Hero Meets Beast: The Biblical Story, Man’s Stories & Worldviews

Speakers:

Worldview Plus Speakers—Aaron Kamakawiwoole and Rhonda Kamakawiwoole

• “Americans don’t agree on much, but one thing is true of all of us: we are deeply moved by stories. We see them on the big screen, read them in a bestseller, and avoid them on the magazine stand at the supermarket.
• Why do we love stories? And what truths (or untruths) do they convey? How can we as Christians engage a culture with the Gospel in an era where people shrug off conversations about religion? We do it through stories—the stories they already know—bringing to light the implications behind them. This we call a ‘worldview.’
• Over the course of six activity-rich workshops, we will use literary analysis and seven essential questions as a framework for teaching to an understanding of, belief in, and decision-making according to the Biblical worldview, as well as for outlining the teachings of opposing worldviews.
• Join us as we explore the Biblical worldview through the beauty of the “Story of Stories,” the Bible, and compare and contrast it with the creativity of man through Beauty and the Beast, Star Wars, and the Marvel Universe (and much more!). It’s an opportunity your age 13+ young person will enjoy!”

Registration info:

• $25 per teen, 13 + years old
• Participants should bring a Bible and pen.

Bios

• Aaron is a homeschool graduate from Hawaii (Class of ’07) whose education included a heavy emphasis on literary classics. He continued in this vein by attending Patrick Henry College where he majored in Government, but read over 100 classic works (and graduated with the equivalent of a minor in Literature). Over the past five years since graduating from PHC, Aaron taught a week-long high school teen camp centered around the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, has served as a deacon of Children’s Ministry at his church, and has honed and pursued his love of storycraft and literary analysis (especially in the realm of fairy tales and medieval fantasy fiction). He was published in an international apologetics journal in 2009, analyzing the New Age principles present in the Star Wars saga and trilogy, and how Christians might thoughtfully discuss the dangers of New Age philosophy and the sufficiency of the Gospel with Star Wars fans.
• Rhonda partners in ministry with her pastoring husband Peter. She home educated her five children to a Biblical worldview from pre-school through grade 12, and has eight grandchildren. She has enjoyed 30+ years in teaching ministry to elementary-age children and high school-age youth, and taught courses integrating the Biblical worldview with the study of history, literature, philosophy, economics, and political theory to high schoolers for 13 years. Rhonda is currently developing a four-year high school curriculum that will integrate study of the 66 books of the Bible with a chronological study of world history and literature from a worldview perspective, helping young people pursue a love for God, His Word, and people, Christ-like character, and a “big picture” understanding of God’s plans and purposes. She is also currently working toward a Doctor of Educational Ministry degree.

Worldview Plus Aims and Goals:

• Build a framework for studying “worldview-ishly” in each participant’s homeschool, starting with the Biblical worldview, using seven essential questions. These questions are:
• What is really real—the Ultimate Reality? Is God real? If so, what is God like?
• How did the universe come to be and what is it like?
• Who am I and what am I like? What are Human Beings like?
• What is true, good & right, and beautiful—and how do I know? What should be my “standard” for truth, morality/ethics, and beauty?
• Why do evil and suffering exist in the world?
• What happens after someone dies?
• Why am I here? What is my purpose/destiny?
• Engage the whole person—head, heart, and hands—through the involvement of multiple senses (Each session will involve activities that engage the mind, motivation and feelings, and the will and action.)
• Build a memory (as opposed to just an experience)
• Make it real for them—asking: “So what? Why does knowing the Biblical worldview, and discerning among other worldviews, matter?”

Content & Methods

• Activities will include analyzing other worldviews as participants compare and contrast the Biblical worldview with the worldviews present in such popular works as Beauty and the Beast (a medieval era fairy tale centered in a thoroughly Christian worldview), Star Wars (a myth centered in an East-meets-West New Age worldview), and Avengers I (in which Religious West meets Secular West in the “American epic” that is the superhero).

Workshop Descriptions:

• Friday, Session 1—What Do I Believe? Worldview: What Is It?

In this session, we will walk through seven essential questions that can help us discover the truth about who God is, what the universe is like, who we are, the standard for ethics & truth, evil and suffering, death, and purpose in life. We will introduce the participants to basic literary analysis through Beauty and the Beast as fairy tale, Star Wars as myth with Eastern and Western elements, and Avengers I as one of the three “American epic” genres in American literature. We will also address the “so what” question: “Why does it matter if I know my own worldview and if I can dissect the worldview of the movie, book, or song around me? What’s the point?”

• Friday, Session 2–What is the Ultimate Reality–the Really Real? God: Father, Force, or Far Away?

In this session, we will come to a greater understanding of who God is as we discover His attributes of Greatness and why He is worthy of our honor. We will also compare the Biblical worldview to the “God behind the scenes” in Beauty and the Beast, the impersonal Force of Star Wars, and the very “God is not present” world of the superheroes.

• Friday, Session 3–Who am I? The Relationship of God and Man

In this session, we will talk about God’s Goodness, how God made man special, designed him to ask questions and pursue meaning in ways no other creature does, and why this now leaves a gaping hole in all people as fallen creatures, which we will see in Star Wars, Avengers, and (perhaps most acutely) in Beauty and the Beast.

• Saturday, Session 4—Who am I? Man as Creature

In this session, we will discuss the nature of man as fallen in Beauty and the Beast, the uniqueness of man in Star Wars, and the paradox of man in Avengers. We will also address the problem of evil and suffering by looking at the Bible Hero’s enemy, Satan.

• Saturday, Session 5— What is True, Good, & Right—and How Do I Know? Truth & Ethics

In this session, we will see that man’s stories run into a problem with what is right and wrong because man is naturally disposed to be cruel and self-interested, and requires love from beyond himself to turn to sacrifice—the true sign of doing what is good. As fallen image bearers and moral creatures who make wrong choices, we are not “good” apart from God, as many worldviews assume. In the Story of Stories, God desires purity and holiness in us because they are marks of His image, because they are in our best interest, and because they are superior to the fleeting pleasures promised us by sin.

• Saturday, Session 6—Why Am I Here? And Why Does All This Matter? Purpose & Destiny

In this session, we will discover our purpose for being here on this earth. We will return to the : “So what” question. Why does knowing the Biblical worldview, and discerning among other worldviews, matter?” There are people out there who are living in despair who need the Truth—the Truth that sets men free. But we live in an age where it’s hard to talk about spiritual things. So how do we do it? Participants will have the opportunity to commit to growing in the Biblical worldview and articulate for themselves ways they can mature in their faith and share their faith with others as they finish out their last year(s) of education at home.