THE DEFINITION OF ONTOLOGY

Ontology is “the study of being as being. What is there?” Thus ontology is the study of existence itself; which is closely related to the study of metaphysics, which seeks to answer: What is real? (Cowan and Spiegel 146).

DEFINE MATERIALISM

Materialism is an old ontological category that understands the world as consisting exclusively of material entities (Crane and Mellor 185-206). They hold to the idea that “when you’re dead, you’re dead!” (Crane and Melor 234), therefore it is unnecessary to even presuppose the existence of any substances one cannot “directly experience” through material matters (Crane and Melor 158).

DEFINE ONTOLOGICAL MATERIALISM

For this research, ontological materialism is defined as a belief, a value system and a worldview that a materialistically minded person adhere to in their daily life.

DEFINE WORLDVIEW

A worldview is defined as “a comprehensive system of beliefs” that allows individuals to explain and interpret the world around them as they apply this set of related beliefs to their way of living and values (Foreman 66).

G. K. Chesterton, one of the greatest writers of the 20th century, stated that it is more important to get to the core of a person and know “one’s view of the universe” (Chesterton 8) than mere facts about the individual.

PRE-EVANGELISM

The good news of the Gospel is unquestionable, and an individual needs to understand how it is vital for his or her life.

Francis Schaeffer, a distinguished evangelical theologian, introduced this concept as pre-evangelism, which is “taking the roof off” in a loving way, exposing one’s preconceived reality against the reality.

It is important to understand that although this approach does not lead an individual directly to the Gospel. It is a ploughing process for the heart to be ready for the Gospel, by revealing the poverty within their preconceived worldviews when it is placed up against reality (Little 39:45-40:38).

EXPERIENCING REALITY THROUGH IMAGINATION

Imagination is not a form of propaganda for Christianity that ignores the grim of reality of the world, but instead Coleridge states it is used to awaken and bring attention to the mind “from the lethargy of custom” and to remove “the film of familiarity and selfish solicitude” (Roberts 208).

Imagination offers the individual a renewed view of reality to help one “see things as we are (were) meant to see them” (Ordway 88). Lewis stating that imagination, like “all things, in their way, reflect heavenly truth” (Vainio 6).

UTILIZING IMAGINATIVE STORYTELILING IN PRE-EVANGELISM

Lewis approached pre-evangelism with “narrative theology.” His goal was to lead people to experience truths through symbols and metaphors.

In his essay Transposition, Lewis expressed the difficulty of “translating higher theological realities, those of heaven, into the language of lower realities, our common experiences on earth” (Sheahan 166), stating that the ultimate reality of the Christian faith cannot be fully comprehended solely through the rational faculty, which he illustrates as “a single instrument instead of a whole orchestra” (Sheahan 167).

REASON AND IMAGINATION

Reason invites one to willingly engage with meaning, while imagination ignites a hunger for clarity; consequently, an integration of both modes is where “the fullest engagement with truth” is found (Ordway 164).

In his essay Bluspels and Falansferes, Lewis believes that imagination, as the “organ of meaning,” supplies the materials for reason to operate. “Imagination,” he states, “is not the cause of truth, but its condition.” (Lewis 265). Scilicet, the meaning of a word or concept could only be truly understood when a connection is made with a clear image.  

IDENTIFICATION

Characters who are identified by first person pronouns, such as “self” or “I” and “whose inner consciousness is represented” creates a stronger identification with the individual (Green 100). 

The individual begins to create an affinity with the characters in the story by stepping into the mind of people they are not, the individual begins perceiving the story from the character’s perspective by adopting their belief system, perceived goals and values.

This internalization of the narrative promotes the individual to understand the message as important to their own lives and experiences (Shen 169). 

TRANSPORTATION

This idea of immersing oneself in the narrative is known as transportation (Shen 168), where individuals bring in personal experience, real-world backgrounds, and goals, while being “active processors” (Green 101) as they interpret and attempt to make sense of the story. 

Individuals are not only more willing to accept assertions presented by the narrative, but even tend to “utilize them to answer questions about the world” (Dohlstrom 304).