An Intellectual Approach to the Communication of the Biblical Message to Secular People

Andrews University Digital Commons @ Andrews University Dissertation Projects DMin Graduate Research 1995 An Intellectual Approach to the Communication of the Biblical Message to Secular People Michele Buonfiglio Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/dmin Part of the Practical Theology Commons Recommended Citation Buonfiglio, Michele, An" Intellectual Approach to the Communication of the Biblical Message to Secular People" (1995). Dissertation Projects DMin. 659. https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/dmin/659 This Project Report is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Research at Digital Commons @ Andrews University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertation Projects DMin by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Andrews University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ABSTRACT AN INTELLECTUAL APPROACH TO THE COMMUNICATION OF THE BIBLICAL MESSAGE TO SECULAR PEOPLE by Michele Paolo Buonfiglio Adviser: Russell L. Staples ABSTRACT OF GRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH Dissertation Andrews University Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary Title: AN INTELLECTUAL APPROACH TO THE COMMUNICATION OF THE BIBLICAL MESSAGE TO SECULAR PEOPLE Name of the researcher: Michele Paolo Buonfiglio Name and degree of faculty adviser: Russell L. Staples, Ph. D. Date completed: November 1996 One of the most important responsibilities given Christians is to "make disciples from all nations." This includes secular people. The communication of the biblical message to secular people is a complex and difficult assignment. The difficulty increases when secular people are intellectuals. Many currents of thought including philosophy and scientific understandings of reality have contributed to the formation of the Western secular mind. In Part One of the dissertation, philosophical, theological, and scientific theories that have contributed to the development of the process of secularization are considered. The section culminates with a profile of secular people. The methods and strategy used by the Apostle Paul with intellectuals of his time provide an example to the present- day witness to secular people. In Part Two there is an analysis of Paul's methods and an application of these to the contemporary challenge of communicating the biblical message to secular people. The process of communication of the biblical message involves three different cultures--the Hebrew culture of the biblical writers, the culture of Western secular people, and the Christian culture of the communicator. The process of communication is examined in order to avoid syncretism between the different cultures and/or irrelevance in the presentation of the biblical message. The Christian message may be rejected because of a falsely conceived antinomy between certain biblical teachings and contemporary understandings of the way things are. Some such issues are examined and methods outlined of presenting essential elements of the biblical message. The messengers must be prepared with care. Some practical recommendations are presented. Secular intellectuals remain largely beyond the reach of present methods of evangelism. Christians concerned about the problems and challenges involved in the presentation of the biblical message to secular people can find useful suggestions for their work in this study. Andrews University Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary AN INTELLECTUAL APPROACH TO THE COMMUNICATION OF THE BIBLICAL MESSAGE TO SECULAR PEOPLE A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Ministry by Michele Paolo Buonfiglio November 1996 AN INTELLECTUAL APPROACH TO THE COMMUNICATION OF THE BIBLICAL MESSAGE TO SECULAR PEOPLE A dissertation presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Ministry by Michele Paolo Buonfiglio " Vynmeister SDA Theological Seminary Werner Date approved To my mother who nurtured me in the biblical faith, to my wife Melitta, and my sons who always stimulated me to study deeply God's Word 111 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS..................... viii Chapter I. INTRODUCTION ................................ 1 The Problem........................... 1 Purpose of Dissertation .................. 3 Limitations .............................. 5 Methodology .............................. 6 PART ONE: THE PROCESS OF SECULARIZATION AND THE PROFILE OF SECULAR PEOPLE II. THE MEANING OF THE WORDS SECULAR, SECULARIZATION, AND S E C U L A R I S M .............................. 13 Introduction ............................ 13 The Origin and Meaning of Word Secular . 13 The Meaning of the Term Secularization . 16 S e c u l a r i s m ........................... 19 Summary.............................. .. 