The World and the Word: Making Sense of Social Science in an Age of Conflict, Opposition, and Grace: Second Edition

By Dr. Herbert L. Green Jr.

Jesus very presence as the New Testament age unfolded (1st century A.D.), engendered
opposition, created confl ict, while ushering in grace. His ideas were considered radical. Why
is this so? The NIV Archeological Study Bible (2005), NIV Student Bible, et al. and corroborating
Extra-Biblical evidence provide a context for the Word view about Jesus in Biblical history,
and supports aspects of the social and physical sciences in terms of cultural, socio-economic,
political, historical, archeological, and philosophical (apologetics) evidence. As the pages of
this book unfold, there is an internal consistency with social science and The Bible. However,
where such consistency appeared to diverge, this author attempts to fi lter out the noise by
applying critical thinking criteria to a Worldview that may not be consistent with the Word
view. The goal of this book therefore is to provide some exposition (Greek apologia) of the
Word and see how the World fi ts. Born again Christians can be credible scientists and not
compromise Gods Word. After thoughtful reading please send refl ective comments to Dr.
Herb Green, Jr. at [e-mail]

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Aug 24, 2017
• ISBN: 9781543425628

Dr. Herbert L. Green Jr.

Dr. Green was born in New Orleans, LA, has been active in ministries at Brooks Methodist (LA), Spotswood Baptist (VA), and St. George’s Episcopal (VA). A born-again Christian, Green is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha National Fraternity and Epsilon Delta Sigma Management Honor Society. He has a Masters and Doctorate in public administration & policy, UNO and NSU. He taught and conducted social science research for nearly 25 years at several institutions including GWU and CMU. He enjoys reading/research, singing, bicycling, and tennis. His favorite sports team is the New England Patriots. A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions. -- Proverbs 18:2 Morality is necessary but not sufficient for religion, but society without morality has no religious sense at all. (Green, 2017)

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The World and the Word: Making Sense of Social

Science in an Age of Conflict, Opposition and Grace

By Dr. Herbert L. Green, Jr., D.P.A.

"Helping the thinker believe, helping the believer think" –Dr. Ravi Zacharias/RZIM

Table of Contents

Special Dedication

Prologue

Preface

History: Why it Matters in Conducting Research

Acknowledgements

An Introduction: NIV Archaeological Study Bible and the World

Chapter Overviews

Appendices

Chapter 1 Allocating Scarce Societal Resources: Markets, The Invisible Hand Public Policy and the Word

Chapter 2 Why Do We Believe What We Believe: Society, Socialization and Stratification

Chapter 3 Belief, Neuroscience, and Reason

Chapter 4 Can a Social Scientist Also Follow God’s Word

Chapter 5 How the Cart Got Before the Horse: Politics and Jesus

Chapter 6 World View and God’s Word: Conflict, Opposition, Grace

Chapter 7 Social Science, Hate and Jesus: How Does the World Speak to this Confounding Issue?

Chapter 8 How Experience Shapes Political Perspectives: What is Truth

Chapter 9 Why Do We Say We Love God And Hate Others: Grace as the Solution

Chapter 10 Amazing Grace and Truth: Wilberforce, Newton, Lincoln, and Baptists

Chapter 11 Getting At Truth and Mitigating Opposition Especially in the Church: Abortion, Who Gets to Decide

Chapter 12 Can the Church Help Us Find the Connection between the World and the Word

Chapter 13 U.S. Presidential Politics/Policy, Theology And Being Our Brother’s Keeper

Chapter 14 Apologetics Not an Apology: Philosophy and Truth

Chapter 15 Final Thoughts on the World and Word

Reflective Comments

References

Figures

Figure 1 Policy Decision Making with Value Assumptions

Figure 2 Double-diamond Diagram Social Class Structure

Figure 3 Changing Trends in U.S. Housing Discrimination

Figure 4 U.S. Citizen Perceptions Likely Police Brutality, 2016

Figure 5 The Lorenz Curve and Allocation of Societal Money Income

Figure 6 Come Abroad but Know This Carriage is Going Nowhere

Figure 7 Come Aboard and Enjoy the Carriage Ride

Figure 8 Growth in Extremist Groups 1995-2013

Figure 9 Front Page Baptist Anti-Slavery Correspondent (1841)

Figure 10 Abortion by Claimed Religious Affiliation

Figure 11 Twenty-Year Support Trend Roe v. Wade (1973)

Figure 12 African Image Archaeological Artifact

Figure 13 Politics & Policy. The Markets Go Mad for Obamacare

Figure 14 Social Science Research Process Flow Model

Figure 15 My Horse with Blinders On

Figure 16 BlackAlone Median Household Income standardized output

Figure 17 Three independent variables in model predicts BlackAlone

Figure 18 Median Household Income Disparity Ratios 1967-2014

Tables

Table 1 Image of God by Protestant denomination

Table 2 Religiosity by Protestant denomination

Table 3 Race by Religion

Table 4 Ethnicity by Religion

Table 5 Ten Rules for Mindful Social and Economic Markets

Table 6 A Look at the Nation’s Aggregate Output 2012 (Current Dollars)

Table 7 Conflict and Setting Policy Agendas

Table 8 Variables Recorded for Content Analysis

Table 9 Moral Philosophies Used in Decision Making

Table 10 Elements for Evaluating Reasoning

Table 11 Intellectual Standards

Table 12 Guide to Asking the Right Questions

Illustrations

Illustration 1 United Nations Bldg. with Nation-State Flags

Illustration 2 Relationship between Critical Thinking Elements and Standards

Illustration 3 Biblical Inter-marriage Between two Christians

Illustration 4 Evolution: Darwin and The Myth of Separate Races

Illustration 5 How Different Are the Different Races?

