abstract |
This dissertation aims to present a practical pastoral methodology for helping new believers form a holistic Christian worldview within a postmodern culture dominated by fragmented narratives. Many contemporary Christians experience a disconnect between faith and life due to understanding the Bible as a mere collection of fragmented knowledge. This study, therefore, seeks to argue for the effectiveness of approaching the entire Bible as a single grand story, or a meta-narrative, as an alternative.
For this purpose, a literature review was first conducted to define the theoretical relationship between meta-narrative and worldview formation, based on the premise that human beings are "narrative beings." The study analyzed how the core biblical meta-narrative of 'Creation-Fall-Redemption-Restoration' constitutes the framework of a Christian worldview and how it is internalized through the repetitive practices of a community, as theorized by James K. A. Smith. Furthermore, it examined the challenges posed by modern culture (e.g., expressive individualism, consumerism) and explored the pastoral applicability of the meta-narrative through the preceding case studies of Tim Keller and Leonard Sweet.
Based on this theoretical foundation, a three-stage integrated discipleship program—'Gospel-Sharing,' 'Tong-Bible (Holistic Bible Reading),' and 'Dawn with the Lord (QT)'—was designed and implemented in the researcher's pastoral field. Through a qualitative case study analyzing participants' written reflections, surveys, and in-depth interviews, it was confirmed that the proposed methodology brought about significant changes in their faith. Participants re-established their identity by relocating their personal narratives within the grand narrative of the Bible (Gospel-Sharing), acquired a new lens to interpret the world by integrating scattered biblical knowledge (Tong-Bible), and experienced the internalization of their worldview through daily practices (Dawn with the Lord).
In conclusion, this study demonstrates that a holistic discipleship model based on the biblical meta-narrative is an effective pastoral model for forming the worldview of new believers. This holds significance in that it suggests a crucial shift from conventional cognitive and doctrine-centered education toward a formational education that helps believers move from merely 'knowing the Bible' to 'living out the story of the Bible.'
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