Paradigms

What Is a Paradigm?
 Scientific Paradigm
 The set of practices that define a
scientific discipline during a
particular period of time.—
Thomas Kuhn
 A Scientific Paradigm
 what is to be observed and scrutinized,
 the kind of questions that are supposed
to be asked and probed for answers in
relation to this subject,
 how these questions are to be
structured,
 how the results of scientific
investigations should be interpreted.
 Paradigm—A Simple
Definition

A way of perceiving reality.

 Six Paradigms of Christian
History
 The apocalyptic paradigm of primitive
Christianity
 The Hellenistic paradigm of the patristic
period
 The medieval Roman Catholic paradigm
 The Protestant (Reformation) paradigm
 The modern Enlightenment paradigm
 The emerging ecumenical paradigm.
 Not one “Christian Theology”
but sometimes several based
on:
 Church tradition
 Social context
 Personality
 Culture
 What is a paradigm?
A paradigm is “the entire constellation of
beliefs, values, techniques, and so on
shared by the members of a specific
community.”—Thomas Kuhn

“Models of interpretation”—Hans Kung

The kind of thinking that will solve the
world’s problems will be of a different
order to the kind of thinking that
created them in the first place.
Albert Einstein
 How does the shift from one paradigm to
another take place?

We begin with a well-established paradigm that dominates the thinking,

consciousness, scientific philosophy, and cosmology of a period. At
the same time, the paradigm encourages encourages a sense of
expectation, searching, and discovery.
A feeling develops that something is wrong with the paradigm. Those
who most acutely understand the paradigm are often the ones to see
the problems with it.
A slow but steady transition ensues that gives birth to a number of new
ideas. Some of the best come from outsiders.
Despite those who hold on to the old way of perceiving reality, a new
paradigm or answer begins to emerge.
 What can a leader do to promote a
paradigm shift?
 Encourage holy dissatisfaction.
 Embrace subversive questioning.
 Become a beginner.
 Take more risks.
 Create a climate of change.