Illustration 6 Ham a son of Noah

Appendices

Appendix 1 An Approach to Writing This Book

Appendix 2 A Brief Introduction to Theory in Social Sciences

Appendix 3 Cartographic World View Today: A Perspective on Different Global Incomes

Appendix 4 Misunderstanding Economic Analysis and Public Policy

Appendix 5 Statistics and Socioeconomic Analysis

Appendix 6 Critical Thinking Elements and Standards

Appendix 7 The World of Social Media and the Word

Appendix 8 Words That Should Matter In The World and The Word

Appendix 9 My Facebook post response to a public post sent to my account Not sure who

Appendix 10 Concept Map of Theism

Special Dedication

This book is dedicated to thinkers who desire to be critical thinkers. - Green (2015)

From Our Daily Bread March 12, 2015, British preacher extraordinaire Charles Haddon Surgeon (1834-1892) penned these words in referring to David’s Psalm 19. How relevant it is in the context of the World and the Word… [David] devoted himself to the study of God’s two great books—nature [the World] and Scripture [the Word] …He is wisest who reads both the world-book and the Word-book as two volumes of the same work, and feels concerning them, ‘My Father wrote them both.’

To my late and engaged parents Mr. Herbert L. Green, Sr. and Mrs. Queen V. Christmas Green, who helped me decide that I needed Jesus apart from good works, which while good, cannot save a man’s eternal soul, Mom would often say she had her Ph but never got her D

To my late younger brother, Jason Carlye Green and my baby sister the educator Dr. Lisa-Green Derry both of whom added significantly to my Worldview with theirs

To all my clan and kin –The Greens, Christmas, Franklin, Holden, Davis, Derry, Brown, Frazier’s- and all my best friends from New Orleans and in the D.C metro area over all the years, and yes, we did party in our time!

To my children, Kenya, Jeremy, Gabriel, Frank, Shana, and Mark, my grandchildren, and my great grandchild, all of whom add so much to each span of my life. Thanks for all the memories, while near or far, love dad, granddad and great granddad

To my university institutions that helped train and equip me to engage in the work I am called to do and continue my quest for life-long learning and critical thinking

To the churches that have shaped my spiritual life in Christ, Christian friends, and leaders who over the years have helped me develop insights and appreciations that will last from here to eternity

To Lakoff’s 2% reflective thinkers dedicated to critical thinking in The World and the Word, as well as the 98% reflexive thinkers, the challenge of this book effort is before both

To Line (pronounced Lynn), who believed in my genius and often said it, we shall see

To my son Gabriel, thank you for your very good art work

Permissions

This author has sought to locate and secure permissions for the inclusion of any and all possible copyright materials in producing this book. If any such acknowledgments have been inadvertently omitted, this author would appreciate receiving the information via [e-mail] or the publisher so that proper credit may be given in any future printings (from The Rebirth of America, DeMoss, N. (Ed.) (1986, p. 253).

Prologue

From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked–Luke 12:48

Why a new Chapter 3 and a 2nd edition? Why not an epilogue to account for changes in the political and public policy arena in light of the 2016 presidential elections since the publication of the 1st edition of The World and the Word in late 2015? To address the second question first, the issues raised in the 1st edition seem fundamentally unchanged by the 2016 presidential election cycle. However, how President Obama is seen by the American public, the global geopolitical environment, and those who claim to be born-again Christians, is likely not to be significantly different from the attitudes and beliefs of many, because of issues like global and domestic terrorism, and the form it has taken because of ISIS, and the political rhetoric by presidential candidates beginning with the 2015 presidential debates from both the Democratic and especially Republican candidates.

Having concluded from observation of news media such as C-Span, CNN, Fox, CBS, NBC, et al., social media such as Facebook and Twitter, and public policy research organizations like The Pew Research Center, The Bana Group, and The Southern Poverty Law Center et al., evidence suggests that there is not much new where critical thinking would net new insights into what motivates beliefs in a society such as the U.S. Such sociological ideas about belief were considered in the 1st edition, and findings about the role of socialization and stratification tended to offer reasonable support about what people believed and why.

Several questions however did emerge as additional social science evidence was uncovered, but too late for the 1st edition. The new big piece that seemed to support belief was how brain function or neuroscience also significantly influenced what people and people groups believed. My academic curiosity as both a social scientist and born-again Christian compelled me to explore the role of brain science in belief and decision making. The new Chapter 3 considers the role of neuroscience and critical thinking in what people believe and why.

So, as this 2nd edition begins, with this prologue, those who have not read the 1st edition may benefit from that edition, at the same time those reading this 2nd edition will certainly be informed with the new text in Chapter 3 as well as the original text from the 1st edition. I have both the 1st and 2nd editions in my library. The goal of this edition is to hopefully add to the knowledge gleaned from the 1st edition as well as the 2nd so the careful and critical reader will begin to see the links that speak to what one believes and why, subject to critical thinking, and brain function. New Chapter 3 adds to the implied policy model seeking to determine the relationship between socialization, stratification, and neuroscience in addressing belief and decision making. A descriptive model of these interrelationships might look like the following, Belief = f (Soc1± Strat2 ± Neuro3 + e). Collecting and developing operationalized variables to include in such a model can be an ongoing work in progress for both social and physical scientists going forward, as well as others interested in critical thinking on such public policy matters of the nation-state. This book effort does not address this complex descriptive model but simply presents the themes for further consideration relying on the work mainly of Lakoff (2008), Haidt (2012), Mooney (2012), et al. and Biblical narratives that may inform human belief, faith and the brain, and the social science research by Greeley and Hout (2006) on conservative Christians. A research project could certainly continue to unpack the implicit policy questions surrounding the relationship of belief to sociological behavior and neuroscience. How does Scripture treat the mind as a proxy for the brain before God is central to thinking and decision making? Does the renewed mind of the Christian with a Biblical worldview behave like the political mind?

The economics of social issues is a new major header added to Chapter 1 to consider the link between societal poverty (Worldview), labor markets, and the Word view.

