. As Anthony Hoekema argues in his book,
Created in Gods Image, If it is true that the whole person is the
image of God, we must also include the body as part of the
image (p. 68). God created us with potential to steward the
resources He has given us.

Relational
-male and female collectively reflect Gods image through their
relationality with each other and with God. Emil Brunner, Martin
Buber, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and Karl Barth all affirm this perspective. To
Brunner, the imago Dei is clearly possible because of humanitys
relationship and fellowship with God. For Buber, the I-Thou
relationship between the individual and God should inform and enact
all other human relationships. Dietrich Bonhoeffer depended on Bubers
I-Thou perspectives, while Karl Barth drew on the work of Bonhoeffer
in defining his position. This connects to emotional and relational
formation. God has given us relational capacity to relate to Him and to
others.
Together all views cover spiritual, emotional intellectual, relational,
vocational, physical health/wellness, and economic/resource
stewardship are evidenced in the creation narrative and supported by
an historical discussion of the imago Dei but none are perfect

Historic Views cont.

Substantive appraised:
-it limits the imago Dei to one aspect of human nature.
-the aspect of human nature to which the image is limited is often
driven by cultural factors, as was the case with the early emphasis
upon reason and its roots in Greek philosophy and Gnosticism.
-such conclusions are often the result of mere speculation as
Scripture does not delineate the faculty to which the image must
be confined.
-as Erickson notes, if the image is to be limited to mans reason
then why are some unbelievers more intelligent and perceptive
than are some highly sanctified Christians

Historic Views cont.

Functional appraised:
The issue is not that the exercise of dominion or representative rule is
not an aspect of the image of God; the issue is that the image cannot be
limited to a mere exercise of rule. The inadequacy of the functional view
is summarized by Berkouwer: this does not imply that the content of
the image of God should be sought in this lordship, or that Genesis 1 is
concerned with this dominium over other creatures as an image or
representations of the complete and absolute sovereignty of God.
Furthermore, it is demonstrated by Middletons prismatic description of
dominion, which points to a multifaceted rule that reveals the
multifaceted character of God. Simply stated, dominion alone does not
comprise the image of God; other characteristics which shape and guide
this dominion must be present for it to adequately image the rule of
God.

Historic Views Cont.

Relational appraised:
This view, too, has a conception of the imago Dei that is too narrow. The
modern emphasis upon this view has been strongly influenced by
existentialism. Erickson also notes that this view suffers, like the
functional view, in that there must be substantive aspects to the image
that allow humanity to exist within relationship.
What way then is man made in the image of God meant to represent
Him? J. I. Packer gives the following answer,
It was thisthat when God made man, he communicated to him
qualities corresponding to all of these. This is what the Bible means
when it tells us that God made man in his own image (Gen
1:26-27)namely, that God made man a free spiritual being, a
responsible moral agent with powers of choice and action, able to
commune with him and respond to him, and by nature good,
truthful, holy, upright (Eccles 7:29): in a word, godly.

Interaction with the fall

The first view is inadequate as it suffers from both improper exegesis,
by propagating the image-likeness dichotomy, and it presents a
limited understanding of the image of God, by limiting the image to
purely structural essence. The second view properly accounts for the
effects of the fall upon the image of God. Structurally mans mind
and heart has become darkened (Rom 1:21; 2 Cor 4:4) and his
conscience has been seared (1 Tim 4:2). Functionally man fails to
exercise dominion and rather than mastering creation, he is mastered
by it; as Geerhardus Vos explains, noting the climactic nature of the
curses found in Genesis 3 he translates it as, thy hard labor will
finally slay thee. Relationally man has been alienated from and is
hostile towards God (Rom 5:10; Col 1:21; Heb 10:26-27), a hostility
that not only sets man against man (Rom 1:28-31) but also sets a man
against himself (Jas 4:1). The effects of the fall upon the imago Dei are
pervasive; man does not cease to be an image bearer, and yet every
aspect of that image is distorted by sin and the curse.

The stage for

redemption is set
The fall distorts humanity on every level and yet we
remain the image of God. The dark backdrop
painted by Christ here sets the stage for the beauty
of redemption and the restoration of the Imago Dei:
You are of your father the devil, and your will is to
do your fathers desires. He was a murderer from
the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth,
because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he
speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and
the father of lies. (John 8:44).

