Event Schedule

The big ideas behind the World Seen involve:

1. Understanding the major worldviews (world-stories) that are out there

• how they deal with the big questions and issues of life
• how they are manifested in pop culture

2. How postmodern thinking, probably the most significant development in the history of western thought since the Enlightenment, has changed how we must understand and discuss worldviews (world-stories) in the first place.

Each of these two big parts are crucial to understanding contemporary culture instead of either:

• looking at culture as it was 20 years ago, or
• treating postmodernism as simply another worldview, which it isn’t (one or both of these errors occur in nearly all Christian curricula regarding worldviews).

To explain these two big ideas in easy-to-grasp, memorable, and engaging ways is not only essential to understanding our world today, but each requires 3-3½ hours.

Sessions include skits, analysis of various contemporary songs, television and movie clips, artwork, videotaped interviews, and small and large group discussions.  Fast-paced PowerPoint¨ integrates the media seamlessly, and each attendee is provided a booklet to assist in note taking.  World Seen events run approsimately 7 hours, including break times.  

1st Session

Introduction: Introduction of team members, skit, small group interaction

Worldview definitions: What a “world-story” is, and how we form them. The effects of world-stories on pop culture. Introduction to six basic questions which each world-story attempts to answer. (1) How does the story start? (2) What is the conflict, and How can it be solved? (3) Who are the main characters (God, nature, and humans)? (4) What am I supposed to do? (5) Where can I learn about truth? (6) How does the story end?

Contemporary Western World Stories : A brief overview of the different world-stories we most often encounter in contemporary western society.

*BREAK

2nd Session

Postmodernism, Part 1: What is modernism, and what is postmodernism? What caused “Pomo” thinking? How is it different from modern thinking?

Postmodernism, Part 2: What are the effects of postmodernism on youth culture today?

*BREAK

3rd Session

3 Questions, 4 Views: Naturalism, “Nihex,” western spiritualism, and Christian theism each takes turns at answering questions 1-3: (1) How does the story start? (2) What is the conflict, & How can it be solved? (3) Who are the main characters (God, nature, and humans)?

*BREAK

4th Session

3 Questions, 4 Views: Naturalism, “Nihex,” western spiritualism, and Christian theism each takes turns at answering questions Evaluating W-Stories: (4) What am I supposed to do? (5) Where can I learn about truth? (6) How does the story end?

Evaluating world-stories: Addresses the challenge of choosing a world-story for yourself—how do you decide? Special consideration is given to how Christians should relate to others. Concluding challenge and a skit.