Preface

¹

"Do what you can from where you are with what you’ve got."- Theodore Roosevelt

365 Days of Folk Wisdom: Plain and Simple Advice for Complicated Times.

New York: Workman Publishing, October 6

Before undertaking this scholarly and Biblical writing adventure it was essential to begin to understand the relevance of Scripture for all times. In discovering the main Bible I choose to support the academic work of this book, context was one of the most critical considerations. How did the world look from Genesis to Revelation more than 1000 years in the writing sociologically/culturally, politically, economically, and even philosophically? Finding the NIV Archaeological Study Bible (2005) from a researcher’s perspective provided context, content and interface with credible supporting scholarship in this Bible that allowed me to begin to see how Scripture fit into an historical and current context. My conclusion: The Bible is a book for all times, and is never out of style for any period in world history, then, now, and in the future. With the assurance coming out of exploring this archaeological Bible along with the NIV Student Bible (2002) I have become more convinced that social science can be enhanced by the Word and the unique approach taken by the scholars of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary along with Zondervan, who put together the NIV Archaeological Study Bible. I will not claim complete knowledge or understanding of this Bible, but will claim a deep desire to understand it better and I have, as I went through writing The World and the Word. This is therefore and ongoing effort, timeless and eternal. My hope is that readers of the World and the Word will make a genuine effort to consider context and content of the World (social science) and the Word (The Bible) as they read. I recognize my own ignorance as I prepared this manuscript, but also acknowledge the understanding, knowledge, and even some wisdom gained from the process.

As a social scientist, I did not accept out of hand or on faith the Bible, but sought to engage in critical thinking about Scripture much as I did in my academic teaching and research over some 25 years. However, the Bible is not like any other book, so one must apply acceptance of some metaphysical events on faith. Historical human development tells us that all people groups have faith or religious systems that continue even today 21st century A.D. While some deny the existence of God because he cannot be known (a concept explored in moral philosophy and apologetics), others see religion as s crutch, and there are skeptics; still others find organized religion difficult to accept, because of hypocrisy and relevance. Religious traditions remain a consistent feature in every society since records were kept on the spiritual notion of a God, or gods who has something to do with man.

This book is a broad sweep (with some breadth and depth), eclectic by design to shed light in a dark world; moving between mainly social science (The World) and the Word. This book’s central theme is this: How does the World play when filtered through the Word? How does it fit, or not fit, and why? Ten appendices are included as part of this broad sweep. These appendices briefly explain how the writing of the book was approached, the role of theory in social science, a cartographic presentation of global incomes, economics and public policy, critical thinking elements and standards, some comparative media insights on topical issues, important words in history, and economic trend data on selected people group household income, Facebook comments attributed to Dr. Ben Carson, and a concept map of theistic philosophy.

Who am I? I am an academic/researcher, critical thinker, social/policy scientist and, yes a born-again follower of Jesus Christ, my savior, and as I learn obedience my Lord. He is central to my life, and I believe his Holy Spirit continues to lead and guide me into all truth from his Word as time goes by. My book I hope will inspire many. It may disorientate and anger some, but my prayer is that even for those after a careful critical reading, may find the Word and its truth in these pages. One note is important before I go on. While Internet sources today include pre-Internet web sites like the U.S. Census Bureau, websites are ubiquitous and must be carefully evaluated for credibility, objectivity and redundancy (one source with multiple web links). Of course bricks & mortar local public and university libraries, and librarians remain important literature sources. And while I certainly use the Internet in addressing aspects of academic and Biblical queries, many of the sources used in this book (see References) come from my personal academic and Biblical library. These books are part of my world and have been gathered from more than 23 years of academic teaching, research and study of selected social sciences (the World) and the Word. There is something about having a book or hard copy of a study to read from that tends to focus the mind. Primary (original) books, documents, speeches or literature sources are most credible, many having existed before the Internet age (for example, the Economic Report of the [U.S.] President, and the Holy Bible). Academic books, government data and reports, and the Bible rely on both primary and secondary (best available perhaps once removed from primary) sources. Organization of the book and References used will generally follow APA style. Footnotes while not a feature of APA, are used throughout the book and will generally follow a modified APA citation style.

My Interest in the World and the Word

How do I get interested in a topic or idea? A book cover or article title is the first thing that grabs my attention when I am looking around at a bookstore or online these days. As an academic, complex ideas have always interested me very much. I often have found myself asking questions like, is that really true? How evidence-based or dependable (Browne and Keeley, 2004) is this claim? Are the experts cited credible social or physical scientists, Christian apologists, professors, teachers or pastors in the field? Do their definitive writings include in-text citations and how credible and objective are the sources? Is bias apparent in the writing and sourcing that is, are certain ideas, or controversial themes, or authors left out (myopic blind spots), avoided or simply not considered. Are certain seemingly disparate concepts, just not thought of as having anything in common? What ideas do we accept on faith? Is that the best way to engage in critical thinking? Do experts acknowledge unanswered questions or other areas of inquiry in their own writing for additional study or consideration? If not, why not?

Is there anything that the Word has to offer the World that can help reshape or refine its view? My short answer is an emphatic yes! Can the Word act as a kind of balanced filter for the World and bring perspective to how humans respond to each other and to the person of Christ. This book attempts to address the complex and intertwined issues considered above in the chapters that follow.

Who has inspired my continual curiosity as an academic, researcher, and Christian? First, my parents especially my mom who in 1978 gave me a Christmas present on a trip she made from New Orleans to Maryland, where I lived with my wife at the time. The gift was an ink pen desk set with these words inscribed on its base "There is no one road to success—there are as many as there are men willing to build them." –Michaels. While the desk pen has long been replaced, the base of the pen set still sits on my computer desk today in 2012. While she and my dad, who I believed were followers of Christ, have gone to be with Him—Herbert L. Green, Sr., November 11, 2006, age 86, and Queen Victoria Christmas Green, September 11, 2011, age 91—they helped lead me to Jesus (age 12, 1960, at Brooks Methodist Church, New Orleans, LA). I have reaffirmed my faith in Jesus as Savior and Lord, over the years as evidenced by water baptism at Evangel Assembly of God Church, Prince George’s County, MD, a renewed walk with him (though I have been guilty of falling away often, but God is faithful), and continuous fellowship and service until this very day. I know He can save anybody’s soul, for He saved mine. However, as I have walked this path with my Savior, I have often been saddened and distressed by the hatred, latent racism, interposition, opposition, indifference, willful and sometimes benign ignorance even among my Christian brothers and sisters, from when I came of age in the mid-20th century A.D. even to the early years of the 21st century.

