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Worldview: Vital for Mission and Ministry in the 21St Century De Oliveira: Worldview: Vital for Mission and Ministry in the 21st Century Worldview: Vital for Mission and Ministry in the 21st Century least displayed, an inability to face such changes. By Paulo De Oliveira The purpose of this article is to raise awareness and encour- age dialogue among Adventist scholars and missionaries about As mission and ministry move the importance of the worldview into the twenty-first century concept in doing ministry and mis- it is becoming clear that the sion in the twenty-first century. challenges and revolutions in The Adventist emphasis on cog- technology, transportation, com- nitive knowledge and behavioral munication, and the philosophic change instead of working for deep postmodern condition is forever changes in worldview assumptions changing the landscape of the and allegiance is not very effective world’s societies. The question when working with postmoderns. that remains to be answered is Adventists need to understand whether Seventh-day Adventist and practice the art of communi- ministry and mission has the cating to produce transformation ability to adjust quickly enough at the worldview level. Movement in the face of such challenges forward toward this new paradigm to take full advantage of the of ministry and mission will be opportunities that come with rooted in divine revelation through them. Until now, the Adventist biblical studies but also will in- paradigm for ministry and mis- clude work to understand the sion has often overlooked, or at human context through human studies (figure 1). Paulo De Oliveira The church is in some places is the senior pas- already reacting to this new tor of the Progres- emerging reality. Some excellent so multi-church district in Belo suggestions have been offered Horizonte, Brazil. that are beginning to bear fruit here and there. For example, the development of missional churches has changed some con- gregations’ self-understanding as Published by Digital Commons @ Andrews University, 2009 1 22 Journal of Adventist Mission Studies Journal of Adventist Mission Studies, Vol. 5 [2009], No. 1, Art. 3 to their very purpose for existence The origin of the English word (Webber 2001:20 and Stetzer “worldview” is from the German 2006:161-169. For a similar read- word Weltanschauung, a word justment of focus among Seventh- that was coined by Emmanuel day Adventists towards [or back] Kant in 1790 (Kant 1987:111- to missions see Knight 1995 and 112). Ever since it has been the Oliver 1989). object of research in both the This article suggests a para- secular and Christian world. digm shift for Adventist ministry Philosophy was the earliest dis- that will encourage the church cipline to reflect upon worldview. to deal with worldview level com- Antony Flew, defining Weltan- munication and transformation schauung, affirms that the “term instead of emphasizing cogni- is applied to a philosophy affecting tive knowledge and behavioral the practical (as opposed to purely change. Hopefully this article will theoretical) attitudes and beliefs contribute to the ongoing dialogue of its adherents” (Flew 1979: s.v. for this emerging framework for “Weltanschauung”). Although Adventist ministry and mission coined by Kant, who apparently around the globe. I begin with used the term only once (Naugle a brief history of the worldview 2002:59), the real metamorphosis concept in order to show readers of the term took place later with its importance in many academic Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph von disciplines. Schelling who shaped the concept into a more accurate definition as A Brief History of the “a self-realized, productive as well Worldview Concept as conscious way of apprehending Worldview as a concept is and interpreting the universe of found in several areas of study. beings” (Heidegger 1982:4). Figure 1. Missional Ministry. https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/jams/vol5/iss1/3 2 Journal of Adventist Mission Studies 1/2009 23 De Oliveira: Worldview: Vital for Mission and Ministry in the 21st Century When the term moved from provide a complete worldview, for philosophy to the natural sciences he assumed that psychoanalysis the inquiry shifted from abstract should accept the scientific one ideas and thoughts to questions (Freud 1980:158) while Carl G. on epistemology. The first to focus Jung proposed five relationships in this way was the Jewish-Hun- between psychotherapy and garian scientist Michael Polanyi worldview (Jung 1966:76-78). As followed by Thomas Kuhn and his for sociology, people such as Peter paradigm revolution (see Kuhn Berger, Talcott Parson, Thomas 1996). Thomas Kuhn recognized Luckmann, Karl Mannheim, and that the objective world that is others have provided some useful thought to be out there by sci- information about the topic, even ence is actually partially shaped though other terms are utilized to by the scientific mind conducting refer to what we are here calling scientific research. In the same worldview. Terms