Antioch - Sound in Doctrine

Sound in Doctrine

English Standard Version Chapter 11

19 Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. 20 But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus. 21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. 22 The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose, 24 for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. 25 So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26 and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.

Doctrine = set of values or beliefs = worldview

What is a worldview?

Why is it important?

Elements of a worldview - consistent, coherent, understood

Does a worldview really matter?

Hypocrite - one whose worldview does not line up with their actions

Pharisees in many ways had the correct worldview but did live up to it.

Overwhelming majorities in both parties (87% in each) have at least one of these negative feelings about the other party – frustration, fear or anger.

The approach of the Democrat Party is to help people by redistributing wealth.

Society is the focus

The basic approach of the Republican Party, as it relates to helping people, is to enable individuals to make it on their own.

Individual is the focus

First of all, it must be said that there is value in solving physical human needs. Our physical environment is the context for individual growth and provides the opportunity for individuals to move forward in every part of life. People who are raised and live in a bad physical environment are influenced toward living out bad outcomes. Those who grow up in a good physical environment gain the perspective and personal discipline to effectively move forward in life.

But as important as this principle is, it is not the most important thing. There are many people who overcome a bad environment and make good. By the same token, there are many who grow up privileged and turn out bad. We have the ability to make personal choices and move beyond the influences of our environment. The fact that most people do not do this is a strong reason for us to be engaged in helping to shape our physical environment in a good way.

But in the ultimate sense, all physical needs are temporal – they only apply to this life. It is the understanding and fulfillment of spiritual needs which ultimately places people in a position to recognize what parts of our physical environment need attention, and to receive a positive eternal outcome. This is where thinking like Jesus comes in. It provides us with something that neither Democrat nor Republican thinking can offer by themselves, and it sets the parameters which can keep either party from getting off track. We need to think like Jesus and depend on that to give life to the work of any political party.

We should never compromise our Christian convictions for any political party. Rather, we should engage ourselves in the political process and use the political parties as a means of allowing God to work in us to shape society according to his purposes.

Before the 2016 election, a survey asked Americans which came closest to their view – “our lives are threatened by terrorists, criminals and immigrants, and our priority should be to protect ourselves” or “it’s a big, beautiful world, mostly full of good people, and we must find a way to embrace each other and not allow ourselves to become isolated”. About 80% of Trump supporters chose the first. About 80% of Clinton supporters chose the second. Talk about worlds apart.

The result is a zero-sum politics anchored in Americans’ most basic instincts. Our research demonstrates that – of all things – the characteristics people believe children should possess are now central to the political identities they choose. You read that right. We did not ask people whether they were liberal or conservative or want more government or less. We asked them about qualities children should have. They are important because they reveal people’s worldviews. Whereas the answers to these questions had no bearing on Americans’ partisanship in the 1990s, they are a critical element today.

On the Republican side of the worldview divide sit those who prefer children who respect their elders, are obedient, have good manners, and are well-behaved. They have what we call fixed worldviews. Because the world is dangerous to them, traditions and conventions should be fixed in place to maintain order. This worldview sees male authority figures such as Judge Kavanaugh sympathetically because male authority has always stood at the top of the cultural hierarchy. As such, they are concerned about new immigrants and threatened by the prospect of unconventional groups such as transgendered people sharing their bathrooms.

On the Democratic side are those who prefer independent, self-reliant, curious, and considerate children. They have what we call fluid worldviews. Because the world is, to them, safe to explore, challenging old folkways is feasible. Sometimes-discriminatory traditions and hierarchies must be swept away. This worldview sees traditional male authority as an unfair privilege that has allowed men to get away with anything and everything, including sexually assaulting women, without punishment. Fluid types celebrate new approaches and champion those who challenge old norms. [emphasis mine]

Worldviews operate at the gut level, shaping opinions before conscious thought begins. When it comes to the Kavanaugh allegations, specifically, fixed-worldview Republicans reflexively want to believe the man and will search for evidence to support that first impulse. Fluid-worldview Democrats reflexively want to believe the woman and will perform the same biased search for information to buttress their first impulse.

Americans who rarely or never follow the news are surprisingly good at estimating the views of people with whom they disagree. On average, they misjudge the preferences of political adversaries by less than 10 percent. Those who follow the news most of the time, by contrast, are terrible at understanding their adversaries. On average, they believe that the share of their political adversaries who endorse extreme views is about 30 percent higher than it is in reality.

English Standard Version Chapter 13

4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

English Standard Version Chapter 4

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.