Redemption & the

Imago Dei
Christ came not merely to restore the image He came as the image; He is
the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation (Col 1:15). On
John 1:18 Kenneth S. Wuest exclaims, Jesus Christ is the exegesis of God.
When discussing the imago Dei during this current age the discussion must
not be centered upon Old Testament texts; it must begin there, but it must
progress and develop until it centers upon Jesus Christ. Earlier the
teleological function of the image was mentioned; now, within this Christcentered framework it is clear that, humanity created in the imago Dei is
none other than the new humanity conformed to the imago Christi, and the
telos toward which the Old Testament creation narrative points is the
eschatological community of glorified saints.
Building upon a biblical theological development of the relational aspects of
the imago Dei Middleton explains the ecclesiological nature of the image
noting, Since Christ is head of the church, this community of faith inherits
his revelatory, representative task. The body of Christ is no mere metaphor;
it is the calling of the church to continue the incarnation and mission of
Christ by manifesting Gods redemptive purposes and coming kingdom.

God has created man in His own image with all his
structural capacities whether soul, psychical power, or
body, which manifested his likeness with God, so that he
can be enabled to realize his God-given mandate
functionally in true knowledge, righteousness, and
holiness toward all of his relationship whether God, his
neighbor, or nature.
Pak Hendra

Lecture 7, 8, & 9
Review of Theological views of the Imago Dei through group
discussion.
Group
1
2
3
4
5
6
7

Topic Summaries
Functional View
Substantive View
Relational View
Imago Dei in OT
Imago Dei in Incarnation
Imago Dei in Eschatology
5 reasons why we should care

Does the Imago Dei

matter today?
Here are a FEW examples of the right answer, YES!!!
Role of Women in society

Dignity of the poor

Vocational, Civic, scientific ethics

Living true humanity & glorifying God

God & Science

Why Science needs a Biblical Worldview & a Biblical Worldview
needs Science:

We must understand the world we are called to have domain

over! And so we must have a Biblical working relationship with
Science (& the Sciences). What we will discuss with Science can be
replicated with other fields of study

Study Question 1
How does Science depend on God? And
how can we know God more through
studying Science? Please offer specific
examples

The God-centerdness of
scientific methodology
Scientific theory builds upon PREDICTIBLE EVENTS,
REPEATED PATTERNS, & Sometimes MATHMATICAL
DESCRIPTIONS
These are sometimes called, Natural Law, Scientific Law, or
a theory of some sort.
these laws, if it really is a law and is cor-rectly formulated and
qualified, holds for all times and all places. Is God involved in
these laws? And Can we know Him through them?
SEE Genesis 8:22; Psalm 147 15-18, Colossians 1:15-17

Attributes of God in
scientific laws
Omnipresence (Jeremiah 23:24, Psalm 139)
Eternality (Revelation 1:8, 1 Tim 1:17)
Omnipotent (Mt 1:19-26; Ephesians 1:19-22)
READ Romans 1:18-23
Order, beauty, predictability, & simplicity: snorkeling off
Komodo Island
Laws imply a law-giver: So what came first, God or The laws of
science? With this, do we invent laws or discover laws that
already exist?

God & activity outside of

the laws
Miracles are in harmony with Gods character as they take place in
accordance with his predictive and decretive word. Through Moses,
God verbally predicted the plagues that came to Egypt, and then
brought them about. Through Gods word spoken by the prophet
Elisha, a spring of water was made healthy:
Thus says the LORD, I have healed this water; from now on neither
death nor miscarriage shall come from it. So the water has been
healed to this day, according to the word that Elisha spoke (2 Kings
2:21-22).
The real law, the word of God, brings forth miracles. Miracles may be
unusual and striking, but they do not violate Gods law. They violate
only some human expectations and guesses. But that is our problem,
not Gods. Just as Newtons laws are limited to low velocity
approximations, so the prin-ciple that axe heads do not float is
limited by the qualification, except when God in response to a
special need and a prophets word does otherwise (e.g., 2 Kings
6:5-6).

Trinity & Natural laws

All three persons are involved in creation: God the Father is originator.
God the Son, as the eternal Word (John 1:1-3), is involved in the words
of command that issue from God (Let there be light, Gen. 1:3). God
the Spirit hovers over the waters (Gen. 1:2). Psalm 104:30 says that
when you send forth your Spirit, they [animals] are created.
Moreover, the creation of Adam involves an inbreathing by God that
alludes to the presence of the Spirit (Gen. 2:7).