21 III. THE PHILOSOPHICAL THEORIES THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THE FORMATION OF SECULAR INTELLECTUAL MAN . 22 Introduction ............................ 22 Greek Concepts in Western Culture ........ 23 The Origin of Western and Pre-Socratic Philosophy......................... 24 Dualistic Pythagorean Philosophy ........ 25 The First Form of Materialism......... 25 The Relativism of S o p h i s t s ........... 26 The Ontological Dualism of Plato ........ 28 Aristotle, the Philosopher Who Influenced Western Scientific Thought . 30 Epicureanism and the First Form of Deism . 32 S k e p t i c i s m ........................... 33 Renaissance and the Centrality of Human B eings............................. 34 The Birth of Secular Political Man .... 36 IV British Empiricism ...................... 37 Enlightenment ............................ 40 D e i s m .................................... 41 Hegel and the Absolute Idealism......... 42 P r a g m a t i s m .............................. 43 Existentialism .......................... 45 Heidegger................................ 46 Sartre: An Atheistic Existentialist .... 48 God Is D e a d .............................. 4 9 Agnosticism of Bertrand Russell .......... 51 The Postmodern M i n d .................. 54 The Gradual Fall of Human Certainties . 60 Summary.............................. 62 IV. THE THEOLOGICAL THEORIES THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THE FORMATION OF SECULAR INTELLECTUAL MAN ........ 64 Introduction...................... 64 Syncretism and the Origin of Medieval Christianity .......................... 65 The Middle Ages and N o m i n a l i s m ...... 69 The Reformation...................... 70 The Thirty Years' War and Emancipation of the States from the Ties of Christianity . 72 Liberal Protestant Theology and Demythologization .................... 74 Arguments against the Existence of God . 76 Tillich Attempted to Mediate between Christian Theology and Modern Culture .......... 79 Before God but Without G o d .......... 81 The Secular Theology .................... 84 Christian Theology: Vehicle of Dualism . 89 Summary.............................. 90 V. SCIENTIFIC THEORIES THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THE FORMATION OF SECULAR INTELLECTUAL MAN ........ 91 Introduction ............................ 91 The Geocentric Universe .................. 92 The Heliocentric System of Copernicus . 93 Nature Written in Mathematical Language . 94 A Mechanistic Model of the Universe .... 96 Scientific Discoveries and the New W o r l d v i e w ................ 97 P o s i t i v i s m .......................... 99 New Scientific Discoveries in Physics and Natural Sciences .................. 101 Neo-positivism .......................... 103 Positive and Negative Effects Produced by Technology.......................... 108 Some Final Considerations ................ 110 v VI. AN INTELLECTUAL PROFILE OF SECULAR PEOPLE . 113 Introduction ............................ 113 Secularism Is Inadequate for the Life of Human b e i n g s ............... 114 The Philosophical Thought of Secular People ........................ 117 The Ethical Relativism of Secular People . 119 The Religious Thought of Secular People . 121 What Secular People Think about Science and Technology.................... 128 Other Characteristics of Secular People, Power, Prestige, and Pleasure ........ 129 The Human Search for M e a n i n g ........ 132 Summary of Part O n e .................. 134 PART TWO: HOW TO COMMUNICATE AND PRESENT THE BIBLICAL MESSAGE VII. PAUL'S METHODS OF REACHING INTELLECTUAL PEOPLE. 136 Introduction ............................ 136 Paul: A Jew Born in T a r s u s .......... 136 Paul, the Apostle to Jews and Greeks . 138 Paul's Preaching to Intellectual People of His T i m e ...................... 139 The Areopagus Speech .................... 142 Other Characteristics of Paul's Message . 147 Some Final Considerations ................ 148 VIII. THE PROCESS OF COMMUNICATION: LANGUAGES, CULTURE, AND THE BIBLICAL MESSAGE ......... 150 Introduction ............................ 150 The Process of Communication........ 152 Languages and the Biblical Message .... 158 Defining Culture ........................ 162 Enculturation and Acculturation .......... 163 Contextualization ........................ 164 Critical Contextualization: An Approach Suggested by the Anthropologist Hiebert. 167 Contextualized Theology .................. 174 Summary.............................. 177 IX. THE BIBLICAL MESSAGE: HOW TO PRESENT GOD TO SECULAR PEOPLE........................ 179 Introduction............... 179 Religion: An Encounter with G o d ...... 181 vi Helping Secular People to Recover a Sense of the D i v i n e ................ 186 God, the Covenant, and God's People .... 186 Yahweh Is O n e ............................ 188 Yahweh,

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