Roy Van Der Westhuizen
Roy started his talk off by showing us a picture where an individual can see an old woman or young woman. The lines are the same they don't change; to see the difference you have to change how you "see". Our worldview often is so ingrained in our thinking that we can't see it until someone with a different way of thinking comes into our lives. Jesus saw the world very differently than we do today. Roy identified four aspects of our western worldview that often come into conflict with the world Jesus Christ saw and taught us to see. It is important to note that Roy was not encouraging us to drop these ideas completely but to see how these concepts, especially at their extremes, aren't always congruent with Christianity.
1. Free thought. We believe free will and thought are God given gifts. It can get out of balance when we think that there are no authorities of information other than our own opinions. Often this leads to people rejecting concepts such as revelation.
2. Self-confidence. We as Westerners are more independent, or at least believe and strive for independence. The conflict comes into play when we think that if we could just control everything in our world it would be a better place. While there are some merits to thinking this way Jesus sent the Holy Spirit, or "helper", implying that we can't do everything, nor should we, ourselves.
3. Materialism. It is a common belief that only the material world exists. The biblical worldview along with other cultures see reality different in that the spiritual world is just as real, sometimes more real, then the physical world.
4. Rationalism. The western world is consumed by that which is provable and measurable. All that exists or that can be experienced doesn't fit neatly into those categories. If miracles are real how could we ever prove that rationally? We can see the result or effects, but how can we explain how it works? Some things transcend our ability to understand.