Dorothy Sayers acutely observes that the experience of a human author

writing a book contains profound analogies to the Trinitarian character
of God. An authors act of creation in writing imitates the action of God
in creating the world. God creates accord-ing to his Trinitarian nature. A
human author creates with an Idea, Energy, and Power, corresponding
mysteriously to the involvement of the three per-sons in creation.

Gods creation still speaks

Psalm 19
Vs 1-6 show Gods revelation through creation and providence.
Verses 7-11 focus on his revelation through his law given to Israel.
The first of these, general revelation, clearly has a relation to science
and its study of the external world. The second, special revelation,
has a close relation to the Bible and to the study of the Bible in
theology. So the theology of revelation found in the Bible gives us a
way of seeing the relation between science and the Bible.
In Genesis 1, God creates by speaking. And God said, Let there be
light, and there was light (Gen. 1:3). Psalm 33:6 sums up the
pattern: By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by
the breath of his mouth all their host. Providential events take place
through Gods word of command:

Do faith & Science go

together?
science is not a neutral endeavor but presupposes sci-entific law,
which presupposes God. People either serve God or serve a counterfeit god. The kind of god that they serve influences their
expectations concerning the kind of laws that they think they will
find. Thus the entrance of bias is not merely an occasional, accidental
error, but a pervasive problem. It is as pervasive as sin in the heart.
In the case of apparent discrepancies between the Bible and science,
we must therefore be ready to reexamine both our thinking about the
Bible and our thinking about science. We must not assume too
quickly that the error lies in one particular direction. In the modern
world, we find people who are always ready to assume that science is
right and the Bible is wrong. Or, con-trariwise, others assume that the
Bible is always right and modern science is always wrong.
We might say that in such ways Gods word of prov-idence forms the
ontological and epistemological foundation for the coming of his
word in Scripture.

Question 2
Please list three of the six ways
Science and Faith are not only
compatible but also need one
another:

Do faith & Science go

together?
What has lead to the animosity?
How Much do we really know? See Job 38-40
1896 the president of Cornell University Andrew Dickson White published a
book entitled A History of the Warfare of Science with Theology in Christendom.
Under Whites influence, the metaphor of warfare to describe the relations
between science and the Christian faith became very widespread during the
first half of the 20th century. The culturally dominant view in the West
even among Christianscame to be that science and Christianity are not
allies in the search for truth, but adversaries.
The idea of a warfare between science and religion is a relatively recent
invention of the late 19th century, carefully nurtured by secular thinkers
who had as their aim the undermining of the cultural dominance of
Christianity in the West and its replacement by naturalismthe view that
nothing outside nature is real and the only way to discover truth is through
science

Do faith & Science go

together?
The second half of this century historians and
philosophers of science have come to realize that
this supposed history of warfare is a myth. As
Thaxton and Pearcey point out in their recent book
The Soul of Science, for over 300 years between the
rise of modern science in the 1500s and the late
1800s the relationship between science and religion
can best be described as an alliance. Up until the late
19th century, scientists were typically Christian
believers who saw no conflict between their science
and their faithpeople like Kepler, Boyle, Maxwell,
Faraday, Kelvin, and others.

Do faith & Science go

together?

1. Religion furnishes the conceptual framework in which science can

flourish. Loren Eiseley has emphasized, science is an invented
cultural institution which requires a unique soil in order to
flourish. Although glimmerings of science appeared among the
ancient Greeks and Chinese, modern science is the child of
European civilization. Why is this so? It is due to the unique
contribution of the Christian faith to Western culture. As Eiseley
states, it is the Christian world which finally gave birth in a
clear, articulate fashion to the experimental method of science
itself.

2. Science can both falsify and verify claims of religion. When religions make claims
about the natural world, they intersect the domain of science and are, in effect,
making predictions which scientific investigation can either verify or falsify.

Mormonism & The New Israel in N America

The Medieval Churchs condemnation of Galileo for his holding that the
Earth moves around the sun rather than vice versa. On the basis of their
misinterpretation of certain Bible passages like Ps. 93.1: The Lord has
established the world; it shall never be moved, medieval theologians
denied that the Earth moved. Scientific evidence eventually falsified this
hypothesis, and the Church belatedly finally came to admit its mistake.
claim of several Eastern religions like Taoism and certain forms of Hinduism
that the world is divine and therefore eternal. The discovery during this
century of the expansion of the universe reveals that far from being eternal,
all matter and energy, even physical space and time themselves, came into
existence at a point in the finite past before which nothing existed. As
Stephen Hawking says in his 1996 book The Nature of Space and Time, almost
everyone now believes that the universe, and time itself, had a beginning at
the big bang. But if the universe came into being at the Big Bang, then it is
temporally finite and contingent in its existence and therefore neither eternal
nor divine, as pantheistic religions had claimed
(ALL INFORMATION IS FROM WILLIAM LANE CRAIG)

