THREE REASONS TO BE INFORMED ABOUT POSTMODERNISM
The topic of Dr. Duncan's second message was Should the Church Embrace Postmodernism? Dr. Duncan gave us three reasons why we should study postmodernism (though he noted the church ought not to embrace it).
1. It is pervasive in our culture today. We need to know what is out there.
2. If someone truly embraces the tenants of postmodernism, it makes it more difficult to hear the claims of Christ that are being addressed in the gospel. For believers that dabble in the ethos of postmodernism, it weakens their discipleship at critical points.
3. Many church leaders today believe that in order to speak into a postmodern milieu, the church needs to itself embrace aspects of postmodernism.
DEFINING POSTMODERNISM
One of the main features of postmodernism is a commitment to a relativistic stance toward truth claims. Something can be true for you, but not for me. Truth is socially constructed. As Christians, we have to be careful to note that we have a message that is both true and relevant.
DESCRIBING POSTMODERNISM
Let's try to understand postmodernism in contrast to modernism. Modernism believes in rational, scientific, and logical means for knowing the world. Postmodernism is skeptical about these three means for knowing. Modernism is optimistic that we can understand the world around us. Postmodernism is pessimistic about such a large-scale endeavor. For modernism, there is absolute truth that can be determined by rational inquiry. But for postmodernists, truth is socially constructed. For modernists, humans are physical machines; spirituality is not real. Postmodernists see this as incomplete: they are very open to spirituality (as long as there are no absolute truth claims). For modernists, humans are progressing through science and reason. For postmodernism, progress is a way to justify the domination of European culture over other cultures. It is a tool for exploitation. In modernism, history is a narrative of what happened (from a point of view and ideological vantage point). In postmodernism, history is all a power-play to present the interpretation of one group for their own purposes.
SEVEN CHARACTERISTICS OF POSTMODERNISM
Postmodernism is an ethos and a mood as much as it is a worldview. It tends to be a reaction to a worldview. Or a taking of a worldview to a logical extreme. Jim Sire gives us seven helpful points for understanding postmodernism. These can be found in his chapter The Vanished Horizon in the latest copy of his book The Universe Next Door.
1. The first question that postmodernism addresses is not "what is out there" (ontology) nor "how do we know what is and exists" (epistemology). Rather, it asks how language functions to construct meaning. Truth is a social construct.
[Sidebar: Deconstructionism is an outgrowth of this. Postmodernists think that texts do not inherently have meaning (authorial intention), but rather that in our interaction with texts, we derive at "the meaning." Because, for them, seeking to know the truth about a text is a power game. Being able to define terms is about gaining and asserting power over others.]
2. The death of truth. Truth is forever hidden from us; we can only tell stories.
3. Stories give communities their cohesive character.
Some say "We like postmodernism because of its emphasis on stories." But in response, was there ever a time when people did not like stories? Liking stories is not postmodern, it is human. What is different is that postmodernism says "It is about the story; it does not matter if the story is factually and historically correct." Historic Christianity says, "Oh no, if the story is not true, then it is not helpful." But postmodernists resist "meta-narratives" (large explanations for stories, or over-arching truth claims). In light of this, we need to remember that we believe Christianity not because it is likable (though it is), but because it is true.
4. Language is power. (I define things, and use them against you.)
5. There is a death of self. Existentialism is a step toward postmodernism.
6. Postmodernism is about being good without God. Being good has to do with morality, which is a social construct. They are unable to make any firm truth claims. (Rejoinder: But what about Germany in WWII days?)
7. Postmodernism is constantly in flux.
WAYS THAT POSTMODERNISM, IF EMBRACED, WOULD IMPACT CHRISTIANITY
1. Would assert that all religions boil down to the same thing
(since we cannot make absolute truth claims, all theologies must be
alike).
2. All
truths are relative. [Many young people are reluctant to believe that
Jesus is the only way of salvation for everyone.]
[See
Chris Chrisman Goes to College by James Sire -- excellent book which explores how today's college
students are faced with postmodernism in college, both in the classroom and in their relationships.]
3. All religious systems followed sincerely will lead to the same end.
4. No religious assertions can claim to be absolutely true. All are subject to revision.
5 . Making truth claims are about attempts to impose our assertions are others.
6. Religious truths are important only in so far as they help everyone to live in harmony. If you hold some idea to be true that preferentially favors one group over others, watch out. For example, if you think that homosexuality is immoral, that is divisive and unhelpful.
I CORINTHIANS 1
Notice that I Corinthians 1 is set in a multicultural setting (Jews and Greeks). One group wanted signs and thought a crucified Messiah was weak. The other group wanted wisdom and through a crucified Savior was foolish. But Paul proclaimed Christ as the power and the wisdom of God. We need to remember that we do not get our marching orders from the culture. We should want to understand our culture, but we need to speak the truth to our culture.
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