Mark 'Rocky' Roques has been working on a new worldview course for urban saints . It comes to 70 thousand words, 20 PowerPoints and 20 written pieces.
Summary of Worldview/Story Course
In this course you will be equipped with about fifty stories which you
can use with your young people. Some of the stories are about
inspiring, culture-transforming Christians. Others concern mad,
eccentric people who have wasted their lives because of their
idolatries and obsessions. Further to this you will find entertaining
stories that you can find in films, television programmes, newspapers
and adverts. There are full-length stories and vignettes. Stories that
can be told in two minutes and yarns that will take longer to tell.
Before we launch into the stories we will explore what we mean by a
‘worldview’. Worldviews are best understood as the dreams that drive
our lives. Consider the 10 million pound challenge. How would you live
if you had this vast fortune? Many peoples’ dreams today are
consumerist. Consumerists have horizons of happiness and horizons of
possibility which reject biblical teaching. Some consumerists become
idle loafers and some become workaholics. We will put the finger on
consumerism and secularism by introducing the five worldview questions.
(1) Where am I? Or, what is the nature of the world and universe I live in?
(2) Who am I? Or, what is the nature, task and purpose of human beings.
(3) What’s wrong? Or, what is the basic obstacle that keeps me from
finding fulfilment? In other words, how do I understand evil?
(4) What’s the solution? Or, how is it possible to overcome this
hindrance to my fulfilment? In other words, how do I find salvation?
And
(5) What happens to me after death? Or, will I rot in the ground or will I be waiting for the resurrection of my body?
It is very powerful to get young people to understand these five big
questions. We will stress that stories are a great way to introduce
worldviews. Further it is vital to understand that most of these
stories are not embarrassing or threatening. Many ‘secular’ people
today (young or old) find it difficult to talk about God, faith, prayer
and ‘religious’ things. This course is different. We tell exciting,
dramatic stories which stimulate people to think about both Christian
and non-Christian worldviews. This is the great advantage of telling
stories and exploring worldviews. Leaders must select the stories that
seem most appropriate for their groups. The stories about Hetty Green,
Gordon Bennett, Beau Brummell, Imelda Marcos, William Sleeman and John
Portsmouth Football Club Westwood are perfect if the group is
embarrassed by ‘religion’.
1. Caribou story. This is a heartwarming story about revival and the
return of caribou to an Inuit community in Canada. God is at work
through His Son forgiving, restoring, reconciling all things. We will
mention other stories which include leopards, horses, cats and God’s
kingdom breaking in. We will focus on the six broken relationships that
idolatry brings.
2. George Cadbury story. Story about the great chocolatier who brought
celebration, mercy and the Sabbath into his chocolate factory. How does
the George Cadbury story help us to answer the five worldview
questions? God is reconciling people and the manufacture of
confectionary. Christ does not come to abolish culture but to transform
it.
3. Hetty Green. Story about a very mean multi-millionaire. We become
like the gods we worship (Psalm 115). All people are incurably
religious. How did Hetty Green answer the five worldview questions? Her
answer is profoundly ‘secular’. We live as if there is no God. There is
a hidden depth dimension to Green’s worldview that needs to be
unpacked. Social materialism (obsession with material things) flows
from philosophical materialism (only matter and energy really exist).
By way of contrast we will explore the life of Angela Burdett-Coutts
who lavished her wealth on kingdom projects.
4. George Muller. A story about an inspiring Christian who adopted
thousands of orphans. God is the living God and He responds to prayer
when we seek first His kingdom. We will explore the secular worldview
of the people who hated Muller. How did nasty factory owners answer the
five worldview questions? Again their answer was secular. We don’t need
God. We put our faith in science, technology and economic growth. This
has been the dominant western religion. We put our faith in human
power, ingenuity and autonomy. We will tell the story of a modern day
Muller – a Ugandan man, David Serunjogi who has received many answers
to prayer for his orphanage.
5. Amy Carmichael. A story about a missionary who rescued thousands of
children from prostitution in India. What is the caste system? We will
explore how a servant of the goddess Yellama would answer the worldview
questions. This story helps us to understand the biblical theme of
Exodus.
