Be Afraid.
Be very afraid.
But not of Postmodernism.
Rather be afraid of the tyranny of Modernism in the church. Let me explain; Take a deep breath:
“If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
—John 8:31-32
Modernism is one of three great worldviews in the history of (recorded) Western civilization, holding sway since the Renaissance and Enlightenment up through most of the 20th century, depending on whether you lived in Europe or the Western Hemisphere. Colloquially, we might call Modernism “The Age of Reason”—an era that followed “The Age of Faith”—that is, Pre-Modernism. The Modern worldview has been a great blessing to the material world, begetting empiricism, rationalism, the scientific method, the medical, industrial and technological revolutions, and most academic disciplines, including evolving (and we assume improving) economic, social and political “sciences.” Without Modern thinking, we might still be dying routinely from influenza, stuck in primitive bartering (and shockingly poorer) economies, and, most importantly, bereft of our smart phones, cars, air conditioning, ipods, and Facebook (OMG!)
But I want to suggest today Modernism is not so useful in the spiritual world; in fact, I want to suggest it can be hazardous to your Christian spiritual health. The hazard lies in Modernism’s obsession with rational certainty—the assumption that we can, with enough time, effort and study, know the complete truth, the “true-whole-Truth” about God and all He has created. This way of “knowing” includes processes such as dialectical reasoning (debating); the assumption of logic (reveals truth) being superior to emotion (obscures truth); and a relentless search for the one best way of doing something or being something. I suspect this appeals to us not only because of its practicality in the world of science, but also because of pride—“…you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5)—and because of our fundamental insecurity (Genesis fig leafs).
Don’t get me wrong. Context really matters when we’re talking about worldview. For example, a more Modern obsession with certainty is my friend when it comes to building a safe nuclear reactor, relying on my bank balance being in the black, my Mini Cooper’s fuel gauge, the training of an airline pilot, the intent of Bible writers to record faithful history, including the life and resurrection of Jesus, and the clarity of sin boundaries and identifiable spiritual ideals so worth striving for (Galatians 5:19-23).
But obsessing with certainty is not my friend when it comes to, for example, resolving most church conflicts, mediating marriages and family disputes, detailing best practices of the art of leadership, measuring the maturity and “success” of a church, practicing tolerance for disputable matters (Romans 14:1), or understanding Grace. It is often not my friend in parsing what is “Biblical”—a term applied too broadly in an attempt to justify opinion, and, of course, when it comes to determining who was better: Renoir or Van Gogh, The X-files or Doctor Who. These understandings call for a different kind of knowing than the kind Modernism offers.
We may call such knowing Postmodern, with some crucial caveats: by Postmodern, we do not mean “anything goes;” we do not mean “moral relativism;” we do not mean reality is inaccessible; and we do not mean reality is invented by the human mind (a radical position George Berkeley advanced in the 17th c. and popularized in part by The Matrix). These are common misunderstandings of mainstream postmodernism, radicalized by cynical quarters into a bogeyman of obdurate skepticism in the name of deconstruction. This kind of skepticism, ironically a thoroughly Modern sentiment, can be found in and out of the church. (In fact, by deconstruction, Derrida originally meant simply taking a keen look at one’s assumptions, definitions, and contexts of meaning-making).
By Postmodern, we do mean chiefly this: reality is ineluctably interpreted (but again, not invented!). Each of us brings our own unique and complex weave of background, experiences, education, and emotion to each relationship and discussion. This interpretive element is probably self-evident to most of us, but bears illustrating. Some useful examples, then, of postmodern thinking, and how it matters in the church:
Interpretation & Freedom
- When you say “car” you may have images and meanings quite different from mine, based on your experiences. Our interpretations of “car” will certainly have differences, but not wildly so—the car is really there and a host of human beings (our community) have helped you and me contain our interpretations—neither of us will say “car” while envisioning a tomato (by contrast, without the same cultural experience as you and me, Ariel & Scuttle interpreted a “fork” as a “dinglehoffer”—a comb).
- When you say “Preach the Word!” you may have a collection of interpretations and meanings different from mine, both in content and in style. This interpreting is as useful as it is normal. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and so is lots else (though probably none of us chooses a warthog!). Diverse understandings of scriptural values and ideals makes Romans 14:1 practical, necessary, and even enriching to the work we all do.
- Acknowledging the reality of interpretation, including of one another, and the richness it brings keeps us from totalizing labels like “you’re a bad-hearted person” (well, maybe on Tuesday you kind of were!) and “that church is old-school”—whatever that means.
- Embracing the role of interpretation allows us to see our metaphors more clearly, enabling us to freely choose them, or put them on the shelf. For example, a war veteran, NFL player, or Depression survivor may elevate the value of “getting tough” (a metaphor of crisis) over “getting real about your grief,” (a metaphor of authenticity) whereas an artist or actor may often have that priority reversed. In a postmodern stance, it’s okay for both to be “right” without lording it over the whole population. A “really tough leader” is not better than a “really authentic leader” or vice-versa. A trainer operating from a Karate Kid metaphor is not more like Jesus than one working like a Phil Jackson.
