by Bruce Bishop

“Postmodernism”—we see that label bandied about quite a bit these days. And like the once-frequent phrase “Generation X,” postmodernism is often seen as anti-Christian and something that the church needs to fight. I would beg to differ.

The generational personality attributed to the Xers, and the postmodern label, merely describe a movement that is occurring in our society and in our world. They are not anti-Christian or even “bad.” They just are. The challenge for the church is not how to overcome these things and get back to what preceded them. Rather, our challenge is to learn to communicate hope and truth in ways that postmodern people can hear it. That, of course, has always been our challenge, regardless of the cultural milieu. Moving from a modern worldview to a postmodern one does not undermine the church. It just creates a new platform upon which to spread the good news of Jesus, a platform that offers both barriers and openings.

Defining the movement

Let's start with some definitions. Basically, postmodernism refers to moving out of the modern age. Modernism was birthed by the Enlightenment in the seventeenth century. As humanity turned more and more to the scientific method to explain things, we moved from a mystical understanding of the world (lightning is a judgment by God, for instance) to a “modern” perspective (lightning is the result of charged ions in the atmosphere). With the advent of modernist thinking, we moved into scientific modes of viewing the world, and humanity came to believe that everything that was true could be proven scientifically.

Great examples of this kind of thinking in recent Christian circles are the whole "Evidence That Demands a Verdict" book series or the youth-oriented "Truth Matters" campaign. Each basically uses the approach that if enough factual evidence can be presented, people will have to believe and be motivated to change because of the "facts." And this was an effective, modern, tool.

Postmodernism, however, is a reaction to an over-reliance on science and facts. Postmodern people have seen first-hand the fallacy of the assumption that science and logic can answer all of our questions and solve all of our problems. The world has not become a better, safer, more secure place, as science promised. Reason still has an important role to play, but it is not the all-in-all. So postmodern thinkers are asking: What else is out there that can respond to my needs and the needs of the world?

Isn't this an exciting place for us to be the church?

In the postmodern world there's a sense that truth is more reliable when it is experienced. There is a mistrust of truth when it is supported by “facts” alone. Perhaps this is easily illustrated by the reality that we see every day with surveys and polls: The same statistics can be presented in ways that can prove opposing viewpoints. “Facts” can be manipulated when they are disconnected from experience.

Modern thinkers can read Evidence That Demands a Verdict and be converted. Folks with a postmodern worldview, however, can read it and say: "This is just an intellectual argument. It has no power in my life. Let's see whether or not these things prove true experientially.”

Truth must be experienced!

In A Primer on Postmodernism (Eerdmans, 1996, p. 4), Stanley Grenz says that modernism "assumes that knowledge is not only certain, but…inherently good. This…leads to the belief that progress is inevitable, that science, coupled with the power of education, will eventually free us from our vulnerability to nature, as well as from all social bondage."

Grenz says that with postmodernist thinking, however, "people are no longer convinced that knowledge is inherently good. In eschewing the Enlightenment myth of inevitable progress, postmodernism replaces the optimism of the last century with a gnawing pessimism. Gone is the belief that every day, in every way, we are getting better and better. Members of the emerging generation are no longer confident that humanity will be able to solve the world's great problems or even that their economic situation will surpass that of their parents. They view life on earth as fragile and believe that the continued existence of humankind is dependent on a new attitude of cooperation” (Primer, p. 7).

Postmodern thinkers are also aware that their experience is different from the experience of those around them. And, therefore, absolute truth is rare and hard to come by. “What I experience to be true, has true consequences for me, whether or not you experience it the same way.” And if something is absolute truth—true for me as well as for you—then we will each be able to experience its consequences or impact in our lives.

On the surface of it, postmodernism sounds scary for the concept of absolute truth and for Christianity. If people must experience truth to believe it, are we at the mercy of pluralism, where “individual truth” reigns? I think not. In fact, the postmodern worldview might be closer than modernism to the culture in which Scripture was written. Consider the ways God spoke to the Jews through their experience—through the sensory experience of animal sacrifice, through the physicality of the parables, through the earthy symbol of eating together and sharing table fellowship.