6. Gordon Bennett. A story about an eccentric millionaire who was
always bored. This amusing story will help us to understand more about
autonomy and the master slave issue. For many secular celebrities there
is a hidden caste system. I am a god and you are my slave. Why do we
admire celebrities? We have the illusion that celebrities are
constantly making the most of their autonomy. They are able to escape
from work and everyday troubles, sorrows and responsibilities. We will
also tell the story of shoppaholic Imelda Marcos who bought incredible
numbers of shoes, handbags and designer gowns. She also stole billions
from the Philippine treasury.
7. John Anthony Portsmouth Football Club Westwood. A story about a
football fanatic who worships ‘Pompey’. Idolatry can take both a
secular and a pagan form. We will also look at Christian footballers
who reject this idolatry. Brief vignettes about Kaka, Lomana LuaLua and
Damiano Tommassi. Many western people (in particular men) are prone to
this form of idolatry. Idolatry always makes us less than human. Jesus
has come to restore our full humanity. This includes a healthy
enjoyment of sport.
8. Shay Cullen. A story about a Roman Catholic priest who rescues
children from the sex slave trade in the Philippines. We will focus on
corruption and bribery and the need for Christians to be engaged with
all spheres of life. Where are the godly police officers, magistrates,
lawyers and government officials? How might sex tourists answer the
wordview questions?
9. William Sleeman. The story of this Christian detective who destroyed
the Kali Thug sect is a great introduction to the clash of three
worldviews – Thuggee, Christianity and Consumerism. This story shows
how we can serve God in so-called ‘secular’ areas. God rescued Sleeman
from thug attacks on three separate occasions.
10. William Carey. This amazing missionary brought cultural
transformation to India. Signposts of the kingdom (incarnating God’s
will) should always accompany the preaching of the gospel. Carey’s love
of and interest in botany, astronomy and poetry is striking and gives
us a new template for doing mission. Carey begins with creation and not
with sin. Mission finds its true place and context when all of life is
being redeemed. Otherwise evangelism becomes an embarrassing, awkward
and painful burden. Many Hindus were deeply impressed by Carey’s
cultural achievements. They could see God at work healing and restoring
the six broken relationships discussed at the beginning of the course.
Briefly we will show how Carey’s work gives us a much richer
perspective on the gospel of the kingdom. The gospel is the
announcement that Jesus Christ, the Crucified One, is the resurrected
King of kings.
11. Beau Brummell. This is a fascinating story about a dandy who was
obsessed by his necktie and personal appearance. How do dandies answer
the five worldview questions? We will relate this to Channel 4’s Big
Brother ‘entertainment’ and modern celebrity themes. Many people today
are followers of Beau Brummell. Although Beau and Hetty are very
different types, they are both very ‘secular’. They lived as if there
is no God. Hetty’s god was the economic whereas Beau’s god was the
aesthetic. Idolatry always takes good things and perverts them.
12. Elizabeth Fry. Fry’s work in prisons is a powerful way of
explaining the difference between individual and structural sin. We can
distinguish between the sin of an individual murderer and the
structural sin of the prison which incarcerates the criminal. Prisons
can obey the call to follow Jesus by displaying both justice and mercy.
Murderers should be punished and their threat to society should be
negated. At the same time young boys who steal a few shillings should
not be transported to Botany Bay. The gospel does not only challenge
individuals to follow Christ. Prisons and all other institutions are
commanded to repent and believe the good news (Matthew 28:18-20). We
will contrast Fry’s worldview with Elle Woods the heroine of the
Hollywood film - Legally Blond.
13. King Pomare the 2nd of Tahiti. This story about a Tahitian king
helps us to understand the dark side of paganism and it reinforces the
message that ‘incarnating the just war’ leads to effective mission.
When Tahitians saw the gospel at work after the battle of Feii (1815),
they became hungry for God and there were many conversions. Preaching
the gospel became much easier when the gospel was embodied. We will
include some basic teaching about the just war.