3. Science encounters metaphysical problems which religion

can help to solve. Science has an insatiable thirst for
explanation. But eventually, science reaches the limits
of its explanatory ability
Physicist David Park reflects, As to why there is spacetime,
that appears to be a perfectly good scientific question, but
nobody knows how to answer it.
1. Everything that exists has an explanation of its existence (either
in the necessity of its own nature or in an external cause).
2. If the universe has an explanation of its existence, that
explanation is God.
3. The universe exists.
4. Therefore the explanation of the existence of the universe is God
(Sky Scrapker & Sand)--- THANK YOU WILLIAM LANE CRAIG

4. Religion can help to adjudicate between scientific theories Particularly in cases in

which two conflicting theories are empirically equivalent, so that one cannot
decide between them on the basis of the evidence, metaphysical concerns,
including religious concerns, come into play.

Lawrence Sklar, a prominent philosopher of science, has remarked,

The adoption of one scientific theory rather than another, sometimes in
very crucial cases indeed, rests as much upon . . . philosophical
presuppositions as it does upon the hard data . . . .

Two ways to interpret the mathematical core of Special Relativity. On

Einsteins interpretation, there is no absolute now in the world; rather
what is now is relative to different observers in motion. If you and I are
moving with respect to each other, then what is now for me is not now
for you. But on H. A. Lorentzs interpretation, there is an absolute now
in the world, but we just cannot be sure which events in the world are
happening now because motion affects our measuring instruments.
Moving clocks run slow and moving measuring rods contract. The
Einsteinian and the Lorentzian interpretations are empirically
equivalent; there is no experiment you could perform to decide between
them.

 But I want to argue that if God exists, then Lorentz was right.
Here is my (William Lane Craigs) argument:
1. If God exists, then God is in time.
This is true because God is really related to the world as cause
to effect. But a cause of a temporal effect must exist either
before or at the same time as its effect. So God must be in time.
2. If God is in time, then a privileged observer exists.
Since God transcends the world and is the cause of the
existence of everything in the world, His perspective on the
world is the true perspective.
3. If a privileged observer exists, then an absolute now exists.

Can Science & Faith go Together?

5. Religion can augment the explanatory power of science. One of the
pillars of the contemporary scientific view of the world is the
evolution of biological complexity from more primitive life-forms.
Unfortunately the current neo-Darwinian synthesis seems to be
explanatorily deficient in its explanation of the gradual rise of
biological complexity

The gradual evolution of biological complexity is better

explained if there exists an intelligent cause behind the process
rather than just the blind mechanisms alone. Thus, the theist
has explanatory resources available which the naturalist lacks.

6. Science can establish a premise in an

argument for a conclusion having religious
significance.
Thomas Aquinas always assumed the eternity of the universe in all his arguments for the
existence of God, since to assume that the universe began to exist made things too easy for
the theist. If the world and motion have a first beginning, he said, some cause must
clearly be posited for this origin of the world and of motion (Summa contra gentiles 1. 13.
30).
the application of the General Theory of Relativity to cosmology and the discovery of the
expansion of the universe during this century appears to have dropped into the lap of the
philosophical theologian precisely that premiss which had been missing in a successful
argument for Gods existence. For now he may argue as follows:
1. Whatever begins to exist has a cause.
2. The universe began to exist.
3. Therefore, the universe has a cause.
Premise (2) is a religiously neutral statement which can be found in almost any text on
astronomy and astrophysics. Yet it puts the atheist in a very awkward situation. For as
Anthony Kenny of Oxford University urges, A proponent of the big bang theory, at least
if he is an atheist, must believe that . . . the universe came from nothing and by nothing.

