| Concerning | The benefit(s) | Notes | To read more ... |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prayer | I find I thank God more than request things from Him. | Possibly because 'New View' makes me more content with things as they are, and opens up their richness and glory. |
Prayer - a 'New View' The Lord's Prayer - suddenly came to light! |
| Scripture | I find many pieces of Scripture shine with new light, are three-dimensional rather than flat. | Because this 'New View' brings in the third dimension of Salvation. |
Reading, Understanding and Applying Scripture - a 'New View' Three Dimensions of Salvation, Romans 8 Revisited |
| Scripture | I find a wider, more coherent, integrated view of the whole of Scripture, more understanding of its 'big' messages. | This 'New View' emerges from, and gives attention to, the 'big' messages of Scripture more than the localised ones, to the 'issues of justice' more than the 'dill and cumin' | A Brief History of God |
| Compelling | I find myself compelled (willingly!) to engage with environmental responsibility. | Many Christians believe we should care for God's natural creation, but as a secondary 'nice-to-have'. In this 'New View', it's compelling, because it see environmental responsibility by humans as central in God's Cosmic Plan. |
Shepherds, Not Just Stewards 'Radah' (Hebrew word for ruling) Creation Radah - The Role of Humankind |
| Joy here and now | I find joy and the 'presence of God' here and now, even more than when in church! And it's in the light of the future to come. | Perhaps because this 'New View' gives firm grounding for understanding that the 'secular' things here and now are of central importance to God, in God's Cosmic Plan. A rainforest is as important as a soul. The whole of reality is supposed to rejoice. Maybe also because this 'New View' sees the Fall as real but no longer primary in God's Plan. |
God's Cosmic Plan Reality Rejoicing The sacred secular divide |
| Engaging in Academic life and discourse | I am an academic, working in a secular university on research. While most Christians in research aim at being 'upright' in their role and behaviour, I am also finding substantial ways to bring explicitly Biblical views to contribute to the content and paradigms in my field. Not by trying to dominate, but by trying to 'Affirm, Critique and Enrich'. | Because the body of knowledge that humanity has about any field is of importance to God, even though it might be contaminated and distorted by idolatrous assumptions. It led me to the idea of 'Shaping our Disciplines for Christ', which is hosted by the U.K. Christian Academic Network. |
Engaging with Secular Thought Faith and Scholarship Engaging with 'Post-Secular' thinking Engaging with the thinking going on in the world (more generally) Enriching the world's thought (an older attempt) The sacred secular divide |
| Understanding the times | I find this 'New View' gives me a fuller, richer understanding of the times, both now and the past, and even perhaps the future | Because it's rooted in an understanding of God's Cosmic Plan. This includes revivals of the past, missionary work, and so on. |
God's Cosmic Plan Understanding the times New Situation Today Christopher Wright's The Mission of God History of the Church Revival, Missionaries |
| Relationship with other movements and theological ideas | I find I am positive towards most other movements of God, theologies and methods, rather than ignoring or rejecting them or being defensive against them. | Maybe it enriches and fulfils them? Maybe it is the next stage in God's Plan for this world, for which they were preparations. Including the Reformation, Holiness and Pentecostal movements. The idea of Three Dimensions of Salvation helps to place many in context, and the strategy of Affirm, Critique, Enrich provides a basis for mutual dialogue. |
Movements of God Green Gospel Enriching other ideas Comparison with other views (quick table) Some differences from other views New View compared with three ground-motives Some problems with Creaton-Fall-Redemption 'Christ and Culture' reconsidered Purpose Driven Life and this New View |
| The Fall | I find a richer, deeper and more nuanced understanding of sin and the Fall. | Unlike some I believe in the doctrine of original sin and the fall, but I see it as secondary not primary. What is primary is the diversity, meaningfulness, interconnectedness and normativity of God's creation, and it is that which makes sin so bad. To define sin, as some Christians do, as merely falling short or against God's law, is too simple and convenient and does not do justice to its full impact. The fulness of Fall becomes clear when we have a richer doctrine of creation and salvation. |
The Fall Sin Nature 'put out of joint' (the 'curse') |
| Evangelism | I find a motivation to bring people to Christ, but it's richer than before, and I find myself more ready to apply the conceptual tools available. | If salvation has three dimensions, then so does evangelism. Not just being acceptable to God (e.g. for heaven, which was emphasised by Evangelism Explosion), not just to gain abundant life (which was emphasised by CCC's 'Knowing God Personally'), but being God's ambassadors in the world, to the rest of creation as well as the rest of humanity, and to be leaders in environmental and academic responsibility. Unlike humanistic ideas which might affirm responsibility in this world, this 'New View' recognises the absolute necessity of the Holy Spirit's work in this. |
'New View' as key to evangelism Green Gospel: GG compared with EE and CC |
| Non-believers | This 'New View' provides a theology about non-believers | Most Christian ideas have impoverished theology of non-believers, as having zero role except as either potential Christians or as enemies. This 'New View' opens up the possibility of a richer theology of the non-believer. | A Theology of Non-Believers |
| Challenging Questions | I find some of the questions that have challenged Christian thinking over centuries are tackled in a new way, sometimes even resolved. | For example, "Is God selfish?". That this 'New View' has wider dimensions along which things are meaningful means that a puzzling blockage in other dimensions can be circumvented. |
Some questions that have perplexed Christian thinking Questions that motivate this 'New View' Problems about Church |
| Self-critique | I find I can accept criticism of this 'New View' and recognise limitations and problems. | Iron sharpens iron. |
Possible problems with this 'New View' Mistakes about this 'New View' Some possible dangers of this 'New View' Caution is our attitude |
| Fresh insight into various topics | I find a new understanding of topics like economics, politics and environmental sustainability that seems to bring fresh insight. | Since in this 'New View', this world is all important in God's eyes, |
Political, economic power etc. On prosperity A new view on sectors of society An analysis of Climate Change Denial |
| This world and the next; New Creation | Paradoxically, I find this world to be important because I hold the next to be. | With others, this 'New View' believes in continuation of the good of this world into the next - the renewal, rather than destruction, of the earth and heavens. |
Heaven Continuance Purpose of God God's Cosmic Plan |
This will send an email to me.
Thank you.
This page is offered to God as on-going work in developing a 'New View' in theology that is appropriate to the days that are coming upon us. Comments, queries welcome.
Copyright (c) Andrew Basden to latest date below, but you may use this material subject to certain conditions.
Written on the Amiga with Protext. Number of visitors to these pages: .
Created: 17 June 2014. Last updated: