Getting Started
3Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
2The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ”
4“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5“For God knows that when you eat from it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
6When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
Genesis 3:1–7
The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?
Jeremiah 17:9
Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. 21Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.
Isaiah 5:20–21
Resources
Bible
Book: A Practical Guide to Culture: Helping the Next Generation Navigate Today’s World – request from OCLS
Background Information
Sociologist and Harvard professor Daniel Bell states that “culture is the effort to provide a coherent set of answers to the existential situations that confront all human beings in the passage of their lives” (as cited by Zacharias, 1998). In other words, cultural ideas and norms such as those that evolve around gender, ethnicity, geographic location, religion, lifestyles, age, or other factors reflect at their core the philosophical conclusions and ideas people have developed in response to basic human questions such as; What is truth? Who am I? What matters in life? How did we get here? What is the meaning of life? What is just and fair? What should relationships with people, God, and the world look like and why?
The values that a culture creates or affirms reflect its underlying assumptions and answers to basic questions which become a worldview. For example, every cultural issue currently being debated in America today, says something about a person or group’s philosophy and assumptions about life and the solutions they think are best for the problem.
In Genesis chapter three, we see the first clash in philosophies being described between God’s underlying philosophy of life and Satan’s. God’s philosophy is that people will flourish and thrive if they answer the core questions of life based on what He has said is true, because He is the one who created all things, including the rules of how things work. However, Satan comes to people and challenges this idea by saying, “Did God really say you must not….?” In other words, Satan says, “Do you really think God knows best”? “Don’t you get a say in the matter”? Having planted this seed, Satan convinces Adam and Eve that God’s view of the truth is not really the Truth and that they should instead do what they feel is true and good for themselves. With the change in philosophy from “I should do what God wants because He knows best” to “I should do what I want or feel because I can decide what is true and best for me,” sin enters the world and a new worldview is born. All sin is ultimately a refusal to submit to God’s ways.
The field of social work has a set of values, called the NASW code of ethics, that seeks to answer questions regarding how social workers should respond to others and what solutions are best to meet people’s needs. They are good and solid values. However, how one interprets and follows the code of ethics also depends on their worldview and the assumptions they make. For the Christian, each ethic is viewed from a biblical framework of truth and an understanding that it is only through God’s word that the answers to life’s questions are ultimately found. However, in American culture, truth is frequently defined by whatever people decide it is and whatever they feel works for them. This is called relativism; a worldview that is grounded instead in the idea of subjective moral reasoning.
Relativism is the theory that denies that humans can possess any objective, universally meaningful knowledge, that there are any ultimate and unchanging metaphysical realities (God, persons, space, time, natural laws), or that there are any moral absolutes. Hence meaning and truth are relative to each culture and historical period or each person, situation, relationship, and outcome (Grenz, Guretski, & Nordling, 1999, p. 101). Some social workers interpret the code of ethics through the worldview lens of relativism, believing for example that being person-centered means not just affirming free will and the ability of people to be self-determined but that ethical decisions are relative or entirely cultural, coming to very different conclusions about right and wrong and how to apply the code of ethics than those with a Christian worldview.
All social workers should be aware that worldview matters because it is inherent in the process of change and affects individual and cultural outcomes. For example, when any person or organization seeks to make a change, they alter aspects of their answers to core life questions resulting in changes to their worldview, perspective, relationships, and the culture they help create. This is normal. As you work with clients with different beliefs and cultural backgrounds, it will be your job not only to understand and respect the perspective they bring but also to help them explore core life questions and assumptions and the benefits or consequences of ideas in their lives. As clients or groups explore their beliefs, assumptions, worldviews, and results, they will become empowered to make choices for their future with a clearer idea of what they are choosing as well as the consequences. In this process, the Holy Spirit can be our guide, creating opportunities to help people explore the truth that can bring about change.
Prayer:
God, like Adam and Eve, I am tempted not to believe that what you say is really true. It is easier to do things my way or to go with what is seen as normal instead of what may be true according to Your word. I know that my heart is deceitful. Help me to know your truth, God, and to obey so that I can know true freedom. Give me wisdom as I work with others and help them to explore the answers that they seek in life.
References
Grenz, S. J., Guretzki, D., & Nordling, C. F. (1999). Pocket dictionary of theological terms. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
Stonestreet, J., & Kunkle, B. (2017) A Practical Guide to Culture: Helping the Next Generation Navigate Today’s World. David C. Cook.
Instructions
Read Chapter 1, “What Culture Is and What It Does to Us” from “A Practical Guide to Culture” in the resource list for this devotional.
Cite Chapter and Bible
Navigate to the threaded discussion and respond to the following discussion prompts:
Based on the reading in “A Practical Guide to Culture” briefly define culture and identify two key aspects of how it works.
Explain the importance of culture and its impact on individuals, families, institutions, and society. What role should Christian social workers play in influencing or shaping culture in any of these areas? Why?
Give an example of a current cultural issue in your community, work organization, or society as a whole that may be causing problems. Why is it a cultural issue in your view?? Briefly describe how dominant worldviews in the culture of society, community, or organization are shaping the issue. How is your personal worldview affecting your response to the issue? Explain.
What worldview ideas or cultural beliefs would need to change to make a difference in the area of concern you identified?
