Transforming Worldviews: An Anthropological Understanding of How People ChangeIn the past, changes in behavior and in belief have been leading indicators for missionaries that Christian conversion had occurred. But these alone--or even together--are insufficient for a gospel understanding of conversion. For effective biblical mission, Paul G. Hiebert argues, we must add a third element: a change in worldview. Here he offers a comprehensive study of worldview--its philosophy, its history, its characteristics, and the means for understanding it. He then provides a detailed analysis of several worldviews that missionaries must engage today, addressing the impact of each on Christianity and mission. A biblical worldview is outlined for comparison. Finally, Hiebert argues for gospel ministry that seeks to transform people's worldviews and offers suggestions for how to do so. |
Contents
9 | |
31 | |
71 | |
Methods for Analyzing Worldviews | 89 |
Worldviews of SmallScale Oral Societies | 105 |
Peasant Worldviews | 123 |
The Modern Worldview | 141 |
The Worldview of Late Modernity or Postmodernity | 211 |
The PostPostmodern or Glocal Worldview | 241 |
10 | 265 |
A Model for Worldview Analysis | 335 |
ModernPostmodern Shift | 345 |
Index | 359 |
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Transforming Worldviews: An Anthropological Understanding of How People Change Paul G. Hiebert No preview available - 2008 |
Common terms and phrases
ancestors argue assumptions become behavior beliefs Benjamin Whorf biblical worldview Christ Christian church cognitive concept conversion cosmic created creation critical realism culture define Descartes dominant dualism earth emerged emotions epistemology ethnic everyday evil example experience faith feelings fuzzy fuzzy sets global God’s gods gospel grand unified theory hermeneutics Hindu Hinduism holy human identity impersonal important increasingly individual intrinsic Jesus kingdom knowledge laws Lesslie Newbigin Lewellen lives logic Ludwig von Bertalanffy meaning mechanistic metanarrative metaphor mission missionaries modern moral myths nation-state nature Nhialic objective one’s organization peasant people’s positivism Postmodernists postmodernity reality reject relationships religion religious rituals Robert Redfield salvation scientists Scripture secular seek seen sense shaped social societies spirits story themes and counterthemes theories things tion traditional transformation truth underlying understand universal values village Western words worldview writes