14. James Chalmers. This story about a plucky Scottish missionary
focuses upon cannibalism in Papua New Guinea. Should we love our
neighbours or eat them? The gospel makes advances when it is embodied
and incarnated. We will investigate the worldviews of western people
who are unable to condemn the cannibal lifestyle. We will put the
spotlight on cultural relativism, existentialism, emotivism and social
Darwinism. These secular mindsets will be explained in a simple way
without using long words.
15. Catherine Booth. This story shows how missionaries set up a just
and merciful match factory in the east-end of London. Her story
illustrates a striking similarity between pagan and secular idolatry.
We always end up devaluing and depreciating some peoples’ lives. For
some cannibals the next-door-neighbour tribe can be consumed. For
hardened consumerists some people can be consumed by brutal regimes of
production (eg Wal-Mart). Biblical teaching rejects both of these forms
of idolatry. Just as in previous stories effective mission can only
succeed when the gospel is incarnated in both word and deed.
16. Owen Carey Jones. Owen writes screenplays as his vocation. This
story focuses upon the need for Christians to shape culture. If we
don’t do this - culture will become increasingly secularised or
paganised. Owen’s film making is a full-time, bona fide calling. Art is
not propaganda and great films should never be didactic. Great art
suggests without stating. We will spend time considering how films
shape our horizons of happiness and possibility. How would James Bond
answer the five worldview questions?
17. Peter and Miranda Harris. This story focuses upon ecology and
environmental sustainability. The A Rocha Christian community is doing
wonderful things to bring healing to communities and the earth. The
need to develop Christian communities in different spheres of life is
highlighted. We will tell a story about the great Russian novelist
Dostoyevski who experienced the world as the ‘theatre of God’s glory’.
18. Bob Lavelle. This story illustrates the possibility of a Christian
community which is not a church… a godly bank serving God and
neighbour. There are many manifestations of the body of Christ. Bob’s
bank is challenging both consumerism and a dualistic form of
Christianity. It is vital to distinguish between the Body of Christ and
the local church. Lavelle’s bank, Booth’s match factory, A Rocha and
Urban Saints are all Christian communities but they are not churches.
We will also explore the incredible and inspiring work of Christians
against Poverty which was voted the Best Small Company 2008 by the
Sunday Times.
19. Thomas Baker. This is a story which deals with forgiveness in
modern day Fiji. It shows clearly that Fijians know about their pagan,
cannibal past. There are some delightfully quirky and comical elements
to the story. We will show how this story is connected to the caribou
story and revival in Fiji which has lead to ‘nature’ miracles – fish
returning in abundance and poisoned ponds being miraculously restored
and healed.
20. Jerry McAuley. This story which focuses on rat-pits, crime and
conversion is a powerful reminder that God calls us to turn away from
false gods and false messiahs. The story is full of humour and we can
explore how rats can participate in God’s kingdom. They can be
worshipped but they can be partnered with (clearing land mines) in
order to see God’s kingdom breaking through. We will relate this theme
of animals back to the first story about the caribou.
In this course you will be equipped with about fifty stories which you
can use with your young people. Some of the stories are about
inspiring, culture-transforming Christians. Others concern mad,
eccentric people who have wasted their lives because of their
idolatries and obsessions. Further to this you will find entertaining
stories that you can find in films, television programmes, newspapers
and adverts. There are full-length stories and vignettes. Stories that
can be told in two minutes and yarns that will take longer to tell.
Before we launch into the stories we will explore what we mean by a
‘worldview’. Worldviews are best understood as the dreams that drive
our lives. Consider the 10 million pound challenge. How would you live
if you had this vast fortune? Many peoples’ dreams today are
consumerist. Consumerists have horizons of happiness and horizons of
possibility which reject biblical teaching. Some consumerists become
idle loafers and some become workaholics. We will put the finger on
consumerism and secularism by introducing the five worldview questions.
(1) Where am I? Or, what is the nature of the world and universe I live in?
(2) Who am I? Or, what is the nature, task and purpose of human beings.
(3) What’s wrong? Or, what is the basic obstacle that keeps me from
finding fulfilment? In other words, how do I understand evil?
(4) What’s the solution? Or, how is it possible to overcome this
hindrance to my fulfilment? In other words, how do I find salvation?
