This document discusses three main worldviews - theism, monism, and naturalism - in terms of their views on origin, purpose and destiny. Theism believes in a personal God as the origin who created for relationships, leading to unbounded life. Monism sees an impersonal force as the origin for self-actualization, leading to absorption. Naturalism views the origin as impersonal time and chance, with the purpose of survival and autonomy, ending at physical annihilation. The Christian worldview aligns with theism in believing in a personal God, living purposefully for relationships guided by God, and eternal relational life with God.

1. Origin, Purpose and Destiny
Dr. Kenneth Boa
Reflections Ministries

2. Overview
The Question of Meaning
The Question of Truth
Three Cultural Trends
Three Worldviews
Implications of the Christian Worldview

3. The Question of Meaning
Origin, Purpose, and Destiny

4. The Question of Truth
Origin, Purpose, and Destiny

5. Three Cultural Trends

6. Secularization
Privatization
Pluralization
Three Cultural Trends

7. Three Worldviews

8. Naturalism
Monism
Theism
Three Worldviews

9. Three Theistic Alternatives and
Missions
National Territorial Relational

10. God does not exist (atheism)
We cannot know if God exists (agnosticism)
The idea of God is a human creation (e.g., Freud)
View of God (Ultimate Reality)
Naturalism

11. Essence:
Eternal, uncreated matter
Behavior:
All events governed by innate,
physical laws
View of Nature
Naturalism

12. Essence:
Totally material/physical
Behavior:
Self-directed, ethics self-determined
Destiny:
Life ends at death
View of Human Condition
Naturalism

13. View of God (Ultimate Reality)
Essence:
Impersonal force or spirit
Attributes:
Beyond morality & human categories
Actions:
Moves all things toward unity
Monism

14. Essence:
Physical realm either an illusion or a
manifestation of divinity
Behavior:
Laws of nature limited to physical reality; not
a reflection of true reality
View of Nature
Monism

15. Essence: Spiritual/psychic; uncreated;
part of divine oneness
Behavior: Human ethics unnecessary; goal is
self-realization & unity with all things
Destiny: Eternal existence; successive
incarnations until enlightenment
View of Human Condition
Monism

16. View of God (Ultimate Reality)
Essence: Personal; uncreated; eternal
Attributes: Benevolent; holy; just, intelligent,
self-aware
Actions: Creator and sustainer of
physical realm; source and standard of truth
Theism

17. Essence: Physical realm created by God out of
nothing
Behavior: Physical realm sustained & ordered
by God; reflects certain aspects of God’s
character; humanity given mandate to care for
created world
View of Nature
Theism

18. Essence: Composite of spiritual & material;
created by God and for God
Behavior: Ethics determined by God; our lives
are judged by God
Destiny: Eternal life with God or eternal
separation from God
View of Human Condition
Theism

19. The Splendor of God’s Creation

40. Features of the World
The universe had a beginning
The fine-tuning of the universe
Specified complexity in living
systems
Human consciousness
Moral values
Human dignity, value, and
purpose
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41. THREE WORLDVIEWS
THEISM
(Personal)
MONISM
(Spiritual)
NATURALISM
(Material)

42. ORIGIN
THEISM
Personal Creator
MONISM
Impersonal Agency
(Energy)
NATURALISM
Impersonal
Plus Time and Chance

43. PURPOSE
THEISM
Relationships
(Other-Centered)
MONISM
Self-Actualization
NATURALISM
Survival, Autonomy

44. DESTINY
THEISM
Unbounded Relational Life
MONISM
Absorption
(Spiritual Annihilation)
NATURALISM
Physical Annihilation

45. THREE WORLDVIEWS
WORLDVIEW ORIGIN PURPOSE DESTINY
THEISM
(Personal)
PERSONAL
CREATOR
RELATIONSHIPS
(Other-Centered)
UNBOUNDED
RELATIONAL
LIFE
MONISM
(Spiritual)
IMPERSONAL
AGENCY
(Energy)
SELF-
ACTUALIZATIO
N
ABSORPTION
(Spiritual
Annihilation)
NATURALISM
(Material)
IMPERSONAL
PLUS TIME
PLUS
CHANCE
SURVIVAL,
AUTONOMY
PHYSICAL
ANNIHILATION

46. Systems of Thought
Logical-Open
(Greece & Rome)
Mystical-Open
(Byzantine &
Medieval)
Logical-Closed
(Enlightenment)
Mystical-Closed
(Postmodern)

47. False-Truth Claims
THE CLAIM RESPONSE
There are no absolutes!
Are you absolutely sure
there are no absolutes?
Everything is relative!
Are you absolutely sure that
everything is relative?
Right and wrong are just a
matter of one’s perspective!
Is that just your own
perspective?
Truth is only based on one’s
subjective feelings!
Is that your objective feeling
on truth?
There is no truth, only the
interpretation of truth!
Is that your true
interpretation of truth?

48. False-Truth Claims
THE CLAIM RESPONSE
All worldviews are true!
How about the worldview
that says ‘No worldviews
are true’?
God is indescribable, beyond
the reach of our puny
language and logic!
Isn’t that description of God
in plain language and logic?
All differences are illusionary!
Is that an illusionary
statement?

49. False-Truth Claims
THE CLAIM RESPONSE
All things are in flux-nothing
the same from moment to
moment!
Is that statement in flux,
too?
You can never know what
happened in the past! (there
is no such thing as objective
history)
Isn’t that statement
historical once you have
stated it?
That may be true for you, but
it’s not true for me!
Is that statement true for
me, but not for you?

50. THREE WORLDVIEWS
WORLDVIEW ORIGIN PURPOSE DESTINY
THEISM
(Personal)
PERSONAL
CREATOR
RELATIONSHIPS
(Other-Centered)
UNBOUNDED
RELATIONAL
LIFE
MONISM
(Spiritual)
IMPERSONAL
AGENCY
(Energy)
SELF-
ACTUALIZATIO
N
ABSORPTION
(Spiritual
Annihilation)
NATURALISM
(Material)
IMPERSONAL
PLUS TIME
PLUS
CHANCE
SURVIVAL,
AUTONOMY
PHYSICAL
ANNIHILATION

51. The Implications of the Christian
Worldview

52. A PERSONAL ULTIMATE
ORIGIN PURPOSE DESTINY
PERSONAL
CREATOR
RELATIONSHIPS
(Other-Centered)
UNBOUNDED
RELATIONAL
LIFE

53. A PERSUASIVE LIFE
LOGOS MIND ORTHODOXY KNOWING
PATHOS HEART ORTHOPATHY BEING
ETHOS CHARACTER ORTHOPRAXY DOING

54. AN EMPOWERED LIFE
PERSPECTIVE RENEWED MIND
POWER RELIANCE ON THE SPIRIT
PRACTICE RADICAL OBEDIENCE

55. Reflections Ministries Resources
Reflections - A free monthly teaching letter
ReflectionsMinistries.org website - Daily Growth
email and free text and audio resources
Spiritual Study Series - A CD of the month
subscription
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TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.