Worldviews, the Bible, and the Believer
What you'll learn
- describe what makes up the lens called a 'worldview'
- describe the worldviews of the Ancient Roman world, the Jewish world of the 1st Century AD, and the world of the emerging 'in Messiah' people
- discern narratives within a culture that often dictate behavior and beliefs
- explain how symbols reinforce and create fertile ground for a worldview to develop
- discuss what role questions play in the development and strengthening of a worldview
- articulate how 'praxis', or automatic behaviors, show how a worldview works
- develop a reflective perspective on one's own worldview as described by Prof. N.T. Wright
- process how the biblical text of the New Testament may be better understood when the worldviews at play are understood
- articulate what an 'in Messiah' worldview might look like in this present day within your own culture
- examine the journey from the pre-Modern Age to the present day by examining the Western culture from the perspective of the underlying worldviews of each era
Requirements
- Students should acquire the textbook 'Subversive Christianity' by Brian Walsh, 2nd edition (Wipf and Stock, 2014). ISBN: 9781498203401
Description
This course, taught by Professor N.T. Wright, is designed to take students into the realm of what a 'worldview' is. While most people think about 'beliefs' and 'actions', the real power behind each is the interplay that occurs within a person's or society's worldview. Understanding this worldview, particularly of the world of the New Testament, will assist students of the Bible in understanding what a New Testament text meant in its own context. Prof. Wright will describe the worldviews of the first century Romans, Jews, and Christians. He will then move through history to describe the Western worldview as a way of helping students discern where they fit and how to look at and through their own lenses in the 21st century. Prof. Wright will be joined by Prof. David Seemuth who will look at the U.S. worldview of the early 21st century as an outgrowth and reaction to the Western worldview that emerged from the Enlightenment period.
Who this course is for:
- This course on Worldviews is designed specifically for students of the New Testament as well as for those who wish to understand how cultures work from a high level perspective. This course does not require any prerequisites. However, high level, critical thinking abilities will help students achieve success in this course.
- One unique aspect of this course is the corollary benefit of seeing how a person's own worldview affects behavior, beliefs and attitude.
- The course will be best for those who wish to think deeply about their own worldviews and who wish to interact with students and the professor about one's own worldview in a way that encourages analysis and questioning of fundamental assumptions which exist underneath the outward stated beliefs and demonstrated practices of a person.
Instructors
![N.T. Wright](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 64 64"%3E%3C/svg%3E){kind=avatar}
- 4.8 Instructor Rating
- 26,757 Reviews
- 120,530 Students
- 41 Courses
N.T Wright received his BA, MA and D.Phil. from Oxford University. He taught New Testament at Cambridge, McGill and Oxford Universities 1978-1993. He was Dean of Lichfield, then Canon of Westminster, then Bishop of Durham (Church of England), 1994-2010. Prof. Wright is Professor Emeritus of New Testament and Early Christianity at the University of St Andrews, Scotland, and is currently Senior Research Fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University. He has published over 85 books and hundreds of articles. In 2014 Prof. Wright received the Burkitt Medal from the British Academy for services to New Testament scholarship. He enjoys music, golf the Isle of Harris, and spending time with his family in the midst of a busy schedule of writing and travelling.
- 4.8 Instructor Rating
- 26,757 Reviews
- 120,530 Students
- 41 Courses
David Seemuth has a Ph.D. from Marquette University in the field of Religious Studies with an emphasis on New Testament Theology. He has taught at the graduate level for over 30 years at numerous universities and seminaries. He also has 21 years of on-line teaching experience. His passion is to see that people not only understand the Scripture, but also apply them to daily life.
- 4.8 Instructor Rating
- 26,520 Reviews
- 119,310 Students
- 39 Courses
Jennifer Loop is currently a doctoral candidate at Durham University. She is the Director of Ministry Engagement for the Wisconsin Center for Christian Studies, and plays a critical role in the online education, both organizational and theological, by guiding the online student experience. Jennifer enjoys engaging with a ‘virtual community’ of diverse students and learners to explore how theology, faith and practice intersect.