Shawn's teaching discusses the complexity of human beings using a flower metaphor to illustrate the influences on an individual's development, such as family, genetics, religion, socioeconomics, and early experiences, highlighting how these factors uniquely shape perspectives and worldviews. The teaching contrasts old-school religious views that rigidly dictated eternal outcomes with a more modern approach emphasizing inclusivity and understanding that Christ's redemptive sacrifice extends universally, regardless of individual circumstances or backgrounds.
Jesus' sacrifice addresses all aspects of humanity in the afterlife, ensuring that factors like cultural and faith differences are encompassed by God's love. Followers are encouraged to trust in God's justice, understanding that Jesus' actions take care of everyone, eliminating the necessity for judgment based on specific beliefs or behaviors.
Understanding the Human Being
We're going to discuss the human being, focusing on the old-school and new-school worldviews. The old-school worldview often asked what happened to the aborigine in 1620 who never heard of Jesus. Some people from this perspective believed that they would go to hell forever, while others suggested that if the aborigine lived according to the best light they had, perhaps God would have mercy.
Old-School vs. New-School Worldviews
The old-school worldview included the belief that if someone was truly seeking, then God would find a way to send a missionary to reach them, even in remote areas like Africa or Australia. These views primarily revolved around questions about individuals like the aborigine. However, when you consider it more broadly, these questions extend into our own lives and households.
The Human Complexity: The Petals of a Flower
Imagine the human being as the center of a flower with ten petals surrounding it. These petals represent different factors that influence us and illustrate why some people turn out one way while others turn out differently, such as Americans versus aboriginal Australians.
Petal 1: Family Background
The first petal to consider is family. This includes their genetic influences, who their parents, grandparents, and other ancestors were, and what the emotional, intellectual, physical, and psychological environment was like while growing up. The quality of family life, whether it was abusive or nurturing, significantly affects an individual's worldview and how they perceive truths or beliefs.
Petal 2: Genetics
Genetics is another important factor. Beyond family dynamics, genetic makeup from forefathers plays a huge role in intelligence and the ability to grasp concepts.
Petal 3: Religion
Religion is the third petal, as most children are raised in the faith of their parents. This powerful force molds the individual, whether it is Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, or any other religion. The nature of religious upbringing—whether dogmatic or practice-oriented—imposes significant influences through doctrines or feelings of guilt and shame for sins.
Petal 4: Socioeconomics
Socioeconomics also plays a crucial role. It can determine if a family has wealth or lives in poverty, which in turn influences the depth and breadth of cultural experiences available to an individual.
Petal 5: Early Experiences
Early personal experiences are pivotal. This includes one's childhood and whether it was nurturing or traumatic, such as encountering accidents or experiencing loss and trauma early in life. These experiences help shape the individual known as the human being, impacting their thoughts and actions. As one grows, their social circles and friendships further contribute to these developments.
Each of these petals represents forces that shape who a person becomes, emphasizing the complexity and diversity of human beings across the world.
Exploring the Impact of Life Experiences on Worldview
Childhood Friendships and Social Dynamics
Have you ever had a lifelong friend? Did they have trouble making friends, or were they alienated by peers in grade school and high school? These social dynamics can influence how open or susceptible someone might be to certain religious tenets.
Environmental Influences
Let's consider the environment itself. Did they grow up in a place that was war-torn or in a peaceful country? What was the political nature of their country, town, or even their family setting? Their experiences of serving in the military or not can also significantly shape their worldview as they get older.
Educational Background
Education plays a critical role. Did they complete grade school, junior high, or high school? Did they attend college, possibly at a university, and earn a master's or PhD? The location of this education matters too—be it a local community college in Penguin, Utah, or prestigious institutions like Harvard and Yale. These factors greatly influence a person's perspectives.
Community and Culture
Then, there's the culture of the community they live in: is it white-collar or blue-collar, agrarian or urban? These cultural contexts add another layer to consider when exploring the factors shaping how individuals think, feel, and believe.
Reevaluating Religious Doctrine
Historically, some Christians maintained if you didn't check every single box they wanted, you weren't a true Christian, and thus destined for damnation. This old-school approach, lacking sound eschatological principles, dictated rigid interpretations of the Bible.
A New Understanding of Faith
Today, there's a shift towards understanding the Bible as a story of God's work through Israel, culminating in a Messiah who gave His life for the world's redemption and reconciliation. With this interpretation, every factor becomes irrelevant because Jesus's sacrifice extends to everyone, regardless of their upbringing or circumstances.
Inclusivity in Faith
This inclusive view posits that Jesus's actions are for everyone—even those raised by atheist parents, who were brutalized in war-torn countries, or who belong to different faiths. God's love accounts for all those factors in the afterlife. Christians today are encouraged to see that Jesus's sacrifice takes care of everyone, everywhere, for everything.
Trusting in Divine Justice
When questions arise about those from different cultures or faiths, the response is that it's up to God. We trust that Jesus took care of everybody, removing the need for us to tick off boxes of belief or behavior.
