Under standing the culture

use to study

Alcuin of York

Head of the Palatine school established by Charlemagne at Aachen; introduced Anglo-Saxon humanism into Western Europe.

Francis Bacon

Scientist who codified the scientific method and is known for inductive reasoning.

Krishna Mohan Bannerjee

19th-century Indian thinker who rethought Hindu philosophy and ethics in response to Christian ideas.

Robert Boyle

Anglo-Irish natural philosopher known as the father of modern chemistry.

Francis Collins

American physician-scientist who led the Human Genome Project and discovered genes linked to diseases.

St. Eligius

Purchased slaves to grant them their freedom.

John Locke

English philosopher who based human rights on biblical creation.

Shi Meiyu

Doctor of Medicine who prohibited foot binding in China.

Thomas Perceval

English physician and author who created a code of medical ethics and contributed to occupational therapy.

Benjamin Rush

Founding Father and civic leader known for his role in education and public health.

Tsuda Umeko

Japanese educator who advocated for girls' education in Japan.

Josiah Wedgewood

English potter and abolitionist known for industrializing pottery manufacturing.

Appeal to Authority

Logical fallacy where an argument relies on illegitimate authority.

Appeal to Ignorance

Fallacy claiming a proposition is true or false because it hasn't been proven otherwise.

Appeal to Pity

Fallacy exploiting feelings of pity to win support for an argument.

Attacking the Motive

Fallacy that dismisses a claim based on the motivations of the claimant.

Bandwagon

Appeal to popularity, suggesting that a cause is valid because it is widely supported.

Equivocation

Fallacy using a key term with different meanings in different parts of an argument.

Fallacy of Division

Assuming a characteristic of a whole is also true of its parts.

Hasty Generalization

Making a claim about a group based on an unrepresentative sample.

Slippery Slope

Fallacy arguing that a small action will lead to a series of negative consequences.

Weak Analogy

Fallacy comparing two things that are not similar enough to support a conclusion.

Five-thousand-year leap

Exploration of the Founding Fathers' principles for creating a leap in freedom and prosperity.

Metaphysics

Branch of philosophy dealing with first principles of things, including existence and reality.

Ecumenism

Movement promoting unity among Christian denominations.

Shane Claiborne

Evangelical Christian leader emphasizing allegiance to the kingdom of God.

Walter Rauschenbusch

Theologian advocating for Christianity to improve people's lives through social gospel.

Dwight L. Moody Quote

“I look at this world as a wrecked vessel, God gave me a lifeboat and told me to save all I can.”

Fundamentalism

Response to modernism, Darwinism, and liberalism.

Moral Majority

Political organization founded by Jerry Falwell to advance conservative social values.

William Wilberforce

Key figure in making slavery illegal in England.

Christ and Culture

Book by H. Richard Niebuhr discussing the relationship between Christianity and culture.

Sound Doctrine and Sound Practice

Orthodoxy pertains to sound doctrine, while orthopraxy pertains to sound practice.

William of Ockham

Philosopher arguing for rights grounded in what actually exists, challenging the Theory of Forms.

Brethren of the Common Life

Religious community founded by Geert Groote.

Harvard, Princeton, and Yale

All founded as Christian universities.

Cultural Engagement Questions

Queries concerning the sustainability of culturally engaged actions for future generations.

Hebrew account of Yahweh

Characterized Yahweh as personal, unlike other ancient gods.

Genesis 1:28

God blesses humanity to be fruitful and have dominion over the earth.

Genesis 3:22

God observes humanity gaining knowledge of good and evil.

Revelation 21:1

Vision of a new heaven and new earth at the end of time.

Worldview

The lens through which one interprets life, composed of beliefs that shape actions.

Social Gospel

Protestant movement applying Christian ethics to social issues like poverty.

Evangelicalism

Spreading the Christian gospel through preaching and personal witness.

Narcissism

Obsession with oneself; self-centeredness.

Cultural Anthropologist

Scholar studying human culture, beliefs, and societal organization.

Samuel Wilberforce

Bishop and abolitionist who spoke against slavery in Parliament.

Artifacts

Man-made objects serving as historical references.

Beliefs

Common understandings or convictions held by individuals or groups.

The Benedict Option

Philosophy advocating for Christians to create alternative communities separate from secular culture.

Secularization

Cultural shift away from religious identification and values.

Francis Schaeffer

Evangelical theologian known for establishing L'Abri.

St. Augustine

Author of 'The City of God,' defending Christianity.

Human Rights

Basic rights and freedoms intrinsic to all people, regardless of background.

Suttee

Practice of burning Indian wives on their husband's funeral pyre.

William Carey

Missionary to India who helped abolish suttee.

Patronage

Good deeds for the poor aimed at receiving acknowledgment.

Sir Isaac Newton

Wrote more on theology than physics.

Positivism

Philosophy asserting knowledge is based on sensory experience and logical reasoning.

Postmodernism

Belief that truth is relative with no objective universal standards.

Passive Culture

Not participating actively in effecting change; allowing life to happen.

Proactive Culture

Actively working to create change or further causes.

Cultural Literacy

Understanding a culture enabling engagement and influence within it.

Importance of Loving Culture

To change society, we must genuinely care about it.

Cultural Texts

Media we should contemplate for their messages and influences on society.

Inklings

Group of Christian writers including Tolkien and Lewis.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Famous quote: “Not to act is to act.”

Gnosticism

Belief in one Supreme God creating the world through various processes of emanation.

Temptations of Christians

Failing to take culture seriously risks becoming like the culture they oppose.

Trivial Culture

Indifference characterized by a lack of care about significant issues.

Culture

The way of life for a group encompassing communication and activity.

Beliefs Fuel Actions

Beliefs motivate good deeds; without them, motivation diminishes.

Christian Mortality in Epidemics

High mortality due to Christians administering aid in sickness crises.

Three Aspects of Biblical Metanarrative

Creation, fall, and redemption influence cultural engagement for Christians.