Arena
- “Worldview: a view of the world, used for living in the world.” American Scientific Affiliation
- 1) Where did we come from? (and why are we here?)
- 2) What is wrong with the world?
- 3) How can we fix it?
“And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Genesis 12:2–3
“According to Augustine, because God is the only source of any good to be found in the world, human beings can flourish and be truly happy only when they center their lives on God, the source of everything good, true, and beautiful. The only way to properly enjoy (and not pervert) good things in the world is to love them “in God” and in relation to him in the proper balance and shape. The supreme good for humans, Augustine argues on the basis of Scripture, is the double love of God and neighbor.” A BIBLICAL THEOLOGY OF HUMAN FLOURISHING by Jonathan T. Pennington, PhD
- Sexuality– Sex is Good when God is God
- Religion– Not to go beyond what is written
- Culture- Don’t conform, but transform
- Politics- No one can serve two masters
Matthew 6:22-24, page 811 in the pew bibles
“The Gospel is political. Jesus is a King with a kingdom. His politics subvert the empires of men. Scripture is my guide. Where his kingdom is considered liberal I am a liberal. Where his kingdom is considered conservative I am conservative. That about sums it up. I find I have no partisan home because my loyalties are to Him. He hates so much of the Republican platform according to His Word. He hates so much of the Democratic platform according to his Word. Occasionally these parties scratch the surface the values of his kingdom but usually with wrong motives. I am of the opinion that you cannot follow Christ and sell yourself to either ideology. Jesus demands you allegiance and He is jealous for your whole being. Of course you can belong to either party as a Christian but my concern is that many are not discerning the difference between partisan politics and the politics of Jesus. Some I am afraid have sold their soul…” Pastor Harvey Turner
Exposit Text
- upside down kingdom
- We see and do life differently
- The eye
So Christians are pushed toward two main options. One is to withdraw and try to be apolitical. The second is to assimilate and fully adopt one party’s whole package in order to have your place at the table. Neither of these options is valid. -Tim Keller
- Human Flourishing
- Voting
When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan. Proverbs 29:2
- Attitude
Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.
who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. Titus 3:1–2