1 - Introduction - Living like a real Christian Witness - An alternate City | Page 9

Friday
2 Thessalonians 2 v 15
2 Timothy 3 – 4 v 5
The third group of worldviews is the Anti-Realism group.
1. Existentialism - worldview
• The purpose
We are not determined by biological, historical, or economic forces. There are no
absolute or objective values or “given” purpose in life, so we are radically free. The
purpose of life is to grasp our freedom.
• The problem
The problem is that we have to decide who we want to be and how we want to live.
We cannot look to tradition to discover this. We must create it completely.
• The solution
The solution is to accept our radical freedom and create meaning by fighting
meaninglessness — by resisting disease, suffering, sadness, poverty, etc.
2. Post-modernism - worldview
• The purpose
Objective knowledge of the “real” world is unachievable. Properties of objects are
creative human projections. This agrees with existentialism that we are free to
create our own reality, but it says we cannot do this as individuals. All “truth” is
socially constructed in communities.
• The problem
Community identity unavoidably defines itself by those who are “not-us” or “the
other.” This marginalizes and oppresses. All truth-claims are really just power plays
by one group or another.
• The solution
To undermine and deconstruct all truth-claims by unmasking them as socially
constructed efforts to maintain power.