Question

Reflect on the Great Commission Jesus gives to the Apostles. How might the Great Commission/Biblical Worldview influence someone’s motivation to study culture as opposed to someone studying culture from a secular perspective?

Answer 1

The Great Commission/Biblical Worldview comprises to study culture from the perspective of it's fulfillment of God's plan for mankind. This master plan includes to be fruitful materially and spiritually, responsibly looking after His creation, maintaining the diversity and richness of nature, striving for social equality and living peacefully with each other in reverence and gratitude towards the creator. The commission that Jesus gave to disciples was to spread the good news to peoples of whole world so that they may understand the master plan of God and attain salvation. The Great Commission seeks a change of heart than an outward change, restoration of humanity, restoration of respect for each others as the children of God. This perspective includes all aspects of mankind in it's totality.

Secular perspective does not include a divine master plan. It will attempt to study the concepts of culture as it appears to it, without including religion to it. This perspective may decline the importance of religion in cultures that plays an important role in shaping the lives of people. It may analyse culture from a political viewpoint,or an economic view point, or a historic viewpoint. Every time it studies culture,any one factor of the three factors would be dominant for analysis.

Thus,Secular perspective is a study of culture based on the man made factors, whereas, Great Commission is study of the culture based on Divine master plan.