Modern Period and the Death of God
While the medieval period in Europe was characterized by theism, a dominant institutional church, and general adherence to the Judeo-Christian worldview, changes in the 16th century swept over Europe like a flood and forever altered the foundations of her culture. Copernicus proved that the sun was the center of the solar system, revolutionizing astronomy; the magnetic compass became available; Columbus discovered a new world; the printing press made the rapid spread of ideas possible; and the Protestant Reformation broke up the hegemony of the Catholic Church. Thinkers devised entirely new approaches to life—at first modernizing, and then secularizing, their worldview.
The modern period—from the 16th to the 20th century—moved steadily from a God-centered world to a man-centered world. Using the scientific method, man believed he could unravel all the mysteries of life. God and miracles came to be seen as unnecessary relics from the time when man, in his ignorance, needed them to explain the unknown. Supernaturalism was “out” and naturalism was “in”. The evolutionary origin of man and other natural laws that governed the universe were just waiting to be discovered. Scientists were elevated to priest and prophet, and Christianity was badly bullied in both academic and public circles. Religion, including the Bible and the person of Jesus Christ, was relegated to the realm of mythology. The modern saw himself as a neutral judge, fit to use his reason to decide what truth was.
The Postmodern Period and Many Gods
The postmodern view, which had naturally been developing in opposition to modernity, took center stage in both university and popular culture arenas in the last half of the 20th century. All knowledge came to be viewed as tainted by those who constructed it. While the modern believed reality could be discerned from a single vantage point, the postmodern sees no meaning to tie everything together. Instead, everyone’s viewpoint is equally valid. It is now considered legitimate to rewrite history to justify the feminist interpretation or to fit a non-western bias, because the history of the western world is believed to have been written by western males for their advantage. History can be decomposed with no historical justification from an objective, factual view since, according to the postmodern, that view does not really exist. They believe that one interpretation is as good as another.
Pluralism and relativism are natural children of the postmodern critique. Since truth is relative and there are many choices in the world, dialogue becomes a high core value. Persuasion becomes an evil because it is based on the outmoded modernistic philosophy that there is objective truth to be argued. Whether sexual orientation or religion, one chooses his preferences as he would choose a car. To say that one should be a heterosexual Christian and not a homosexual Buddhist is heard as telling someone he must drive a Ford because the speaker happens to like Fords.
Tolerance Redefined
Tolerance no longer means civil behavior and patience toward those with whom you disagree. It now means that every view is equally valid. Any claim to possess unique truth is considered arrogant and intolerant; therefore, sharing one’s faith with conversion as a goal is considered wrong and unethical. Christianity is rejected, not because it has been tested and found untrue, but simply because it claims to be true. Anyone born since the 1960s has imbibed these ideas of relativism and pluralism from universities, popular culture, the arts, and media.
Characteristics of Postmoderns
Postmoderns are particularly cynical and skeptical of authority. When someone claims to know the truth, a postmodern asks, “What’s your angle?” Part of this mistrust comes from broken promises and trampled hopes; many postmoderns are the product of broken homes and relationships. Because of this, their circle of friends is very important to them; they tend to get their identity from the group with which they associate. Authenticity is their highest ethic. They do not trust words but look instead for coherent behavior.
They tend to be inclusive and passionate about fairness because they feel that many minorities have been left out of the world power structure, thus leading to marginalization and oppression. Because they are pluralists, they honor the beliefs and choices of others. Because postmoderns hold that all beliefs are equal, and because there are so many choices, they look to see if Christianity is authentic and if it works. With all the other choices available, why would they choose the Christian faith if it is nothing more than words? Postmoderns are searching for a caring community of people who are passionate about fairness and who have an authentic spiritual experience with God. These are some of the very values that the church should excel in.
People God Uses To Reach Postmoderns
The people God uses to reach postmoderns will be those who live an authentic Christian life. They will make the postmoderns part of their experiential community, where the things of Christ are real and lived out in practice; they will be passionate about fairness and justice committed to reconciliation in relationships, and willing to open their hearts and lives to their pre-Christian friends. According to Rick Richardson, in Evangelism Outside the Box, the postmodern often “belongs before he believes.” Christians who impact postmoderns will allow them into their lives and their group, even as they seek answers. Postmoderns are open to spiritual things because they believe everyone’s story is equally valid. For that reason, they are ready to hear how the Christian knows Jesus is the real, unique Son of God.
The witness for Christ must have an unshakable faith in the power of the gospel and the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Postmoderns coming to Christ often experience the presence of God among believers before they understand the explanation of who God is. It has been said that this generation hears with their eyes and thinks with their feelings. Those who would reach postmoderns must build their lives on the objective Word of God and live it out in caring relationships.
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