At the same time I have also been informed, blessed, nurtured, encouraged, and loved by both my family kin and my Christian family kin. Notwithstanding, the question that continues to haunt me, especially in today’s highly partisan political environment is this: Why do some Christians believe that a political party is any nation’s salvation, and not Christ? It seems that many who claim Christ are masking political motivation, and putting the proverbial cart (political zealousness and ideology) before the horse (Jesus Christ, his word and his love) (see Chapter 4).

This book will try to unpack that observed phenomenon using social science literature and God’s Word to see if I can better understand how the Word gets mixed up with the World, and blinding many to the Truth. I hope the book challenges and bless all who partake.

Critical Thinking: Why Is It Important?

In the world of the academics (especially at the university or college level) how does one engage in the process of thinking critically about an issue, problem, or idea related to say a public policy issue like the global climate (physical science), income inequality, racial discrimination and religion (sociology), or political economy (growth v. sustainability)? Does that also apply to how one thinks about the Word? Are there generally accepted principles of critical thinking? Decisions or responses to an issue or problem are often motivated by deeply felt emotions, belief systems, group identification, and socialization. Can critical thinking help people view the world through others eyes, heart and experience (sometime called empathy)? What would Jesus Do (WWJD)? WWJD popularized in the Church world in the latter 20th century—popularized in an1899 novel by Sheldon, In His Steps: What Would Jesus Do, in Putnam & Campbell (2010). Before exploring the chapters in this book, the basic idea of critical thinking can give readers some insight into ideas in considering the critical relationship between The World and the Word.

The literature on critical thinking claims the 4th century B.C. philosopher Socrates as one of its adherents. An idea called the Socratic method is a tool used in critically assessing ideas, claims, or beliefs with the goal of better understanding the what, why, and how of an idea, problem, or issue. As part of my continuing academic and professional development in 2008, I was required to pass an online exam at 95 percent (at Stratford University) to meet the basic standard of a credible university level critical thinker. After some trepidation, the challenge was met and my Worldview expanded in terms of knowledge, understanding, and hopefully some wisdom about approaching this idea of critical thinking. Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction (Proverbs 1:7) said the critical thinker and Spirit inspired King Solomon. Fear can be translated reverence, awe, or wonder of and for the Lord. This is a concept I accept and continue to strive to achieve, with a modicum of success and failure over the years of teaching and living, and learning through the Holy Spirit. The beginning of critical thinking also seems to be closely associated with both the Word and the World.

There is compelling evidence in the Word that Paul was a critical thinker, Jewish scholar, and religious zealot before he met Jesus on the Damascus road (see Acts 9) and was transformed into an apostle of Christ. He became one of the major Biblical figures in the 1st century A.D. Greco-Roman world. He did not give up his critical thinking and scholarly capacity, but became a servant leader applying these abilities in sharing the Gospel being empowered by the Holy Spirit. He became whatever he needed to become to get the message of salvation out to the world of the Jew and Greek. 1Corinthanins 9:19-22 we read these worlds about his efforts

Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.

So, what is critical thinking? Are the generally accepted elements and standards of reasoning applicable to The World and the Word? The Age of Reason and Enlightenment in the 16th century A.D. set the tone for research and the scientific method today in the World. Thomas Jefferson a founding father of the U.S. while a critical thinker defined as a Deist by Holmes (2006) did not accept the miracles of Jesus as described in the New Testament. As a result, The Jefferson Bible (Horowitz, editor 2012) (redacted Gospels was cut-in-pasted eliminating all the miracles of Christ including his resurrection).² Horowitz did not see Jefferson as a Deist, but something else. He also had an interest in the Universalist Church movement which was happening during his lifetime. According to Horowitz he was drawn to this particular church movement. The program on, The Jefferson Bible was produced by Interfaith Voices, and broadcast on WAMU FM and WVTF FM radio (footnote 2 is a web link to that broadcast). It seems in this case, enlightenment may have led to darkness for one of America’s most noted historical figures and our 3rd U.S. President. Of course, a notion about Christian apologetics was the basis for reason and enlightenment or critical thinking long before The Age of Reason. Christian apologetics offers a path for reasoning from the perspective of the World and the Word. But exactly what is critical thinking and why is it both necessary and sufficient for evaluating claims from the social sciences and the Bible?

Walden (2009) has also explored historical information from the National Archives and other original historical documents in his book Founding Faith that features details on the Jefferson Bible and the role of both the Protestant and Catholic in American democracy and how they helped define religion in the early years of our nation-state. Jefferson according to Walden was less convinced that religion was necessary for governance. A second edition of The World and Word may consider more about Walden’s look at concepts like the genesis of religious liberty from historical evidence. An interview with the author is found in a recent conversation from On Being with Krista Tippet (2014).³

Critical Thinking as Systematic Analysis

Critical thinking allows one to explore concepts, ideas, and information systematically and draw conclusions. Systematically evaluating the reasoning of a claim to determine if is, true, somewhat true, or not true at all. Here according to Browne and Keeley (2004) asking the right questions provides the frame for uncovering the central issue(s) and drawing inferences based on the evidence found and presented. Evidence must be credible and objective, and independently verifiable. Answers need to make sense based on clearly related proof, rather than feelings, opinion or conjecture, and be plainly linked to an approach in reasoning or thinking about the issue raised. However, why we believe something is true or not true is driven and often motivated by assumptions and point of view both of which are criteria for evaluating reasoning. Assumptions and point of view are related in large part to socialization and social stratification. Together, these socio-cultural factors form key components of one’s Worldview. Asking the right question however, does not mean getting the right answer when applying the scientific method to social/behavioral problems compared to physical science problems. The latter is rather straightforward, at least in terms of agreeing on the right question. The former is more challenging since points of view and assumptions drive social and behavioral problems much more, but not exclusively than physical science problems do (consider the issue of global climate change and role of these social and behavioral factors). The Word can become the ultimate filter for determining or at least finding guidance on truth for societal issues like hate, racism, greed, covetousness, adultery, exploitation, murder, scientific inquiry, et al. Christian apologist Dr. Ravi Zacharias has pointed out the necessity of applying critical thinking in understanding the message of God’s Word. Applying many of the tools of critical thinking offered in the social and physical sciences can also be used in reasoning about the Word.

