| New View | Conventional Views | |
|---|---|---|
| Reality Rejoices |
All creation rejoices when it experiences God, each in the way it was designed to. |
Humanist: Only humanity rejoices Evangelical: Only saved humanity rejoices |
| Reality Rejoices | God's law is good and delightful and our very health; his holiness is thrilling. |
Calvinist: God's law is our rule Liberal Individualist: God's law is a constraint, a shackle to be thrown off Most: holiness is boring and maybe terrifying. |
| Radah: Humankind's Role | To 'manage' the rest of creation for its own benefit and blessing rather than ours. Like a shepherd of sheep. |
Humanist: To consume, to meet our own needs and fulfil our own desires; self-actualization. Westminster Confession: To glorify God and enjoy him forever. Charismatic: To worship. Evangelical: To gain heaven. Muslim: Slaves of God. Deep ecologist: Humanity is parasite. |
| Relatedness | All is interconnected for mutual blessing. As we steward creation aright, it will return blessing to us. And conversely. |
Liberal: We are all primarily individuals. Socialist: We are all components in society. Evangelical: Our relationship to God is the only relationship worth considering. |
| Relatedness | God's justice and judgement are because of his love. | Most: God's justice is in spite of his love. |
| Relatedness | The Fall led to things not working as they should. It was a narrowing down of our horizons. |
Humanist: The Fall was a maturing, an opening up. Evangelical: The Fall led to a peevish Deity ====punishing us. |
| Relatedness | What we do has indirect as well as direct impacts. (Hence environmental damage is our responsibility, and our world view is important.) | Liberal: What indirect impacts? It's not my responsibility. |
| Relatedness | We look for a 'city to come, whose maker and founder is God'. What we experience now is continuous with, but a shadow of, the Real Life. |
Charismatic, Docetic: We escape from this doomed world into spiritual heaven. Materialist: There is nothing beyond death. Capitalist, Consumerist: Life for now. Evangelical: Heaven is where we will be safe, worshipping forever (and, if we are honest, bored!). |
| Rich Redemption | Redemption through Christ restores both creation and us to the rejoicing that God originally planned for both current and future state. |
Humanist: No redemption: We can sort out our own problems. Evangelical: Thin redemption: Souls get saved for heaven; the rest will burn. Charismatic: Self-centred redemption: We get saved and blessed, and then are on God Victory side. Catholic: Spiritual redemption: our human souls get saved. |
| Rich Redemption | No condemnation in Christ for those whose hearts are orientated towards God in humility. |
Humanist: There is nothing to condemn... Liberal: ... except intolerance. Catholic: OK for heaven if belonging to church. Evangelical: OK for heaven if I've asked Jesus into my life, but damned otherwise. |
| Rich Redemption | Holy Spirit lives in those whose hearts are oriented towards God in humility, to grow his fruit and transform our world views to make us mature 'sons' of God (male and female versions!). |
Humanist: What Holy Spirit? I can make myself better. Charismatic: Holy Spirit gives me power and gifts for my own edification and self-actualization. Evangelical: Holy Spirit is my comforter. |
| Rich Redemption | The mature 'sons' of God will treat God's creation as God would - blessing it for its own sake - as we were originally intended. | Evangelical: The 'sons' of God are God's favourites, to be pampered by him; no responsibility except to evangelize and 'keep noses clean'. |
| Representation | God, the transcendent, is always represented within his creation in ways it can understand. This is a major theme. |
Evangelical: We ought to tell people about how they can be saved. Most: Representing God is a minor theme. |
| Representation | Notion of God's People as representatives with responsibility. |
Charismatic, Evangelical: God's people = God's favourites on whom he lavishes his presents, pours his blessings and will save out of the earth. Liberal: Hate the notion of any elite. |
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Created: 2 May 2004. Last updated: