That evil postmodernism
Why is it that people who write books to church leaders about postmodernism usually make it sound like it is much more evil than modern thinking? Modernism has just as many negative aspects to it: logic will solve all of the world’s problems (ever think of God as savior, not reason?); create the “perfect” formula, cookie-cutter it, and Christians will be able to evangelize the entire world because of the reasonable arguments we make (with no need for personal spiritual growth or allowing our actions to speak louder than words); just to name a few examples.
Yes, there is an underlying premise behind postmodern thought that is contrary to the Christian faith – but there is also one in modernism, so why should that be considered anything new?
I personally believe the communication of our faith through lifestyle rather than a five-finger exercise will produce stronger Christians and a community of faith that is more like that to which Christ has called us. Jesus said the world will know we are Christians by our love, not our arguments.
Is postmodernism really that much more evil than modernism? I don’t think so. Neither one of them are really Christian in their philosophy. They are merely different. Embrace it? No, not all of it. Just like modernism should not have been totally embraced. Engage it? Most definitely! Without doing that, the culture is going to go on without us and what kind of salt will we have been? Some things have to change for us to make a difference in our home communities. Of course, change is a four letter word in many churches. We’re still busy arguing about the carpet color or the worship style while the world is going to hell. Quickly!
“To postmoderns, the debate about traditional versus contemporary music in churches is about as important as listening to dad and granddad fight over the television remote” ~ Ed Stetzer, Planting Churches in a Postmodern Age
Are we going to continue to argue ourselves into irrelevance, or can we begin making a difference in our community and culture now? Do I have the permission of the authors?
Postmodernism
And don’t forget the greatest evil of Postmodernism: you can’t take notes on it!
But as Dr. Norris would point out, we talk about modernism as if it were something everyone embraced. Not so. It is a North American/ Western European thing. It is just a type of thought that is/was popular in one area of the world, and insistance on evangelizing through modernism is just another form of colonialism: “Think like we do!”
Re: Postmodernism
If you can’t take notes on it, then you’re not getting anything out of it! Let’s just throw it out as useless.
In my mind I was thinking about churches in the West, primarily. Of course, I didn’t write that down and I failed telepathy in undergrad – so, sorry about not prefacing the post.
It seems to me that some people think that anything other than logical, reasonable approaches to the Christian faith and to church is something contrary to Scripture. I guess I’m just getting tired of people who talk about “fixing” that postmodern thing, rather than merely ministering to people. It’s not the missionary’s job to spread Western culture, but to spread the good news of Jesus Christ.
Just because something doesn’t necessarily fit neatly into my little lens with which I view the world doesn’t mean that it is evil and should be condemned. On the flip side, I don’t believe it is something that should be completely adopted as wholly Christian, either. Am I making sense?
I heard a missionary several years ago talk about the need for missionaries in some African backwoods somewhere. He spent the entire time talking about how they didn’t have the amenities we have in the West, and how they were providing those things. I don’t really remember him actually saying anything about spreading the Good News, just our culture. Why do we think that Jesus can’t be present in cultures other than our own? Arrogance? Ignorance? Both?
Sorry. I’m rambling.