Science & Faith must

fruitfully interact
LANE Concludes his arguments with this:
So why does the universe exist instead of just nothing? It is plausible that there
must have been a cause which brought the universe into being. Now from the very
nature of the case, as the cause of space and time, this cause must be an uncaused,
changeless, timeless, and immaterial being of unimaginable power which created
the universe. Moreover, I would argue, it must also be personal. For how else could
a timeless cause give rise to a temporal effect like the universe? If the cause were an
impersonal set of necessary and sufficient conditions, then the cause could never
exist without the effect. If the cause were eternally present, then the effect would be
eternally present as well. The only way for the cause to be timeless and the effect to
begin in time is for the cause to be a personal agent who freely chooses to create an
effect in time without any prior determining conditions. Thus, we are brought, not
merely to a transcendent cause of the universe, but to its personal a creator...
Thus, in conclusion, we have seen that science and religion should not be
thought of as foes or as mutually irrelevant. Rather we have seen several ways in
which they can fruitfully interact. And that is why, after all, there is such a
flourishing dialogue between these two disciplines going on today.

Question 3
Please articulate the relationship
between the domain of humanity and
technology. When does the use of
technology become idolatrous and
why? What is the proper use of
technology? Please give specific
examples from Scripture & life

Domain advances as
technology develops
Domain- Adam names animals
Genesis 411 gives at least some hints as to how mans dominion devel-ops..
Abel was a keeper of sheep, thereby exercising dominion over some of the
animal world. Cain was a worker of the ground, exercising dominion over
some of the plant world. Cain built a city, which he named after his son
Enoch (4:17). He expressed dominion in architecture. Jabal his descendant
was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock (4:20), which
suggests an expan-sion of animal husbandry on a much larger scale than
Abels. Jubal was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe (4:21),
which implies not only development of music but development of musical
instruments, which take some technical skill. Dominion is leading to skills in
manufacture. Tubal-cain was the forger of all instruments of bronze and
iron (4:22), indicating a growth in metallurgy. Genesis 2:12 mentions gold
and bdellium and onyx stone in Havilah, near Eden, which already shows
Gods provision for man and hints at a possible later development in which
man will use these provi-sions. Under Tubal-cain such development begins
to take place.

Technology & Domain

The New BMW & resources from the earth as advertisedNatural, tanned leather, certified wood from responsible
resources, textile materials with recycled resources & what
else?

Technology & Domain:

when do we cross the line?

The Driving Question for the design of the touch

Screen i-phone: How can our customers feel like God?

Technology & Domain:

when do we cross the line?

The Tower of Babel: When technology becomes an

end in itself.

Technology & domain:

when do we cross the line?
Genesis 11:1-9
Baked Bricks
Bitumen for mortar (The word for tar is chemar and the word
for mortar is chomer, and the word is used elsewhere only in
Genesis 14:10 (referring to tar pits) and Exodus 2:3 (referring
to what was spread on the ark made for the baby Moses).
Earlier in Genesis, Yahweh instructed Noah to build an ark and
to cover it inside and out with pitch (Gen. 6:14), using the
Hebrew word kofer, related to the verb for cover. Like Genesis
11:3, Genesis 6:14 doubles the word: you shall kafar it inside
and out with kofer.)
What was intended for grace becomes a vehicle for idolatry A
city with a tower whose top reaches to heaven

Technology & domain:

when do we cross the line?
Let us make a name for ourselves (compare with Gen 1:27)
Let us settle (Compare with Genesis 1:28)
(Note the reverse of Babel in Acts 2)
From this passage, how can we see when Technology crosses
the line?
ABUSE DOES NOT NEGATE PROPER USE! What is the proper
us of technology?

Technology & domain:

when do we cross the line?
God chooses a people and will make their name great (Genesis
12:1-3)
Blessing returns in them and through this family (to all the
families of the earth)
Blessing pre-fall

curse

Blessing post-fall

Gen 1:22, 1:28, 2:3

3:14-19

after mercy (9:1-3, 9-17)

Fruitfulness, domain
& rest

brokenness

saved from________
saved to __________

Technology for
the glory of God
Gods chosen people saved FROM what?
Gods chosen people saved TO what?
Where is the first place after the fall someone is told to be filled
with the Spirit of God?

Read Exodus 28:3; Exodus 31:1-6ff

Technology as a vehicle for the glory of God- creating a place

for Gods glory to dwell

Technology & domain:

when do we cross the line?
Contrast Exodus 32:1-5 A good use of technology?
Romans 1:18-32 Technology & idolatry
A Biblical Corrective- whose glory are you after?
Colossians 3:17; 23-24; 1 Corinthians 15:58
Technology & the church in history: Roman Roads and sea
vessels; Renaissance & Scientific innovation, Reformation
& the printing press, today in 3rdmil and Acts 29.
Abuse does not negate proper use!! ALL for the glory of
God

How the realism- anti

realism debate can help us
What is Realism?
Realist justifications of scientific rationality are
anchored in the claim that scientific knowledge
aspires to discover the truth about how things really
are. Moreover, realists claim that if it is rational to
accept a theory, it is equally rational to believe in the
existence of the "theoretical entities" posited by such a
theory, even though such theoretical entities cannot
be directly observed.

