What is Postmodernism?

I had a couple different conversations last week that brought up something I had written years earlier about postmodernism. I have never talked about this on this blog or in Cushing (it’s kind of been my secret double life), but I will here to lay the foundation for a subsequent post on “postmodernism & rurality.”

Postmodernism is the current prevailing worldview in much of the Western hemisphere. It is the mental grid through which many people see the world. Since it is “post-modern” it is best explained in contrast with modernism, the prevailing worldview of the last 500 years or so.

Modernism has its roots in the Reformation of the 15^th century and gained full force with the Enlightenment of the 18^th century and the scientific revolution. It is best characterized by Descartes famous statement: “I think, therefore I am.” Modernism sees scientific knowledge as the way to obtaining absolute truth. All the world’s problems can be solved, and humanity saved, through the obtaining of knowledge. Sadly, in my estimation, many of our churches in the Western world have grasped on to the modern worldview so tightly that “modern Christianity” has become synonymous with “biblical Christianity.” Like the great thinkers of the 18^th and 19^th centuries, the Church has often exalted human knowledge above all else. It is as a reaction to many of the fundamentals of modernism that postmodernism originates.

As where modernism sees knowledge as effective power, postmodernism views knowledge as oppressive power. The Western world has largely used its gains in technology and science to oppress the world, not save it. Because of this, postmodernism seeks to establish a common ground, where all peoples and cultures are considered of equal value, regardless of their knowledge. This, along with globalization, gives rise to the dominant theme of postmodernism: cultural relativism. In this view, one must not be considered to know the Truth simply because one knows more things. Instead, each culture must be allowed to determine what is true for them based on their own values and ways of knowing. The net result is that there really is no Truth, but many truths.

When I say that I am a “postmodern Christian” (a term I really never use), I am not saying that I agree with all the philosophical tenets of postmodernism, but rather that I realize the shortcomings of modernism, and seek to discover a biblical alternative. I believe that Postmodernism actually has more in common with New Testament Christianity than perhaps any worldview in the past 2,000 years. As where modernism values autonomy, postmodernism values community; modernism values scientific knowledge, postmodernism values personal experience; modernism values religion, postmodernism values spirituality; modernism values the intellect; postmodernism values the whole person. Like Paul in Athens (Acts 17), I think this creates some wonderful opportunities to offer people what they are truly searching for in the God-man, Jesus Christ.

Relativism is still the biggest philosophical hurdle for the Gospel to overcome. We must reject the postmodern rejection of absolute truth. But we must also be careful to realize for ourselves that the Truth is not found in knowing certain things, but in knowing a certain Person, Jesus Christ.