And
(5) What happens to me after death? Or, will I rot in the ground or will I be waiting for the resurrection of my body?
It is very powerful to get young people to understand these five big
questions. We will stress that stories are a great way to introduce
worldviews. Further it is vital to understand that most of these
stories are not embarrassing or threatening. Many ‘secular’ people
today (young or old) find it difficult to talk about God, faith, prayer
and ‘religious’ things. This course is different. We tell exciting,
dramatic stories which stimulate people to think about both Christian
and non-Christian worldviews. This is the great advantage of telling
stories and exploring worldviews. Leaders must select the stories that
seem most appropriate for their groups. The stories about Hetty Green,
Gordon Bennett, Beau Brummell, Imelda Marcos, William Sleeman and John
Portsmouth Football Club Westwood are perfect if the group is
embarrassed by ‘religion’.
1. Caribou story. This is a heartwarming story about revival and the
return of caribou to an Inuit community in Canada. God is at work
through His Son forgiving, restoring, reconciling all things. We will
mention other stories which include leopards, horses, cats and God’s
kingdom breaking in. We will focus on the six broken relationships that
idolatry brings.
2. George Cadbury story. Story about the great chocolatier who brought
celebration, mercy and the Sabbath into his chocolate factory. How does
the George Cadbury story help us to answer the five worldview
questions? God is reconciling people and the manufacture of
confectionary. Christ does not come to abolish culture but to transform
it.
3. Hetty Green. Story about a very mean multi-millionaire. We become
like the gods we worship (Psalm 115). All people are incurably
religious. How did Hetty Green answer the five worldview questions? Her
answer is profoundly ‘secular’. We live as if there is no God. There is
a hidden depth dimension to Green’s worldview that needs to be
unpacked. Social materialism (obsession with material things) flows
from philosophical materialism (only matter and energy really exist).
By way of contrast we will explore the life of Angela Burdett-Coutts
who lavished her wealth on kingdom projects.
4. George Muller. A story about an inspiring Christian who adopted
thousands of orphans. God is the living God and He responds to prayer
when we seek first His kingdom. We will explore the secular worldview
of the people who hated Muller. How did nasty factory owners answer the
five worldview questions? Again their answer was secular. We don’t need
God. We put our faith in science, technology and economic growth. This
has been the dominant western religion. We put our faith in human
power, ingenuity and autonomy. We will tell the story of a modern day
Muller – a Ugandan man, David Serunjogi who has received many answers
to prayer for his orphanage.
5. Amy Carmichael. A story about a missionary who rescued thousands of
children from prostitution in India. What is the caste system? We will
explore how a servant of the goddess Yellama would answer the worldview
questions. This story helps us to understand the biblical theme of
Exodus.
6. Gordon Bennett. A story about an eccentric millionaire who was
always bored. This amusing story will help us to understand more about
autonomy and the master slave issue. For many secular celebrities there
is a hidden caste system. I am a god and you are my slave. Why do we
admire celebrities? We have the illusion that celebrities are
constantly making the most of their autonomy. They are able to escape
from work and everyday troubles, sorrows and responsibilities. We will
also tell the story of shoppaholic Imelda Marcos who bought incredible
numbers of shoes, handbags and designer gowns. She also stole billions
from the Philippine treasury.
7. John Anthony Portsmouth Football Club Westwood. A story about a
football fanatic who worships ‘Pompey’. Idolatry can take both a
secular and a pagan form. We will also look at Christian footballers
who reject this idolatry. Brief vignettes about Kaka, Lomana LuaLua and
Damiano Tommassi. Many western people (in particular men) are prone to
this form of idolatry. Idolatry always makes us less than human. Jesus
has come to restore our full humanity. This includes a healthy
enjoyment of sport.
8. Shay Cullen. A story about a Roman Catholic priest who rescues
children from the sex slave trade in the Philippines. We will focus on
corruption and bribery and the need for Christians to be engaged with
all spheres of life. Where are the godly police officers, magistrates,
lawyers and government officials? How might sex tourists answer the
wordview questions?
