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Using Paradigms

Paradigms : Easy Printing Version

Pause for Thought : If you were asked to draw a map of London how accurate would your map be?  If you are a Londoner it is likely that you would be able to draw a reasonably accurate map.  If you have been several times, then you may be able to sketch out the key features. If you have never been then your map is likely to a very rough sketch indeed.

A paradigm is a mental map of a situation. Realizing that our understanding of issues is simply the mental map which we have constructed in our minds on the basis of the data we have learned can be liberating. We will only know a proportion of the true knowledge about a situation.

For instance, whilst we may have understood the key details, our map may miss some of the finer understanding. We may have a good view of one aspect of an issue, but our paradigm may be fairly sketchy on other aspects.

Our understanding of the Kingdom of God is a paradigm. "Know I know in part - then I shall know fully" (1 Cor 13:12) Our Christian experience builds over time to enable us to gradually piece together an understanding of God's kingdom. But it will not be fully complete until we see it face to face.

Recognizing that we hold incomplete paradigms makes it easier for us to work with others.
paradigm shiftwe have the freedom to change our paradigms as new information becomes available without having to "back down."  This is known as a paradigm shift.
paradigms shiftwe can seek to understand other people's paradigms by seeking their views on a situationa, and then modify our own paradigms as we learn new facts.
paradigm shiftwe can temporarily adopt a different paradigm to see hw the world looks from that point of view. Having done this, we can explore how seeing the world as someone else sees it would lead us to take different decisions.

Pause for Thought : We hold paradigms about our own capability and our organization's capability. We only know in part what we can do - God is the only one who knows each of us inside out. Consider spending some time with others exploring their paradigms of what your church or organization is capable of achieving for the Kingdom of God.

Find out more about paradigms and paradigm shifts from the Skeptic's Dictionary.