Missions in the Realms of Religion, Philosophy, and Science

Religious missions, philosophy, and science.

One of these things is not like the others, or so it may seem…

Just like justice and benevolence, the three coexist. They work together to craft your worldview. As a Christian, religious missions are a big part of my life and I think it is important to remember that philosophy and science are also important to craft your worldview along with religion. Without science, we wouldn’t be able to see the marvelous works of God and without philosophy, we wouldn’t be able to have a deeper understanding of God and be able to analyze our faith.

There are two major parts of missions, the first of which, the one that most people think is the only part, is sharing the gospel. Matthew 28:19 says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in^[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” God commanded us to fulfill this mission and spread the gospel because there are so many people who need to hear it. I love that at my church as you come in the parking lot it says “come and see.” Our churches prepare us to be disciples of the gospel so it is very important that we are connected within our churches. Our churches also support us and provide encouragement to “go and serve.” It says “go and serve” as you leave the the church. Our churches send us out to fulfill God’s mission. My church talks about the ripple effect a lot. We send ripples through our communities and our world. Going back to the three values, science and philosophy are very much related to the great commission. Science helps us to understand the world around us and interpret what other people see. Philosophy gives us a deeper understanding of God so that we can go and share it, but also to defend our faith from persecutors. All in all, the three work together to form a well-rounded worldview.

The second part of missions, which has played a big part in crafting who I am today, is how sharing the gospel can impact your own life. I have gone to Peru very year since I was in 4th grade. As a 7^th grader, I was given the opportunity to teach 6 to 7 year olds English without any adults, only a few peers. I could’ve been scared, but I was so excited because I feel like each year I leave a part of my heart in Peru. One girl, Dayanna, had an excitement for learning and was so sweet to us, but she struggled with commonly mundane tasks that other kids excelled in. Some of those tasks were writing her name, spelling it differently each time she wrote it, or following simple directions such as standing in line to go outside or to stop playing with things that weren’t for her. As I noticed this, I could tell something was wrong and as a 7^th grader, I wasn’t confident if I should tell Gina, the ministry leader, or not, but because we are supposed to screen for medical issues, I spoke up. Gina told me that she had never seen her before, but she would have Dayanna take her to her home. When Gina told me the next day that she was being abused by her older brother, it shocked me, but I continued to do as much as I could for the time being to encourage her.  The following year, I saw a familiar face in my classroom, but I couldn’t quite put a name to the face. As class concluded that humid morning, I suddenly realized who it was. It was Dayanna. I quickly found Gina and asked her how Dayanna was doing because I could see she still had the same excitement for learning, but she was now excelling at the mundane tasks she couldn’t complete the year before. What Gina said in response has left a lasting mark on me, even four years later. She said that because I spoke up, Dayanna was now out of the abusive home and she was much more happy and confident. Dayanna’s story showed me that I can greatly impact someone’s life by going out of my comfort zone to speak up and that caring can change someone’s life in the most dramatic way. Without the commission from God, I would never have had that experience, and without the courage I have been given to “go and serve” I wouldn’t have been able to speak up. God has showed me that in serving other people, both internationally and simply by being a leader at school, I learn more about Him. Yes, going to Peru is an opportunity that not everybody has, but I hope this story serves as an encouragement to you. God can use you to do things you could never have imagined.

God has crafted my worldview through missions. Without missions, I can confidently say I wouldn’t be the person I am today. God command us to go and fulfill His commission as believers, so it is important as Christians to craft our worldview to be able to be world citizens. If we didn’t have science, religion, and philosophy colliding into the same realm, this would be impossible. All are necessary to form a well-rounded worldview. In order to fulfill the Great Commission, we need to have an understanding of our worldview and a way of understanding others to help them understand the Gospel. These three values help us to do so. Missions are fulfilling of God’s commission, but also help us to examine, pursue and strengthen our faith.

Lightbulb Moments

Am I sitting on a chair?

Is my laptop on a desk?

Is this a laptop?

Epistemology leads to acquiring knowledge about life and explain how we think, what reasoning we use to get there, and The study of epistemology and professed Christianity have a very close relationship because both point to knowing God more. Epistemology assists in our acquiring of knowledge to worship God in our professed Christianity. God is the base of all knowledge, so epistemology directly points to Him from a Christian worldview. God created us with a rational brain to give us a desire to inquire more about Him. It makes us devote ourselves to His knowledge and the truth of His Word. His Word points to realizations about our role in His plan and the purpose we have in His creation, but also to realizations about Him as our eternal creator.

A lightbulb is a great analogy for these realizations. God is the inner wiring, the source for the light of knowledge. Stemming from it is light, produced from the center and pointing towards the center. Our quest for knowledge is like turning on the light. As we see the result of the light shining, we know it is because of the wiring that Thomas Edison discovered. Epistemology is the strands of light and God is the central wiring. Without each other, the bulb wouldn’t be complete. Both are necessary for to find God’s truth within the realm of professed Christianity. Proverbs 2:6 says that “For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” God’s wisdom and truth can be found in the Bible, but also through having a professed, personal relationship with God. A good analogy for us to remember when studying epistemology as a Christian is to have a lightbulb moment. Without each other, they wouldn’t work, but both are important to the overall architecture. You can have that “aha” moment while learning about God and worship God by learning about Him by applying (and shining) the meaning (light) to Him. Christianity and knowledge MUST work together to shape our faith. Both are necessary for professed Christianity.

An epistemological understanding of truth is important because it answers life questions, but also because it points to our reasoning behind conclusions, just like how the strands of light point to the inner wiring. If we never understand why we make the decisions we make, how do we know those are valid decisions associate with what we believe? Knowledge about God and our faith will assist in our ethical decisions and even mundane decisions. Our knowledge of God is the deciding factor behind all decisions we make in life. Once again, this is another case where epistemology and Christianity coincide to form the truths of our lives.

Epistemology works also to explain the way we think, therefore explain the way we worship God. This study helps us to evaluate our worship and, in doing so, worship God further. By evaluating our worship, we learn what we value, what God values, and how we best worship God. Each person is different, so learning how to best worship God in the most appropriate way is very important to our Christianity because spending time with God is a key role of our faith. Self-evaluation is valued in aspects of other faiths, so this can give us a way to relate to other people. It also helps us to learn about ourselves, more importantly. Values and induction/deduction play prevalent roles in the way we think, so exploring those are incredibly important to a professed faith.

I’ve heard the saying “knowledge is power” so many times before, but as I’ve studied epistemology, I’ve realized the importance behind it. When we study our knowledge and the questions behind our knowledge, it gives us a greater understanding for the world. Whether it’s empathy for the suffering or encouragement for the thriving, understanding for our worldview as Christians is important because it gives us a distinct kind of power. A power to defend our faith against critics and strengthen it amongst other believers.  The knowledge behind faith is power because it gives supportive explanations in both directions. Knowledge opens many doors (of opportunity and for worship) for us as believers, and, in a way, closes doors for contradictions against us. Epistemology should be viewed as an empowering aspect of philosophy for Christians, not degrading. Why wouldn’t we want to learn more about our Almighty God? We are so blessed to have the ability to use an aspect of philosophy in this way. All in all, yes, epistemology and professed Christianity can work together. In fact, in the eyes of a Christian, they are necessary for the other. Both coincide with our worship for God and faith.