Realism vs anti-realism
"Realism" can be thought of as a philosophical theory
answering the old question which we called the
"Problem of Authority": how can we justify the claim that
it is rational to believe scientific explanations? The realist
answers by saying the ultimate authority which justifies
the rationality of scientific beliefs is simply that they are
true in the sense of "truth as a relation of
correspondence between what we believe to be the case
and what in reality is the case.
Alternatively realism can be thought of as a theory about
the aim of science: scientific theories aspire to tells us the
truth about the world. Thus it is an Axiological theory
about science which holds that all science has one fixed
goal: finding out the truth about the nature of reality

Realism vs anti-realism
Scientific methodology -the realist claims- is
adopted to the extent that it proves an effective
method of attaining the truth, and all other goals to
which scientific knowledge may aspire are
ultimately dependent upon how things really are.

Do you see anything wrong with this philosophy?

Realism vs anti-realism
It is typical of some philosophers who hold this sociological
outlook to speak of "Philosophy" as having been terminated
with the end of the "modern" period, so these "postmodern"
thinkers disown the label "Philosopher." Their viewpoint might
be labeled a "non-philosophical anti-realism" or, more
descriptively, a "social constructivist anti-realism." This outlook
is most commonly found in programs or departments which
are typically called "Science Studies" programs, by which is
intended a cluster of different social sciences applied to the
study of scientists and their activities, including not only
"sociology" but also psychology, economics, linguistics,
cognitive science, gender and ethnic studies, etc.

Realism vs anti-realism
The philosophical anti-realists are today's descendants of older
empiricists. Their empiricism makes them wary of
"metaphysical" claims about the "nature of reality" and
enthusiastic for "observational claims" which can be terminated
in an actual experiential state in which some piece of data is
recorded. Only this latter class of observational statements need
be accorded "truth" and their truth is settled directly by an
appeal to experience. They are said to be "directly verified" by
experience. All other statements which scientists make about
what is not directly observed need not be thought of as
"true" (or "false") but only as "successful" as a means for
predicting or deducing "observation statements.

Realism vs anti-realism
Any terms in theories which appear to refer to "unobservable"
entities, states, or processes, should not be understood as
referring to real events behind the screen of phenomena which
we observe. Such "putatively referring terms" (appear to
refer but don't) are constructs of our theories, the
acceptance of which is solely a function of their empirical
adequacy (getting the numbers right), with the usual
pragmatic virtues providing further back up when there's
a choice to be made between empirically equivalent
theories.

Realism vs anit-realism
Realists see scientific inquiry as discovery while anti-realists sees it as
invention. For the realist there is a "way things really are" and
science is trying to find out what it is; it endeavors to discover the
"truth." For the anti-realist there is no way things are apart from how
our theories construct them. All "worlds" are constructions of how we
view the world, of our theories. Therefore there is no "way things
are" to discover the truth about. To think of theoreis as "true" or
"false" descriptions of an unseen world "beneath" or "behind" the
phenomena we observe is to mistake what theories are. Scientific
theories are not attempts to describe what is (allegedly) the real cause
of phenomena by "representing" or "mirroring" an independent
"reality" as it exists apart from the phenomena we experience. They
are invented by theoreticians to serve as tools for making
observational predictions about empirical phenomena.

Biblical truth: what is real?

How do the Biblical claims of truth benefit from the
debate between the realist and anti-realist?

All truth is Gods truth said Francis Schaffer. How

does this affect the way we lean into and learn from
this debate?

How can this debate help us learn the proper use of

our relationship with science & the social sciences?

Question Four
How does the RealismAnti-realism debate
affirm our understanding
of truth AND reinforce
the Biblical proposition of
Transcendent truth?

Lecture 9
The Constitution
of Humanity

Questions for this lecture

1- Please articulate why a dichotomist understanding of the
constitution of humanity is Biblical. Please include specific
verses (Or, if you disagree, please convince me otherwise and
you will get the same credit! Sama Sama!!)
2- Please give three reasons why understanding the
constitution of humanity from a dichotomist perspective
helps you in ministry.
3- Please articulate the complementary nature of men and
woman as the image of God and how a Biblical Worldview
dignifies women more than other worldviews.

