Questions

[apothanein kerdos]

I lived in the world for a long time, both as an unsaved person, and as a saved but more carnal Christian. I think because of that, I am seeing the distinction between secular and sacred a bit more readily than most. The content of the distinction is a bit hard.

Maybe I should rephrase the question to the created and the spiritual...is there a difference?

In my day, it was about an education. Now I wonder if it is about indoctrination of false ideas....from some of the things various college people are telling me.

Unfortunately at some places this is the case. Regardless, is it a form of worship to sit in a class and learn mathmatics, litature, etc?

Someone who follows Christ hopefully has that experience in Christ to have that worldview. Its about the relationship to the Lord. That is an experience.

Excellent point. This is why our worldview cannot be supported solely by the Bible. Our expirience often dictates how we view the Bible, thus how we read the Bible and apply it to our lives is directed by our expirience.

No. While everyone of us should use wherever we are as our "mission field", I don't see this as ministry. Just what needs to be done to make our time here as pleasant as possible.

Yet he is there learning subjects that God has created and filling himself in them...how it is not a ministry?

[Ovedya]

1) What do you think it means to have a Christian worldview?

In my opinion, to have a "Christian world view" means that we take what we know of the Bible and contextualize hitory and world events within them.

We start with the basic understanding that God has set the world into motion, and that He plays an integral part in the organization of world events with a specific purpose and goal in mind. That purpose is to bring God's people to full maturity in Christ, with the goal of having a corporate Body that would express Him and have His authority on the earth. Therefore, the course of world events brings about the tempering of God's people, the growth in life, and eventually the maturity of God's people, which will also consumate the age.

For example: We know that many people conquored the nation of Israel in history. Among these conquorers were the Greeks, then the Romans. The Greeks universalized the lanugages, and the Romans built the accessways for trade. The result of these two things is the ease with which the gospel of Christ was spread in the ancient world. So the Christian world view says that God arranged the world situation to prepare for the coming of Christ and the spread of the gospel.

That's my deifinition of a Christian world view.

2) What is the content of a Christian worldview?

Answered above. The basic content of the Christian world view is understanding that God is soveriegn over all things, and that world events entirely are directed by God to bring about the maturity of His Bride.

3) Do you make a distinction between the sacred and the secular, the eternal and the temporal in the Christian life? If so, what is the reason for and the content of this distinction? If not, why not?

I think that you are asking if I make a disctinction between what is essential to the faith and what is not. And example might be, do I make the disctinction between certain religious rituals or traditions and the essential content behind them.

I personally do make that disctinction, because I believe that there are no religious rituals or traditions required to have genuine fellowship with the Lord. Now, that being said, there are certain ways that I contact the Lord which have become habit. But by no means do I relate those habits with the essential content of my fellowship with Him. The important factor in my contacting the Lord is that I gain more of Him. Any believer, in my opinion, should be willing and able to drop his rituals and traditions for the sake of the oneness of the Body of Christ.

4) What is the purpose (are the purposes) of a college education?

The purpose of a college education is to gain knowledge. What you do with that knowledge, and how you direct that knowledge for the gain of God's kingdom is another matter.

5) What do you think liberal arts education is about?

Liberal arts education is specifically for the propagation of culture.

6) Are we all in full time ministry or just pastors and people of their sorts?

All believers in Christ are under the one ministry of Christ. There are not certain people qualified for the ministry, or certain people whom God has blessed to be in His ministry. All believers are part of the one ministry.

7) Are ministers in more of a ministerial position than laypeople are?

No. Since all believers are under the one ministry of Christ, all believers, with their respective functions in the Body, are qualified as ministers to the Body. Therefore, I can minister to you and you can minister to me. The ministry of Christ is the "blood flow" of the Body of Christ. Each member, with his function in the Body, functions to flow Christ into the other members for the mutual building up of itself in love. This is the basic meaning of Ephesians 4:16

Now, I certianly hope that you are not looking for answers to a test, young man.

[apothanein kerdos]

No, I'm having to work on an essay about dualism and the Christian culture. Blah.