Jan 2021
Islam (part 1)
01/31/21 Filed in: Worldviews
Due to a recording error during today's class, this recording is from last year's class. Sorry for any inconvenience.
Islam, (Part 1) Continuing our study of various worldviews, in today’s lesson we began a two part consideration of Islam. What central aspect of Islam is revealed in the very name of Islam? What is a Muslim? What was the context of the birth and early development of Islam that profoundly shaped the religion? What does the Islamic concept of Allah’s Tawhid tell us about their view of God? What is the sin of Shirk? What is Qadar and how does it affect a Muslim’s view of his or her destiny after death? What do Muslims believe about the knowability of God? How is the Quran (Koran) linked to Islam’s view of Allah? (55 min)
Lesson 20: Review Questions
Lesson 20: Lesson Notes
Islam, (Part 1) Continuing our study of various worldviews, in today’s lesson we began a two part consideration of Islam. What central aspect of Islam is revealed in the very name of Islam? What is a Muslim? What was the context of the birth and early development of Islam that profoundly shaped the religion? What does the Islamic concept of Allah’s Tawhid tell us about their view of God? What is the sin of Shirk? What is Qadar and how does it affect a Muslim’s view of his or her destiny after death? What do Muslims believe about the knowability of God? How is the Quran (Koran) linked to Islam’s view of Allah? (55 min)Lesson 20: Review Questions
Lesson 20: Lesson Notes
Theism and Deism
01/24/21 Filed in: Worldviews
Worldviews of Theism and Deism After our introduction last week to the concept of worldviews, in this lesson we begin by considering the worldviews of theism and deism. Why do I not include polytheism in this discussion of theism? What are the primary theistic worldviews? What do theists, in general believe about God, man, the world, life after death, and other matters? What is the evolutionary model for the history of religion and the development of monotheism? What are the assumptions which underlie the evolutionary model? What are the five chief stages in the evolutionary model? What are some of the difficulties faced by the evolutionary model which account for why it is not openly defended any more by ethnologists? How does the anthropological, ethnological, and contemporary evidence point towards monotheism as the religious belief of very early cultures? How is deism distinct from theism? Why is deism considered a transitional or bridge worldview? Why is deism “unstable?” What are some current expressions of deism?Lesson 19: Review Questions
Lesson 19: Lesson Notes
Introduction to Worldviews
01/17/21 Filed in: Worldviews
Introduction to Worldviews With this lesson we launch into a new module of lessons on the subject of worldviews. What is a worldview? Why is it helpful to have an understanding of various different worldviews? Who has worldviews? Is a person’s worldview static or does it change over time? What are some of the things that influence our worldview? Is a worldview only shaped by a person’s religion or faith, or are there other factors that influence a worldview? What are some questions we can use to get an understanding of a particular worldview? How does an understanding of someone else’s worldview help us to be more Christlike in our interactions with them? (55 min)Lesson 18: Review Questions
Lesson 18: Lesson Notes
What is Your Worldview? questionnaire
The Problem of Evil (pt 3)
01/10/21 Filed in: Philosophy
The Experiential Problem of Evil In this lesson we consider a different aspect of the problem of evil, what might be called the experiential problem. What is the experiential problem? What are the kinds of questions that the experience of evil and suffering raise? How is the logical problem different from the experiential problem, and how does it call for a different apologetic? How does Jesus’ interaction with Mary and Martha in John 11 concerning the death of Lazarus model for us how we can minister to people experiencing great evil or suffering in their lives? What is the eternal perspective concerning evil which we observe throughout scripture? What are some examples in Scripture of the eternal perspective of people who suffered greatly? (57 min)Lesson 17: Review Questions
Lesson 17: Lesson Notes
The Problem of Evil (pt 2)
01/03/21 Filed in: Philosophy
The Logical Problem of Evil In this lesson we continue our consideration of the problem of evil. What are the deductive and inductive versions of the problem of evil? Why is it important to properly understand what Christians mean by God’s omnipotence? What are two ways to respond to the problem of evil? What is Alvin Plantinga’s Free Will Defense, and why is it important? What is essential to have morally significant individuals who have a capacity to love God and one another? What is the problem with the idea of the “best of all possible worlds?” When contemplating the scale and kind of evil in the world, what is necessary to be able to assess the probability that God exists? How have Christians historically accounted for natural evil? (63 min)Lesson 16: Review Questions
Lesson 16: Lesson Notes