A person described himself to me a couple days ago as an "evangelical Christian" and "postmodern" in the same breath.
HUH? My jaw hit the floor & passed right on through Shanghai en route to Alpha Centauri.
Now, can anyone think of a reason why I shouldn't simply regard this person as missing essential faculties of critical reasoning? Who in the world can claim adherence to evangelical Christian faith, and at the same time proclaim their adherence to the principles of postmodernism? Only way I can figure it is that he's got one or the other wrong in his head... Somewhere, some crucial cogs are missing.
I'm still flummoxed.
Posted by toddpedlar at March 23, 2004 07:03 PM | TrackBackI dunno... I'm an evangelical Christian, to whatever degree that term still holds any meaning, and I'm pretty darn influenced by postmodernism. I tend to view relationships, and the interplay of subjectivity, as more important than modernist rigor regarding doctrine. I'm not always happy with myself for feeling this way, but there you are. I've been seeing a lot of Reformed sorts becoming less comfortable with a faith based in propositions, and more intrigued by a belief system directed by relationships, one relationship in particular. To that extent, I think evangelicalism and Chritianity are starting to be held in tension by many people. Or maybe it's better to say that postmodern ideas are starting to balance out some of the 20th century evangelical extremes.
Welcome to Chattablogs, by the way.
Posted by: mesh at March 23, 2004 10:57 PMThanks for your response. A few comments:
First, there is a wide difference between saying that you are a postmodernist, and saying that you are influenced by postmodern ideas. The person in question claimed to be "postmodern",and from what he's said about other things, I have seen in him more of a postmodern conviction, rather than simply "influence".
Second, I'd like to know why propositional truth is distasteful to you. I assume that there are at least SOME propositions that lie at root of your faith. (that is, that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man, that his death purchased salvation for his people, etc.) We were told in Scripture to proclaim and adhere to the doctrines of the faith once delivered to the saints? How is proclaiming those doctrines possible without proclaiming and holding to specific doctrines? (assuming this is your issue)
Third, with your convictions, how do you persuade a "faithful Mormon" or "faithful Muslim" that he cannot be saved apart from personal knowledge of and relationship by faith to Jesus Christ of Nazareth? How can you argue against the Roman Catholic (post vatican II) notion of a relationship with Christ apart from specific understanding of who Christ is (i.e. that there are many paths to the Father, all of which are actually "relationships with Christ" even if Christ's name is unknown).
Posted by: Todd Pedlar at March 24, 2004 08:18 AM