Perfectionism & Precision
- Surrendering Modernistic Perfectionism and Precision (very useful in airplane building) changes Discipleship in important ways. It allows us all to strive to imitate Jesus while accepting this will likely look different in each case. It depressurizes personal growth and allows for Grace in evaluating “maturity.” Abandoning an obsession with Precision moreover allows for variety in training one another to be more like Jesus—perfecting one another in Christ (Colossians 1:28) does not mean making each other Perfect, but rather Mature (a goal, that’s right, that is open to individual, community, and contextual interpretation). Surrendering such perfectionistic training gives us space to be faith-centered, rather than deficit-centered with one another; in this, we Gracefully shift away from fault-finding and begin to call what is not as though it were. Hallelujah.
- Moreover, giving up Modernism’s fixation on science and formulas (again, because of its obsession with nailing everything down) frees us from “rational-only” Bible-reading: reading the Bible not for all its worth, but only like a scientist. Instead, we can read the narrative for what it is, rather than feel compelled to make lists of insights out of every scriptural encounter in the name of “scriptural knowledge.” Again, this does not preclude being clear about the historicity of the Bible, the central facts of Jesus’ life, death, burial and resurrection, the way people found salvation in the first c. church, and more. But it does help us see most of God’s Word as descriptive (experiences and exhortations we can interpret and apply in our local church contexts) not prescriptive (teaching that tells us exactly how to do something). It also allow us to experience the Bible more richly, as a relational experience, and allows us to embrace mystery (Ephesians 5:32). When I sit down to talk with my great friend and brother Doug Arthur, I don’t make lists about the rational knowledge I derived from the time—it’s meaning is clear to me in a non-Modern way. Such a friendship includes Reason, but far-transcends it.
- With this in mind, “Precise Teaching” is no better than “Total Commitment” as a Christian panacea (though I believe in both). In some contexts, precision of teaching brings growth and freedom. In many other contexts, a more relational understanding of events, and the Grace that comes with that, gets us closer to truth and Love which builds up. Ironically, admitting just how imprecise so much of life is allows 1 Corinthians 1:10 Unity to finally come true.
The Richness of Experiential Knowing
- Experience renders a kind of knowledge, just as Reason does. I’ve yet to meet a marriage in crisis that doesn’t get this point in profound ways. Couples (and sometimes churches) experience events in their lives differently and wind up arguing about “who said what” and therefore “who is really right.” I have found it far more productive for couples to acknowledge, “I’m having a different experience of this than you,” and to vulnerably invite, “help me understand yours better.” When Modernism persuades us Reason is the only game in town, intimate relationships suffer greatly. When both members of the marriage can acknowledge they have subjective interpretations of events, including fights, humility that brings unity can prevail.
- Experience may shed different light on our worship than does Reason. Our worship tradition is firmly in the camp of Reason, but is there more to worship than Reason? Surely. For 15 centuries before the Reformation, when followers had virtually no access to the Bible , worship was chiefly experiential and sensory—Catholicism wasn’t just privileging Tradition, it was also communicating the gospel narrative and truth in terms followers could hold on to. What would it be like for us to take the best of both stances—the strengths of pre-modern (and postmodern) worship and the strengths brought by Reason?
So let’s open up the conversation on Postmodernism, and challenge the tyranny of Modernism-only, with its sclerotic effects on the church. Let’s dive in unafraid of bogeymen and labels. Can we perhaps see Postmodernism differently? Modernism has a lot of appeal, I admit, and in some contexts, it’s extremely useful. But I challenge us to consider carefully the consequences of our worldview(s), and whether or not it sufficiently describes what we most hold dear in our spiritual lives. I have come to believe that postmodern/pre-modern ways of being are the ally, not the enemy of Christianity. The Scientism wrought by Modernism plagues our culture, our educational system, and our media, which condescends to our faith as being “unscientific,” or “irrational.” I wonder if we often take the bait in this, trying too hard to get Modernists to “see” the Reason in being a Christian or even the Science in it (Intelligent Design).
I like these appeals as much as anyone, but I speculate we underestimate the experiential truth of our faith—our Christian Grace and Truth faith experience of life can go toe to toe with any truth claim out there and emerge with confidence. In fact, it’s probably the way most of us became convinced of the truth of our faith: Christianity works in real life like nothing else. Pre-modern believers, who had little or no exposure to Modern science or the Age of Reason, knew that too.
Peace,
Scott
A few resources for the hungry on this topic:
• http://bible.org/article/understanding-postmodern-mind-and-emerging-church
• http://www.postmodernpsychology.com/
• http://www.calvin.edu/~jks4/
• Smith, James K.A. Who’s Afraid of Postmodernism?
Scott Green graduated with a B.A. in Philosophy from Boston University in 1983 and an M.S. in Marriage & Family Therapy from Seattle Pacific University in 2010. He serves as an elder and senior minister for the Seattle church of Christ and also conducts a part-time private practice as a therapist.
