From: Community Development Centre <ComDevCentre@compuserve.com>
Date: Wed May 24, 2000 12:57 pm
Subject: Biblical world view and development
Dear All,
Several have asked for comments and even teaching from me. i had mentioned to Benjo that I can not put allof this on the email which is why I suggested that if this area of releif and development interest you, you may want to consider doing the Foundations of Community Development Course with us in Africa. This will be held in Jinga, Ugan and Worcester, South Africa 28 Sept-22 Dec. We also have one beginning in Australia in July 2000 and one in Korea in April 2001. For information on these, please write to me at: ComDevCentre@compuserve.com.
In the mean time, I will try to put out snipets that you may find helpful.
I can see that several of you are wrestling with the thoughts or
consequences of those thoughts. I want to encourage you to continue in this vein. Bibliical world view is essential in understanding what makes our work truly Christian. The questin was asked what is relief and development. I would ask, "What makes Christian relief and development Christian?"
To help consider this, i will outline a diagram use in teaching Biblical worldview and development issues. Unfortunately, I can not draw this for you on the computer, but try to think through the picture. It is a tree, an older tree with deep roots, a solid trunk, wide branches filled with leaves and some kind of fruit all over it. This tree can either represent an individual or an organization. At the root level are the BELIEFS. These beliefs feed the rest of the tree. The trunk represents VALUES, the branches BEHAVIOR (or if it is an institution, the branches are the POLICIES) and the fruit CONSEQUENCES (or if it is an institution the fruit are the PROGRAMS).
As we look at our world views or our belief systems we can see that they will determine the fruit of the tree. Our world view is made up of the assumptions we consciously or unconsciously hold about the basic make up of the world and how it works, which usually comes form the dominant culture of our nation.
Most of us, even Christians, do not have a Biblical world view because of the dominant cultures we have been raised in. Our roots may be still in secular humanism and if that is so then the fruit may be representative of this. So, then what make Christian relief and development Christian? Where do we find our roots?
I do need to also say that often when we go into another culture, we look at the fruit, but usually our programs address the fruit instead of the roots. We need to look at the roots so that we can understand what needs to happen for wholeness (development) to occur.
I know wthe messages need to be short so I will continue in another email. Please feel free to voice your input.