The challenge therefore is to unpack reasoning to see if criteria for critical thinking can be supported by credible and objective evidence systematically developed in addressing an issue and drawing conclusions whether from a Worldview or a Word view. Brown and Keeley (2004) provide an approach to ask the right questions, and evaluate answers on issues and draw conclusions from evidence provided about the issue. Paul and Elder (2009), and Nosich (2009) offer similar methods to critical thinking by providing questions and examples about elements of critical thinking, and universal intellectual standards to ensure quality in systematically approaching reasoning. What critical thinking does as described by Paul and Elder is question information, conclusions, and points of view. As a social scientist, this is central to approaching any issue whether found in the World or the Word. These tools of reasoning will be used to evaluate evidence to hopefully help those reading this book to better understand how and where the World and the Word fit, partially fit, or do not fit together at all. Appendix 6 lists the criteria for systematically evaluating reasoning from Paul and Elder, and Nosich and selected reasoning elements from Brown and Keeley in assessing whether a claim is likely to be true, partially true, or not true at all (see for example www.politifact.com). Truth in this case means evidence based information that supports a reasoned conclusion on a public policy question for example.

Issues related to the truth of God’s Word must be added to the social scientist search for truth to see if what he/she uncovers is consistent or inconsistent with evidence uncovered in the Word. Relative truth as a criterion may be found in social science research, when the elements of reason are applied, thus informing public policy alternatives. It is my belief that the Word can be the final arbiter after investigating the reasoning behind an issue and the conclusions if findings about such truth cannot be supported when filtered through the Bible; remembering that the Word presents the Truth: Good, Bad, and Ugly of man’s checkered relationship with God and the person of Jesus Christ. This book combines evidence from the Worldview and the Word view in addressing the issues in the books chapters, with the final basis for evaluating reasoning in critical thinking being the Word.

What This Book Is Not

In society today (the World), there is much talk (sadly more shouting, vitriol, and myopic thinking) often about economic policy (more precisely political economy). However, this book is not an economics and public policy treatise per se, although the seminal literature of an Adam Smith must be part of any modern discussion on political economy, though he studied and taught moral philosophy in the 18th century. Reich (2000) says [Smith] was no economist as we now define this specialty. Smith was a moral philosopher who applied his academic thinking to economic ideas as a professor in 18th century Scotland. Among more conservative economic academic thinkers today Dr. Thomas Sowell and Dr. Walter C. Williams are well known. Also well known today in progressive economic circles are economists like Dr. Andrew F. Brimmer (first black member Board of Governors Federal Reserve Board, 1966-1974), and Dr. Margaret C. Simms, vice president, Governance and Economic Analysis at the Joint Center for Economic and Political Studies, and a Fellow at the Urban Institute. These names mentioned here are academic and public policy thinkers who see economic and social policy very differently. For purposes of this book only Professor and Moral Philosopher Adam Smith will be discussed in the context of his 1770s lecture series and seminal 1776 book The Wealth of Nations (short title) where the phrase an invisible hand, used as a metaphor in passing, took on a life of its own beginning in the mid-20th century and continues in the early 21st century. Certainly, Drs. Sowell, Williams, Brimmer, and Simms would see Adam Smith as a definitive source for economic thinking, in the context of moral philosophy. Does the Word offer any insight into questions of political economy raised by Smith more than 230 years ago?

This book is also not a review of the entirety of Holy Scripture (NIV is my favorite translation and will be used throughout the book unless otherwise indicated). It is also not a Christian apologetics treatise, although being clear about what one believes as absolute truth is essential in gaining clarity about life. Those who find this book useful in raising questions about Jesus (the Word) and their faith will do well to find a local congregation that teaches the Word and dive in deep in that, or even consider academic training in a university or seminary that seeks to objectively and honestly train those seeking to serve in love, truth, and faithfulness. Sceptics or seekers might do well to read Dr. Tim Keller’s 2008 New York Times Best Seller Belief in an Age of Skepticism offering temporal and Biblical arguments to consider Jesus as the Christ.

However, some may find that the historical (scholarly) and Bible Jesus does not fit the record they have put together, and therefore raise questions about issues like the resurrection, authorship of the Gospels, and the big issue of Jesus as God in the flesh (mythology to some).⁴ Of course, this goes to the heart of the question of sin and man’s need for salvation (rejected by other religious traditions). This book then may not meet the evidentiary criteria of those who do not see Jesus as God of the Hellenist Jews, the Zealots, and Greek Gentiles, and of the beginnings of the church age from Acts (1st century A.D.) to the 21st century A.D. Those who question Jesus as Messiah would certainly question his standing as savior of humankind. The NIV Archeological Study Bible (2005)⁵ offers compelling evidence derived from careful scholarly inquiry of extensive Extra-Biblical record and the artifacts, epigraphs, society/people, politics and geography of Old and New Testament including the historic and Biblical Jesus. The scholars acknowledge gaps in understanding all aspects of Jesus deity and humanity, but believe their archaeological Bible offers a very reliable, reasonable, credible, and objective look at more than 1,500 years of the writings of the Holy Scriptures (see Chapter 14 Objectivism and History).

This is also not a purely social science book. It will however, rely on aspects of the selected fields of the social sciences mainly Sociology or Political Sociology, Economics or Political Economy. Cultural Anthropology and Archaeology will be considered in terms of how the World looked through the lens of history, today and culturally in Biblical times. The professional fields of Management and Public Administration will be considered in terms of their role in decision-making and public policy in the World. The Word also considers decision making in areas like leadership, government, and governance as well. Social science is the main academic focus of this book and its relationship to the Word, but what about so-called physical sciences.

The physical sciences like Biology, Astronomy, Physics, Earth and Environmental Science will not be a feature of the book except where they have implications for political economy and public policy. However, both the social and physical sciences mentioned can be considered in detail in a college or university environment where students can also dive in deep.

