Heineman Taylor DCM 3/28/08
The Transforming Vision Ch 7-12
In chapter seven of The Transforming Vision the authors talk about the development of dualism. They start by talking about Plato and Aristotle and talking about their differences. Aristotle stressed reality and how we live in reality. Where as Plato "despaired of finding anything real in a would of instability and impermanence, and concluded that reality was not made of changing things." This look on life is the foundation to dualism. Within this view, heaven is the true reality while earth is just a lesser version of that. The rest of the chapter is a in depth look at the beginnings and the philosophers that laid the foundational thought of dualism. Chapter eight, The Rise of the Secular Worldview explains where and the secular worldview came to be in existence. We went from society that combined secular activity with religion. Pico Della Mirandola began the secular thought. He retold the creation story basically saying that God created Adam to do whatever Adam feels is right and if it is eat from that tree then so be it. Later in the chapter the book talks about how science had a part in creating the secular worldview. Aquarius realized the complexity of the world and instead of looking at it as being one hundred percent from God he delved into the nature of things. Chapter nine talks about the gods that we have created in the modern world. In the backbone of the secular world is and "unholy trinity." Within the Christian worldview
there is the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. Within the secular there is scientism, technicism, and economism. Scientism is the first false idol that the world has trusted. It proves truth and brings security in being able to prove it. Technicism being the second false idol, brings a sense of power to man. Knowing that man created a piece of technology that has impacted the way people function is what creates that sense and in turn makes man want to create more to have more power. Economism is an idol that has been present in the world forever. "He who has the most toys when he dies wins," as the famous saying goes. Mankind has and will be always driven by wealth. For with wealth comes the ability for more technology which then brings more power. Chapter ten discusses how as Christians to not take action and do something about the secular worldviews would be wrong. Perhaps the greatest issue with in this is that the Christians that are leading this movement are often quite radical. Meaning that they oppose things such as abortion and separation between church and state yet they still support the three idols mentioned in the previous chapter. The authors state that we, as Christians, need to be consistent with what we believe. For example we cannot heavily oppose abortion but readily support military action and war. This chapter provides four ways to provide a Christian cultural response. We have to renounce our idols, recognize multidimensionality, respond to God's norms, and renew community. Chapter eleven talks about the Christian worldview and education. "If suburban malls are temples of economism, and if the nuclear arms build-up is a sacrifice to technicism, then the university functions as the theological seminary for the high priests of scientism." As Christians we need to be educated so that we can then go witness.
What better place to be a witness to a young generation on the campus of higher education. Chapter twelve begins with talking about cultural renewal. Before that can happen we must renounce our idols. It goes on to talk about creation and say that creation is from God and how that relates to the secular view of scientism. As humans we cannot understand everything about God, therefore we bring science into the equation to make sense of the universe. We must reject this perspective of thinking and try to grasp the concept of God speaking the world into existence. When something that God created is broken down into the worldly scientific view and not looked at as a part of God's creation then some form of scientism or idolatry is around. The rest of the chapter talks about reductionism and explained how it is a part of multidimensionality. Since we must break down or reduce creation into a scientific explanation, there is a great sense of multidimensionality.