 Anxiety comes from unanswered questions: Doctor

call from Tuckers school--- anxiety! Until we see
reality.

Studying theology is an attempt to fill in the Gaps

with Gods word and we must be patient until the
full knowledge comes

The Constitution
of Humanity
The Bible teaches us that man is composed by material and
immaterial elements. Gen 2:7 clearly explains that God formed
man from dust (material element) and breathed into his
nostrils the breath of life (immaterial element) and man
became a living being (unity of material and immaterial
being).
Scripture uses the phrase living being, so we can say that man is
the unity of material and immaterial element.

The Constitution
of Humanity
The Bible also clearly teaches us that the material element
of man is body and the immaterial element is soul or
spirit. In the church history there was a long time debate
between dichotomy and trichotomy view of humanity.
The trichotomists say man can be divided into three
elements i.e. the body, the soul, and the spirit but the
dichotomists say there are just two elements in man i.e. the
body and he soul OR the spirit.

If we want to be faithful to the Biblical teaching, we must

hold dichotomist.

The Constitution
of Humanity

Monism claims that we are indivisible, and thus, are not made up
of any parts. When we die that is the end of usthere is no
separable soul or spirit. This is the view of modern philosophy
and theology for the most part.

Dichotomy disagrees on the basis of biblical teaching concerning

an intermediate state. We have to affirm that we are made of two
parts: a material body and an immaterial spirit or soul.

Trichotomy says that is right but we can go can go one step

further. The immaterial part is subdivided in Scripture into two
separate entitiesa soul and a spiritwhich are distinguishable
in definable ways.

The Constitution
of Humanity
1- the Bible clearly teaches us that soul and spirit
is interchangeably used (Jn 12:27 and 13:21;
Luke 1:46-47; Heb. 12:23; Rev. 6:9).
2- Scripture says either that in death the soul
departs or the spirit departs (Gen. 35:18; 1
King 17:21; Ecc. 12:7; Luke 12:20; Ps. 31:5;
Luke 23:46; John 19:30; acts 7:59).

The Constitution
of Humanity
3-Man is said to be either body and soul or body and
spirit (Mat. 10:28; 1 Cor. 5:5; James 2:26; 1 Cor. 7:34; 2
Cor. 7:1).
4- everything that the soul is said to do, the spirit is also said
to do (Act. 17:16; John 13:21; Mark. 2:8; 1 Cor. 2:11), and
everything that the spirit is said to do the soul is also said to
do (Ps. 25:1; 62:1; 103:1; 146:1; Luke 1:46). The whole
person, the unity of body and soul or spirit, worshipping God
(Ps. 63:1; 84:2; 47:1; 150:3-5)

The Constitution
of Humanity
The arguments for trichotomy based on
biblical verses like 1 Thes. 5:23; Heb.
4:12; 1 Cor. 14:14, from personal
experiences where we can feel the
difference between our spirit and our
thought or emotions.

The response to these texts:

1- The biblical vs is inconclusive. For 1 Thes. 5:23,
compare with Mat. 22:37 and Deut 6:4 (And note
application of WHOLE, so unity is in mind)
2- The Bible never gives us very detailed definition about
what is the difference between soul and spirit. It seems
more precisely, the Bible used them interchangeably.
Here, the emphasis is towards entirety.
3-Not just our spirit but, as the Scriptures testified, our
whole person worships God (We are a complete person).

The dangers of trichotomists:

1- The depreciation of the body. This is rooted in the Greek
philosophy which is dichotomize radically between the matter
and form and consider the latter the most valuable compare
with the former. (leads to a compartmentalized faith)
2- the tendency of anti-intellectualism because of considering
the spirit is higher than the soul because it is the only faculty
of man that relates to God (watch out, oneness Pentecostals!)
3- the emotion is valued lower than the spirit because it is the
part of our soul and not part of our spirit which is more
dignified.

Implications for ministry

Man must be seen as unitary being, as
conditional unity, or as the
psychosomatic unity that is the embodied
soul or the besouled body.
This dichotomy view does have an
implication in our church ministry, in
mission, in school, and in parenting, and
in counseling.