In societies throughout history, there have always been voices that go against the tide of conventional wisdom (called countervailing perspectives) in the name of justice, peace, and truth, while demonstrating love, mercy and grace. Jesus himself was the personification of such radical ideas as love your enemy, and pray for those who use you. Consideration is given to those ideas throughout the book as the World is viewed through the Word.

One very profound point here about the relationship of the Bible’s two distinct but related components: one rooted in Judaism the 39 books of the Old Testament, and one rooted in Christianity⁶ the 27 books of the New Testament. According to Gredianus (1999) in Preaching Christ from the Old Testament, St. Augustine reportedly said "In the Old Testament the New is concealed; in the New, the Old is revealed. I remember hearing a version of that maxim over the years in my Christian journey. As I recall the statement went something like this: The Old Testament is the New Testament contained; the New Testament is the Old Testament explained." I like that, and as I systematically engage this book writing effort using the NIV Bibles mentioned above as my main Biblical sources, I have become convinced Augustine had it right. The final goal in this effort therefore is that all who read this book might better understand the relationship between the World View (Social Science) and the Word View (the Bible). To this purpose, I invite you to go with me on this journey.

History: Why it Matters in Conducting Research

Some in a society think that studying history is a waste of time. They claim the past is over, so let’s move on. Others say history is one way to understand past events and put them into some modern context. Historians are interested in understanding past events for its own sake, to better understand history’s story, and understanding how the past can affect current history or public policy. Military historians are an important source for appreciating the role of past issues like prisoners of war exchanges. There is even a publication called Current History. The issue with history is that as a field of Social Science or Arts and Sciences trying to piece together what actually happened in say the Civil War nearly 150 years ago, can provide students, citizens, academics, and policy makers with facts from historical documents, written records such as Bibles, news reels, newspapers, prisoner information, personal accounts becomes an ongoing endeavor. In some cases, first hand or second hand accounts from acquaintances or descendants, forensic evidence, artifacts (such as tools, eating utensils, pottery, structures, and other historical evidence of how people lived in organized societies) can provide contextual meaning of what different cultures and societies were like at another time.

Those who seek to suppress history may not want to deal with findings and evidence that may challenge a comfortable world point of view (The World and the Word explores this element of critical thinking at the end of each chapter). Historians along with other social and physical scientists are duty bound so to speak too continue to discover truth whether by inference or probability determined or uncovered and verified as factual by recognized physical scientific methods from fields like Archaeology, Paleontology, Astronomy, or Climate Science, where the preponderance of evidence is recognized as valid by a majority of experts in the field. Political expediency or media coverage (though provided for in the Constitution) sometimes can muddy the waters of scientific investigation and findings, with superfluous or spurious claims not supported by critical analysis. Careful and critical thinking is often the best antidote. However, rejecting knowledge of ignorance (a central concept in critical thinking) or outright denial of some truth does not make it so. At the end of the day societies must rely on some standards of knowledge to go forward, learning from the past and guided by new discoveries, both associated with the scientific method, learning, and one’s personal faith experience.

Speaking of faith, while some history deniers will calibrate their distrust of science or evidence not wanting to go down that road the problem with such a view is that those who claim a faith tradition such as Christianity will vigorously defend the historical truth of the Bible. Well you cannot have it both ways. History is about the past whether Biblical or Extra-Biblical. The study of history is therefore a key to society understanding temporal as well as metaphysical events.

The Bible as History

Historians help us understand past events and provide both context and content in that effort. The Bible is itself an account of the history of God’s people and their interaction with other nations, God’s son, and his Church. Many people outside the Bible, called Extra-Biblical sources, help corroborate the events of Bible history. While the Bible is not a purely history book as academics think about it, it does provide an important history of people groups, land, and accounts about how these people groups and lands interacted with God’s people Israel, first as a separate and weak new nation, later as a powerful historical nation-state, then two separate nations Samaria and Judah finally a fallen land invaded first by the Assyrians (750 B.C.) and later the Babylonians (586 B.C.). In the time of Cyrus king of Persia many Israelites were allowed to return to their land to rediscover their historical religious roots and …build the temple of the Lord (Ezra 1:3); where according to Yancy and Stafford (2002) NIV Student Bible the fulfilled prophecy was probably Jeremiah 29:10, God’s promise to bring Israel back to Jerusalem after 70 years (p. 498). Just before the time of the Messiah’s first coming and later 1st century A.D., Israel was a province known as Judea in the time of the Roman Empire. In all of this history there were historians (social scientists) who provided a record of events that continue to inform our modern world today 21st century A.D. In NIV Archaeological Study Bible (2005), Cultural and Historical Notes, et al. we find a rich account of historical events offered by the historian scholars of the Old and New Testament periods.

Psalm 132 offers such an account of Israel’s history and also provides the reader with a poet’s insight into events of that period. The Cultural and Historical Notes focus on the historians of the ancient world including Israel and their academic thinking about the Biblical and Extra-Biblical people and events of that time, beginning c. 484 B.C. to c. 339 A.D. The Notes include 13 historians and their assessment of the World (social science) and the Word (the Bible) beginning with Herodotus (c. 484-425 B.C.) to Eusebius (c. 263-339 A.D.). One historian of special note of this period was Josephus (c. 37 -100 A.D.), the Jewish social historian who provided a careful look at the war between Judea and Rome, The History of the Jewish War (66-70 A.D.) and a chronology of the Jewish people beginning in their earliest times to nearly 100 A.D. Here is how the Notes described the importance of the history of nearly 823 years that included God’s people, Israel.

The poet of Psalm 132 looked back to the covenant with David and to the history of the Ark of the Covenant [author capitalized] as the basis for this prayer–a reflection that the Bible is rooted in history, not theology divorced from human events and cultures. The works of ancient historians, because they provide context, [author bold] are of great value in Biblical studies…" (p. 939)

Herodotus the Greek historian (circa 480-425 B.C.) according to one of the most famous books of ancient Greece, the History…went about collecting and recording information about the customs and histories of the people he encountered in the wars between the Persians and the Greeks (c. 490 – 479 B.C.). He is regarded as the father of Western history writing because he tried to confine himself to human events and tried to avoid myths, NIV Archaeological Study Bible, The Reliability of the Bible (p. 1282). However, it must be said that Herodotus did not perfectly record events of the History, but his approach to the science of observing history, predates the age of Enlightenment (17th century A.D.), but did give researchers of his time a look at credible and objective approaches to the study of actual events. Interestingly according to the Reliability of the Bible commentary on p. 1282, the Greek word historia literally means investigation. Social science research including history is also about investigation seeking to understand events in their context. Many issues covered in The World and the Word are grounded in history and requires systematic investigation to understand content and context of events about God, his people Israel, surrounding nations, the Messiah, and the church age.

