A "Christian" Paradigm

From time to time I have these realizations that, being in college, I really am supposed to be learning something. Sometimes I get so used to routine that I forget that the point of an education is to get educated. I realize at these times that I have a further responsibility, as a Christian, to process my education in terms of the gospel.

So lately I have been contemplating some ideas that were expressed in my Intro to Communication Research Methods class and I have been trying to process them Christianly. This class deals with how research is conducted in the field of communications (my new major...see post below). A large section of the class is devoted to what is called research paradigms. These paradigms guide the researcher in how and why he/she conducts research. The three paradigms are as follows:

1. Discovery Paradigm: There is an absolute truth that can be found with research on any subject. Nothing is subjective. Research can tell us exactly what is true for everyone. (Ex: Good Communication in marriage leads to relationship satisfaction)

2. Interpretive Paradigm: Ideas found in research are subjective. The person being studied creates his or her own meaning. This paradigm wants to collect as much data from as many people as possible because every person has a unique take on each subject. (Ex: What aspects of marriage increase relationship satisfaction for individuals?)

3. Critical paradigm: This paradigm seeks to correct what is perceived to be wrong in the world. A researcher studies some injustice and provides research on why it should be changed. (Ex: Husbands should use good communication because it leads to their wife’s relationship satisfaction.)

As Christians, which paradigm should we use to process truth? At first I thought the answer was simple: We should use the Discovery paradigm because we all know that there is objective truth in the world. Most of us have been affected enough by the Church’s reaction against post-modernism that we chafe at the idea of something being “subjective.”

The more I think about this, however, the more I realize that the paradigms are not merely a pronouncement of truth, they are “ways of knowing something.” I think therefore that we can use all of them in both Biblical scholarship and our everyday lives.

Let me give an example. I know that God is sovereign because the Bible tells me as much (objective reality=discovery paradigm). I also know that God is sovereign because when I hang out with friends, they give me examples and I myself can experience the sovereignty of God (Interpretive Paradigm). Finally, I can prove that God is sovereign in my own life by trusting that he will work things out for me. This means I SHOULD trust him (Critical Paradigm).

Thus, God uses many means to convey truth to us. We believe that the Bible is truth. But the way that we unpack and apply that truth is by examining our personal experience and by making changes based on what we have observed.