9. William Sleeman. The story of this Christian detective who destroyed
the Kali Thug sect is a great introduction to the clash of three
worldviews – Thuggee, Christianity and Consumerism. This story shows
how we can serve God in so-called ‘secular’ areas. God rescued Sleeman
from thug attacks on three separate occasions.
10. William Carey. This amazing missionary brought cultural
transformation to India. Signposts of the kingdom (incarnating God’s
will) should always accompany the preaching of the gospel. Carey’s love
of and interest in botany, astronomy and poetry is striking and gives
us a new template for doing mission. Carey begins with creation and not
with sin. Mission finds its true place and context when all of life is
being redeemed. Otherwise evangelism becomes an embarrassing, awkward
and painful burden. Many Hindus were deeply impressed by Carey’s
cultural achievements. They could see God at work healing and restoring
the six broken relationships discussed at the beginning of the course.
Briefly we will show how Carey’s work gives us a much richer
perspective on the gospel of the kingdom. The gospel is the
announcement that Jesus Christ, the Crucified One, is the resurrected
King of kings.
11. Beau Brummell. This is a fascinating story about a dandy who was
obsessed by his necktie and personal appearance. How do dandies answer
the five worldview questions? We will relate this to Channel 4’s Big
Brother ‘entertainment’ and modern celebrity themes. Many people today
are followers of Beau Brummell. Although Beau and Hetty are very
different types, they are both very ‘secular’. They lived as if there
is no God. Hetty’s god was the economic whereas Beau’s god was the
aesthetic. Idolatry always takes good things and perverts them.
12. Elizabeth Fry. Fry’s work in prisons is a powerful way of
explaining the difference between individual and structural sin. We can
distinguish between the sin of an individual murderer and the
structural sin of the prison which incarcerates the criminal. Prisons
can obey the call to follow Jesus by displaying both justice and mercy.
Murderers should be punished and their threat to society should be
negated. At the same time young boys who steal a few shillings should
not be transported to Botany Bay. The gospel does not only challenge
individuals to follow Christ. Prisons and all other institutions are
commanded to repent and believe the good news (Matthew 28:18-20). We
will contrast Fry’s worldview with Elle Woods the heroine of the
Hollywood film - Legally Blond.
13. King Pomare the 2nd of Tahiti. This story about a Tahitian king
helps us to understand the dark side of paganism and it reinforces the
message that ‘incarnating the just war’ leads to effective mission.
When Tahitians saw the gospel at work after the battle of Feii (1815),
they became hungry for God and there were many conversions. Preaching
the gospel became much easier when the gospel was embodied. We will
include some basic teaching about the just war.
14. James Chalmers. This story about a plucky Scottish missionary
focuses upon cannibalism in Papua New Guinea. Should we love our
neighbours or eat them? The gospel makes advances when it is embodied
and incarnated. We will investigate the worldviews of western people
who are unable to condemn the cannibal lifestyle. We will put the
spotlight on cultural relativism, existentialism, emotivism and social
Darwinism. These secular mindsets will be explained in a simple way
without using long words.
15. Catherine Booth. This story shows how missionaries set up a just
and merciful match factory in the east-end of London. Her story
illustrates a striking similarity between pagan and secular idolatry.
We always end up devaluing and depreciating some peoples’ lives. For
some cannibals the next-door-neighbour tribe can be consumed. For
hardened consumerists some people can be consumed by brutal regimes of
production (eg Wal-Mart). Biblical teaching rejects both of these forms
of idolatry. Just as in previous stories effective mission can only
succeed when the gospel is incarnated in both word and deed.
16. Owen Carey Jones. Owen writes screenplays as his vocation. This
story focuses upon the need for Christians to shape culture. If we
don’t do this - culture will become increasingly secularised or
paganised. Owen’s film making is a full-time, bona fide calling. Art is
not propaganda and great films should never be didactic. Great art
suggests without stating. We will spend time considering how films
shape our horizons of happiness and possibility. How would James Bond
answer the five worldview questions?
17. Peter and Miranda Harris. This story focuses upon ecology and
environmental sustainability. The A Rocha Christian community is doing
wonderful things to bring healing to communities and the earth. The
need to develop Christian communities in different spheres of life is
highlighted. We will tell a story about the great Russian novelist
Dostoyevski who experienced the world as the ‘theatre of God’s glory’.