Personal Story About History

A simply example of how one’s own birth becomes a story of history; even for the most ardent rejecter of any history that is not somehow tied to the Bible is somehow not credible or true (see Chapter 14 Objectivism and History). Well, one’s own birth is a true and accurate account of their personal birth story. I was born in 1948 in New Orleans. Is that true? What definitive evidence would make it so, even if someone else challenged it? Okay, according to the birth records maintained by the local government in New Orleans, a record of a live birth, called a birth certificate is on file with the Louisiana Vital Records Registry about me, born September 30, 1948 and persons claiming to be my parents namely Herbert L. Green, Sr. and Queen Victoria-Christmas Green. And while this historical fact is real for me and my family, it becomes the ultimate source of a historical truth, end of story. Each person born in this country, or another country, will argue that he/she knows for a fact or mostly a fact that they were born in a place, and at a certain time in some cases; and the names in most cases of their parents. They know this not only from family history and oral accounts, but there is a birth certificate record that corroborates that person’s birth. You, me, anyone can say in close to 100% of cases that there birth is a fact, a truth beyond debate. This is where history and life intersect. Just about everyone reading this book believes they know when they were born and where: They know by the family story and the corroborated government documentation.

This becomes an individual and a personal family story of history. So the next time someone asks you when and where you were born, you can say there is a family history about me, and there is a government statement or birth certificate about me that corroborates my birth. If you want to challenge my birth, then why not challenge your own. Of course that person will use the same evidence you used. Why would theirs be more credible than yours? The truth is if they accept their history of birth, they must by definition accept yours otherwise the whole process of the history of someone’s birth becomes an essentially silly debate. Sadly such an unsubstantiated argument was raised about President Obama. Be careful that someone does not challenge your birth place and family. Your defense is what has already been presented. The historical record including family and a government birth certificate is how most all people prove their place of birth, in this country, and in most countries of the world.

Those who accuse some in the academy of "revisionist history are really saying we do not want to explore past issues that may challenge a worldview that formed the basis of a social, political or economic system that is being called into question by more credible historical evidence. History and science have really helped us better understand some claims assumed to be true, because those who proved them (axioms for example) may have had incomplete information or sadly contrived or deduced information to hold on to a truth that may satisfy a particular reading of history that new evidence has refuted or at least suggested the earlier truth" was overstated or based on less than credible evidence or a misreading of the earlier facts. The social sciences including history continues to inform the present, make better sense of the past, and may offer insights into the future. Interestingly, God’s word the Bible in its historical context continues to inform the past, present, and future. If Scripture is accepted in the context of its historical truth, especially by those claiming to be believers, then they cannot pick-and-choose some truths over others because it may be inconvenient or challenges a Worldview not borne out by Biblical and Extra-Biblical (including historical, social, economic, and archaeological) Word view evidence. Clarification may be called for, an essential standard in critical thinking, but to simply dismiss a historical issue because of ideology for example, is not consistent with a credible and reasonable Worldview or Word view.

Acknowledgements

A number of people and institutions that inspire my critical thinking are listed and referenced here. These names and institutions reflect my sense of who has helped challenge and inform how I see and understand the World and the Word. The list is not exhaustive, but does reflect their particular influence on me. Of course, Dr. Billy Graham’s Hour of Decision, et al, was heard on the radio in my household on Sundays. Our Daily Bread by the Radio Bible Class (RBC), was read especially by my mom and used as part of her lay leader worship experience at Brooks Methodist Church in New Orleans in the 1960s, and until her death in Dallas, TX 9/11/11 at 91. Today, RBC ministries continue to inform and inspire my Christian life -long experience through Our Daily Bread devotionals and RBC’s Day of Discovery evidence-based Christian programming series.

Additional inspiration has also come from the congregations and ministries of Spotswood Baptist Church and Salem Fields Community Church, both of Fredericksburg, VA, beginning in 2003 until now. The Bible Broadcasting Network (BBN) radio and internet ministry continues to be a tremendous blessing since I began listening about 2007. The following names reflect those social science scholars and Christian pastors that have influenced my thinking as I did this book. They include Professor Adam Smith, Dr. Billy Graham, Pastor Buddy Marston, Dr. Charles Swindol, the late Dr. D. James Kennedy, Dr. David Korten, Dr. Drew Landry, Pastor Gaye Marston, Dr. Erwin Lutzer, Pastor Jim Stone, Pastor Jim Wallis, Dr. Timothy Keller, Dr. Ravi Zacharias, and Dr. Stephen Davey.

Lastly, as a social scientist, I have also found much useful, diverse, objective, and credible information and insight listening to National Public Radio (NPR), British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC, and watching BBC, CNN, NBC, CBS, ABC and C-SPAN. Politically diverse national policy think tanks such as Brookings Institution, American Enterprise Institute, and the Pew Center for the People and the Press are also part of my social science base of information. Before 2000, Fox News was a source of important media information. MSNBC was also viewed. However, since 2000 both media outlets, especially Fox News has changed its tenor to a point that as a social scientist, the substance of the political and public policy issues are such that a kind of singular focus on only certain aspects of complex societal and political issues has emerged. Its claim or mantra of fair and balanced seems more like political rhetoric (spin) or a marketing strategy than substance. If a media outlet is fair and balanced" it should not have to say so. Its range of guests and breadth and depth of topics should make a prima facie case on merit. This narrowing of focus and those participating in the discussions has not been particularly broad-based, instructive or useful in today’s complex world. Fox News and MSNBC are more like silo media journalism (aka echo chambers) today collecting and dispersing selected information that is mostly, although not always lacking broad and diverse perspectives. USA Today, Financial Times (London), The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Los Angeles Times, The Economist, U.S. News & World Report, Newsweek, Bloomberg Businessweek, Christian Science Monitor, The Week and on occasion The Wall Street Journal are among the non-academic publications that are part of my general reading library because they tend to be diverse, objective, and credible in their reporting.

