In every corner of the Kingdom of God, especially in the West, people are talking about the need for followers of Jesus to do a 're-think' in the light of these 'postmodern' times. (In non-Western corners of the Kingdom, the phrase most used is 'post-colonialism'. In general, these terms refer to the same thing). How do we do ministry in changing times? This blog post does not aim to answer that question. My sense is that we have to engage in a good deal of dialogue before we can adequately answer that question. This post aims to move the conversation along by contrasting those characteristics most associated with 'modern' times and those we are seeing emerge in these 'postmodern' times.
Postmodernism is an academic term. John Franke, the Reformed theologian, writes that, “The term is best understood as referring primarily to the rejection of the central features of modernity. Broadly speaking, the term postmodern implies the rejection of certain central features of the modern project, such as its quest for certain, objective and universal knowledge, along with its dualism and its assumption of the inherent goodness of knowledge. It is this critical agenda, rather than any proposed constructive paradigm to replace the modern vision, that unites postmodern thinkers.” Amazon
Below you will find a chart contrasting modernity and postmodernity- the great paradigmatic shift that has taken place in the Western world:
Modernity
Facts, observation and logic
Trust absolute truth
Biblical Monotheism - One absolute truth
Relationship with reality by attempting to discern the absolutes
Faith doctrines of absolutism: base beliefs, values and hope on a revealed doctrine
Objective knowledge (religious, mathematical, historical record, etc.) that support absolutist doctrine
Follow Biblical or cultural standards which are considered inherently correct
Sexual guidelines and boundaries fixed by absolutist doctrine
Judge right and wrong by absolute standards
Hard scientific or religious perspective favored
Emphasize creed or logical proposition
Desires to see all embrace the absolutist doctrine
Biblical evangelism makes sense
Contact with "other gods" forbidden
Postmodernity
Facts and truth are created by assumptions
Reject absolute truth - point out assumptions
Spiritual pluralism - all religions require assumptive reasoning and are therefore equal
Relationship with the group that benefits you the most
Moral relativism: base beliefs, values and hope on agreed upon doctrine
Seeks objective knowledge and reworks doctrines to include or ignore said knowledge
Create your own standards and values: society should grant as much right to this as possible
Humans free to choose their own sexuality and identity
No right or wrong lifestyles except those agreed upon
Radical science (Chaos Theory, Shrodinger’s Cat) and transcendent, mysterious spirituality favored
Emphasize story, personal discovery, journey
Celebrates a diversity of post-modern spirituality
Biblical truth irrelevant (dismiss whatever doesn’t feel compatible with personal journey)
Other gods and culture produce ultimate peace and oneness to their believers
Before We React
Before Western Jesus followers react to the many challenging characteristics of postmodernity highlighted above (such as, moral relativism), we might do well to ask ourselves this question: "Are there any points of contact between Biblical Christianity and postmodernity?" I think there are- quite a number of them. Consider the following ten points of contact followers of Jesus we can begin building upon:
- postmodernity's recognition of the essentially spiritual nature of life
-postmodernity's openness and desire for community
-postmodernity's rejection of authority in position and acceptance of authority in relationship
-postmodernity's emphasis on participation over spectator mentality
-postmodernity's embrace of leadership by wisdom and example not knowledge or position
-postmodernity's emphasis on practical answers, “walk” over “talk”
-postmodernity's emphasis on journey and process over goal
-postmodernity's desire for experience over knowledge, the “subjective” and mystical dimension
-postmodernity's preference for spontaneous order over rational structure, webs of connection and meaning
-postmodernity's recognition of truth in paradox, images and story
Interesting, huh? Many of these points of connection provide some very strategic opportunities for the church to touch postmoderns in our day. Let's keep the conversation going.
(Written 6/22/2006)