18. Bob Lavelle. This story illustrates the possibility of a Christian
community which is not a church… a godly bank serving God and
neighbour. There are many manifestations of the body of Christ. Bob’s
bank is challenging both consumerism and a dualistic form of
Christianity. It is vital to distinguish between the Body of Christ and
the local church. Lavelle’s bank, Booth’s match factory, A Rocha and
Urban Saints are all Christian communities but they are not churches.
We will also explore the incredible and inspiring work of Christians
against Poverty which was voted the Best Small Company 2008 by the
Sunday Times.
19. Thomas Baker. This is a story which deals with forgiveness in
modern day Fiji. It shows clearly that Fijians know about their pagan,
cannibal past. There are some delightfully quirky and comical elements
to the story. We will show how this story is connected to the caribou
story and revival in Fiji which has lead to ‘nature’ miracles – fish
returning in abundance and poisoned ponds being miraculously restored
and healed.
20. Jerry McAuley. This story which focuses on rat-pits, crime and
conversion is a powerful reminder that God calls us to turn away from
false gods and false messiahs. The story is full of humour and we can
explore how rats can participate in God’s kingdom. They can be
worshipped but they can be partnered with (clearing land mines) in
order to see God’s kingdom breaking through. We will relate this theme
of animals back to the first story about the caribou.
1 comment:
With regard to Shay Cullen (as you wrote: 8. Shay Cullen. A story about a Roman Catholic priest who rescues
children from the sex slave trade in the Philippines. We will focus on
corruption and bribery and the need for Christians to be engaged with
all spheres of life. Where are the godly police officers, magistrates,
lawyers and government officials? How might sex tourists answer the
wordview questions?), let's face some serious questions, shall we?
Preda Foundation is desperate to get me deported, but that is a double-edged sword for them, as I am an American citizen and the libel laws are nowhere nearly as bad as they are here in the Philippines.
Why are they trying to get me deported? Because I am exposing the truth of what Shay Cullen is by pointing to his own words, and that hurts!
Example: He says I am attempting to flee the Philippines in the deportation complaint. From what? There are no charges filed against me.
He says that I am a suspected child abuser. Again, this accusation has been going on for ten years, yet no charge is against me either in court nor even in front of any prosecutor. On the other hand, whenever he makes such statements, I file libel, slander, grave oral defamation, etc., and two are in court right now (case numbers 384-98 and 411-06). One has been submitted to the judge for decision (384-98) and most likely will result in a conviction, so.....
He says in the complaint for my deportation that I don't pay may taxes to the United States. That's a deportable crime in a country that does not collect those taxes? Besides, my taxes are paid, and I have the last ten years' filing forms to prove it.
He says in his complaint that I defraud the United States health care system. Again, that is not a concern of the Philippines, there is no case against me anywhere, and there is not one iota of proof that what he said was true.
Besides, I am a relatively healthy person, and the only chronic complaint I have, degenerative arthritis of the right ankle, was diagnosed by the US military in 1976, so I have every right to seek treatment for that condition!
As to Shay Cullen's statements about the sex tourism, consider these tidbits, if you will:
1. He says that authorities hide and protect pedophiles. Does that encourage those perverts to come to the Philippines or to stay away?
2. He claims that legal complaints are filed against Preda to stop their work and investigations into allegations about sexual abuses of minors. Let's see, I have filed nearly fifty (50) complaints for such things as libel, slander, grave oral defamation, obstruction of justice, kidnapping, and rape (yes, my daughter was raped at the age of seven years old while in the care of Preda Foundation, Inc. who took her from her public school). Does that sound like I am trying to obstruct justice or find justice?
There are two sites you and your readers should check out, besides, of course, preda.org: They are preda-facts.info and inquisition21.com (under the banner "Can of worms opening up in the Philippines").
At my web site, preda-facts.info, please take the time to look at SOME of the documents that I have placed there. Those are not my documents, as that would be self-serving; they are documents and pictures from others INCLUDING Preda Foundation, Inc.
Post a Comment