Implications for ministry

Our existence does not end with our death.
Scripture clearly teaches us that we still have an
existence beyond our life in this world. For
example Luke. 23:43; Acts. 7:59; Phil. 1:23; 2
Cor. 5:8; Rev. 6:9. All of these verses suggest
that although now we are in the state of unity
of body and soul or spirit, there will be a time
when our soul or spirit stand alone separate
from the body, that is in the time of death.

Implications for ministry

The Biblical teaching on mans constitution
should make us wary of any so-called gospel,
which only seeks to improve the quality of
mans earthly life.
-Health & Wealth; Liberal Social gospel
John 6:27; Matthew 10:28; Matt 6:33

Implications for ministry

>The Biblical teaching on mans constitution should
help to preserve us from unbiblical views of
regeneration and sanctification
>The Biblical teaching on mans constitution
encourages us to show respect the body even after
death (physical fitness now, honoring the body at
death)
>The Biblical teaching on mans constitution reminds
us that salvation is incomplete without the
resurrection of the body.

The origin of the soul

1- creationism which is a view that God creates a
new soul for each person and sends it to that
persons body sometime between conception and
birth.
2- traducianism which is a view that the soul as
well as the body of a child are inherited from the
babys mother and father at the time of
conception.

Argument in favor of
traducianism.
1- to reproduce children is just one
aspect of image of God, that is to create.
2- able to explained the inherited sin.
3- Heb. 7:10.

Argument in favor of
creationism
Psalm. 127:3; Is. 42:5; Zach. 12:1; Heb. 12:9. But we
must be careful that God sometimes, in His wise
providence, works by the second cause.
God uses the male and female, through conception,
to create the soul of man, but the mode of Gods
work is hidden from us and Scripture doesnt teach it
clearly. In the creation of Adam, the soul is from God
but the body is from the earthly material.

The Complementary Roles

of Male And Female
The Bible teaches us that God not only created man in His image but
woman too. Why did God create man as male and female in His own
image?
1- The implication of the image of God. Just as God exists in
plurality, so with the man who is created in His own image, exists in
plurality as male and female.
2- The singleness of man when he was created by God is not what
God designs for him.
Gen. 2:18, God used the word it is not good that the man should be
alone. The word good, in Gen. 1:28 , is the same with the word good
in Gen. 1:31 when God gave His commend on His creation. God said that
He will make a helper for man. This is dignifying (see Psalm 121 where God
is called our helper!)

The Complementary Roles

of Male And Female
Woman was created to be a suitable helper of man.
The phrase helper doesnt mean that woman is
inferior to man but only that the helped can not do
many things without the helper because he was
created as the plural existence which must always
to cooperate in order to maximize his role. The
phrase suitable originally mean facing, opposite
of , or in front of which mean complementary.
Therefore the role of man and woman is the
complementary role.

The Complementary Roles

of Male And Female
There are common and different traits in man and woman which can be
integrated to be a holistic humanness. The complementary role, as
indicated by the word suitable, is the original design of God for man
as male and female which must be understood from the Bible.
There is order in the relationship of man and woman. When Eve was
created by God from Adams rib, Adam gave her name Eve. In Ancient
Near East custom, the namer always have an authority over the named.
Adam had the authority over the woman as head of family. Just as in
Trinity, there is order between Father, Son, and The Holy Spirit, so do
man which was created in the image of the Trinity. Paul told us in 1 Cor.
11:3, that the head of woman is man.. He Himself ordered Himself as
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (John 12:44-50; 16:4-15).

The Complementary Roles

of Male And Female
In Ephesian 5:22-33 & 1 Peter 3:1-1-7, Paul and Peter emphasize the
headship of man and the submission of man. But they also emphasize
the primacy of self-denial, self-sacrifice, self-emptied, and self-offering
love in the relationship of man and woman and the principle of servant
hood leadership which must be applied by man toward woman.
The headship of man and the submission of woman is not a matter of
cultural conditioning. 1 Tim. 2:11-15, Paul used the argumentation from
creation which was used by Christ in Matthew 19:4-6 also to forbid
divorce. Creation design should inform our present practice, no matter
what our culture.

The Biblical view & the

dignity of Woman
While Scripture offers equal dignity for men and women within their
respective roles other world views do not. Here are some Biblical distinctive
for the dignity of women:
Woman are the image of God, not objects of enjoyment
Women are the image of God, not commodities to be bought and sold
Women are the image of God and should be treated with dignity
Woman are the image of God and should have opportunities to use their
gifts in establishing dominion
Women are the image of God and deserve to be rewarded for their work