Psalm 34:8 encourages us to “taste and see” the goodness of the Lord. John the Baptist sent his disciples to experience personally the ministry of Jesus, and ask him directly if he was the one. Jesus exhorted his followers to believe in his resurrection by touching him and watching him eat.

Postmodern characteristics that resonate

Grenz (and other writers: Gerard Kelly, RetroFuture; Robert Webber, Ancient Future Faith; Bill Mahedy, A Generation Alone) asserts that there are strong biblical themes that will resonate with a postmodern society and even bring greater strength to the church:

• Post-individualistic community: The Bible is full of “one another” verses that challenge us to be in healthy relationship and vital community with one another. The gospel is not meant to be lived in isolation, or by rugged individualists. The postmodern mind-set will provide a corrective to this isolationist tendency in America. "The postmodern worldview operates with a community-based understanding of truth” (Grenz, p. 168).

• The mystery of the Divine: Intellectually we know that God is greater than we can explain. Yet the modern mind-set is naturally drawn only to embracing what can be explained. The mystery of the I AM will be an attractive element to postmodern thinkers and a welcome addition to the practice of our theology.

• Post-dualism thinking: The Western church has suffered from a mind-body separation that has caused us harm. Dallas Willard (The Spirit of the Disciplines) creates a strong argument for the need to leave this dualism behind and experience a greater fullness of God and God's design for us. Postmodern thinkers are already asking those very questions!

• Post-knowledge: Truth is about transformation, not the mere accumulation of knowledge. A postmodern society is looking for ways to experience God, ways that truth will change lives. This is a welcome reminder for a heady church. Contemplative worship and prayer exercises, transformed lives, and social justice will speak to this hunger.

An excellent, easy-to-read snapshot of postmodern thinking and postmodern evangelism can be seen in Brian McLaren's book More Ready than You Realize (Zondervan, 2002).

My denomination and yours

As a Christ-centered Quaker, I believe I'm part of one group that might be well positioned to communicate with the postmodern mindset. Our whole foundation of faith is based upon a personal relationship with Christ that transforms us through dialogue and obedience to the Spirit. We don't go in much for institutional rules, rituals, or dogma. We practice—even institutionally through corporate spiritual discernment (i.e., consensus)—the experiential reality of God speaking directly to us, and leading us. Our worship is firmly focused on the person of Jesus Christ. We often receive rational insight through the sermon, but also make way for experiential knowledge and encounter with God through our times of corporate silence and open worship. Our commitment to social justice has been weak in my own tradition in the last few generations, but if we reinvigorate our historical testimony of bringing Kingdom values to earth, it will attract postmodern thinkers who desire to see truth come to life. Our focus on communal spirituality through open worship, consensus, meetings for clearness, and the ministry of all believers fits hand-in-glove with the postmodern desire for community.

And, Christ's truth is not limited along denominational lines. Nor did the postmodern shift catch God off guard. Any Christ-inspired individual or group will discover culturally appropriate means of communicating God's truth.

Whether we like it or not…

Postmodernism can't be avoided or ignored any more than the Enlightenment's modernism could be avoided. This cultural shift is happening, whether we like it or not. Like every culture in which humanity exists, the change offers some barriers, but also some new openings for presenting the truth of Jesus Christ. Postmodernism's largest impact is to create a hunger for the embodiment of truth. With a postmodern worldview, there can be no inherited or second-hand religion. Postmodern thinkers, the quickly growing majority of people surrounding us and sitting in our pews, have an inner drawing toward incarnation—the enfleshment of truth.

Not only is the very cornerstone of our belief system set upon the reality of God's incarnation, but also the Holy Spirit's activity among us prompts us and enables us to experience an ongoing incarnation. The postmodern shift is handing the church an embossed invitation to meet the growing spiritual hunger of humanity.