Errors, oversights, perspectives, or other missing elements of this book effort are solely mine. Any good book that purports to be credible and objective itself must also acknowledge ignorance about some things. In social science, we call this additional research or further study. My hope is that enough of the facts and evidence are reasonably provided to give readers a sense of what the book means when it talks about how the World can be informed by the Word. Please enjoy the journey. - None of the persons or institutions mentioned in this Acknowledgment is an endorsement by them of any of the information in this book --Dr. Herbert L. Green, Jr.

An Introduction: NIV Archaeological Study Bible and the World

In reading over the Introduction to the (New International Version) NIV Archaeological Study Bible (2005) what emerged was that this particular Bible claims a broad sweep, but with some breadth and depth (critical thinking standards) much like The World and the Word (2012) attempts to offer. What seems apparent is this Bible meets its broad sweep approach mainly because its pages present a range of credible material that is clearly Biblical, sociological/cultural, archaeological, and political in an effort to be comprehensive and provide a contextual framework for scholars as well as general readers.

For example, when reading the Gospels along with the socio-cultural, archaeological, and political information of the period, Jesus himself emerges as a radical and someone who is clearly not the typical religious figure of the time in which the Bible account was unfolding. What might that mean from a social science perspective? In political terms and from a conservative view, the New Testament (NT) Pharisees could be viewed as strict constructionists in their Word view of the Law of Moses. So, they adhered strictly to Old Testament (OT) law and understanding and saw Jesus as someone with a radical religious perspective, some might call progressive or forward thinking that seemed to undermine OT Law with its myriad of rules, regulations, and processes to administer Mosaic Law and doctrine for the Judean Roman province in the emerging NT era.

Why is this? Well, Jesus came to fulfill the law of the OT and introduce not only salvation in him alone, but ideas like grace, mercy, ultimate truth, and God on earth in the person of Christ himself. That did not mean he came to do away with the OT law, but to treat it as done or fulfilled for all times, with a new covenant in its place. In the NT the writer of Hebrews 8:13 says this By calling this covenant ‘new,’ he [Jesus] has made the first one [the OT Law] obsolete, and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear. He offered a new Way, himself, with radical ideas like love your enemy, pray for those who would seek to do you harm, and give unto Caesar what is his and to God what is his. Clearly, an interpretation of his words in the context of the socio-cultural and religious world was very troubling for 1st century A.D. Jewish religious leaders, both the Sadducees (who doubted the resurrection) and especially the Pharisees who were attempting to balance religious and political arrangements with Rome and the prominent remnant of ancient Judah known as Judea 1st century, Israel today. The two Worldviews created what sociologists call conflict and opposition (Schellenberg, 1996). Schellenberg considers possible resolutions to seemingly intractable public policy issues beginning in the Garden of Eden to Social Structure Theories of conflict resolution. The NIV Archaeological Study Bible provides rich support material that strongly infers that Jesus, while recognizing OT law, rules, and procedures, never the less claimed that such requirements were no longer necessary as he fulfilled the Law and the prophets, thereby creating perceived conflict and opposition to Mosaic Law. Paul certainly after his conversion on the Damascus road (Acts 9) acknowledged his strong Jewish roots, his scholarly training (under Gamaliel) as a Pharisee of Pharisees, who now supported what can be strongly inferred from Scripture, a significantly different Word view (radical or progressive) from his former colleagues the Pharisees, again with conflict and opposition as a result.

As this particular NIV archaeological Bible is explored in some detail, the emerging Biblical and Extra-Biblical evidence tells a story that informs and enlightens the careful reader, but will trouble those who find it difficult to link the Word with the Worldview of Bible times found in this particular edition. Never the less let us continue the journey to connect the Worldview (social science) to the Word view (the Bible) and see where this joint journey leads.

Lastly, and perhaps most important is the NIV Archaeological Study Bible’s what I call laser focus on providing context. Context is crucial to interpretation. Imagine reading the words of a political or religious debate without the benefit of any knowledge of the circumstances, customs or beliefs of those involved in the discussion or dispute (p. x). The NIV Study Bible includes five general categories of scholarship, research, and analysis that provide the reader with critical context. Those five categories found throughout the pages of this NIV Bible are "Archaeological Sites; Cultural and Historical Notes; Ancient Peoples, Lands and Rulers; The Reliability of the Bible; and Ancient Texts and Artifacts" (p. xi). The richness of these scholarly resources significantly enhances the reading and critical thinking experience of this Bible. Social and physical science finds high quality information useful in arriving at a better and more complete understanding of what the writers (mainly Hebrew and Greek scribes) of Holy Scripture over a period of more than 1,500 years (c. 1446 B.C. to c. 96 A.D.) were thinking in the context of the time the Bible was actually being put together.

The other Bible used in preparing this book is the NIV Student Bible (2002). Context in this resource focuses on historical, topical, and current issues relevant to understanding the Word. Christian writers Phillip Yancy and Tim Stafford provide extensive contextual notes throughout that give readers insights into people/groups, events, and circumstances associated with Scripture, as well as Extra-Biblical insights that provide historical and contemporary understanding about how Scripture can relate to the Worldview.

Chapter Overviews

It has been said that those who cannot do teach (not even sure that makes any real thoughtful sense, since teaching is in fact doing). A retort: Those who learn to think critically, do teach, write, and continually learn truth, and then share it. – Green (2015)

Chapter 1 focuses on the central theme of the social science of Economics: Allocating scarce societal resources, Adam Smith’s invisible hand, markets, and its role in public policy. After defining terms this introductory chapter goes on to ask how did the idea of markets come to be and why has the invisible hand become so essential in how the World thinks about buyers and sellers (the heart of markets)? With such a preoccupation