such as ideol- fashion, Ruth Benedict stated ogy, social frameworks, back- some fifteen years before Kuhn ground assumptions, paradigms, Terms such as ideology, social frameworks, background assumptions, paradigms, etc., are linguistic differen- tiations of a similar subject. that worldview or “custom,” as etc., are linguistic differentiations she called it, “did not challenge of a similar subject. the attention of social theorists Despite many contributions because it was the very stuff of for worldview studies from these their own thinking: it was the lens areas of inquiry, the field of cul- without which they could not see tural anthropology has provided at all” (Benedict 1934:9). the framework most helpful for The social sciences deal with the current dialogue concerning things related to human patterns worldview in missiology. From of behavior such as the human anthropology worldview migrated psyche (psychology), society into mission studies as well as (sociology), and culture (anthro- into other branches of theology. pology). Worldview has been the The term has now become a “buzz” concern for psychologists in ar- word and is widely used and some- eas such as identity development, times misused for a lack of under- trauma, marriage, and the like. standing. Hopefully, the following For example, Sigmund Freud discussion will correct some of the denied that psychoanalysis could misunderstandings. Published by Digital Commons @ Andrews University, 2009 3 24 Journal of Adventist Mission Studies Journal of Adventist Mission Studies, Vol. 5 [2009], No. 1, Art. 3 Toward a More Accurate “culture.” For those that do not View of Culture display such characteristics, one One of the ways to begin the would refer to them as sem cultura, quest to understand worldview is or a person who has no “culture” to understand culture. However, at all. In this sense, we equate any attempt to study culture will culture to the behavior of the rich face many obstacles to find con- and educated and marginalize the clusive agreement on terms and poor and oppressed. A missionary concepts for until 1990 “there with such a poor understanding of exists no single textbook that culture may develop an attitude of brings together examples of lead- superiority toward non-Western or ing work” in the field of culture non-Westernized cultures, viewing studies (Alexander 1990:vii). them as inferior. Some even as- To have an accurate under- sume that missions is a movement standing of culture is very im- from the superior to the inferior, portant for missionaries. Thus, from the sophisticated to the wild, Van Rheenen was led to propose and from the Christian to the pa- a “Theology of Culture” (Van gan. A balanced view of culture Rheenen 1997:33) because “ul- by missionaries and an under- timately, missions seek to bring standing of worldview depends every aspect of culture under the on understanding the concepts of rule of God” (1997:38). It is true cultural dimensions. that a poor conceptualization of culture has led to cross-cultural Cultural Dimensions confusion and ethnocentrism Hiebert presents three dimen- in the past. And as the world sions of culture: ideas, feelings, increasingly becomes culturally and values (Hiebert 1985:30). The diverse, successful missions in Cognitive Dimension is the shared the twenty-first century will be knowledge of a society providing largely defined by the missionary the “conceptual content” for cul- understanding of culture. ture, informing people about what is real and what is not (1985:30- Popular View of Culture 32). Different cultures will use The word “culture” has often different ways to preserve cultural been used to indicate an attitude knowledge such as books, stories, or behavior of the rich and elite proverbs, rituals, etc. Adventist (Hiebert 1981:367), and often missionaries need to be aware refers to certain personal aspects of this dimension for contextual- such as cordial behavior toward izing the gospel message. In one others (“a gentleman”), prefer- culture the gospel may be commu- ence for classical music, knowing nicated through lectures, but in and practicing rules of etiquette. another one it may be necessary In Brazil, for instance, one would to use dramatization and music. refer to a person with such attri- A second dimension is the Affec- butes as culto, or a person who has tive Dimension that deals with https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/jams/vol5/iss1/3 4 Journal of Adventist Mission Studies 1/2009 25 De Oliveira: Worldview: Vital for Mission and Ministry in the 21st Century cultural feelings and has to do view as it relates to Adventist with people’s “notion of beauty, missions: (1) all cultures are valid tastes in food and dress, likes ways of living for the members and dislikes, and ways of enjoy- of the given culture; (2) cultures ing themselves or experiencing must not be compared in terms sorrow” (1985:32-33). This dimen- of better or worse, but in terms sion plays a major part in church of diversity in ways of living; (3) life.
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