Bible Question:
Thanks Lionheart, I agree with you that the Gospel alone is THE power of God for salvation. Mere argument based on human reason has not resulted in a single soul being saved. But, as you probably have experienced yourself, getting a person to listen to the Gospel is half the battle. The difficulty with postmodernistic thinkers is that to them truth is relative; they will say that whats true for you may not necesarily be true for them. How would you respond to their claim? |
Bible Answer: Postmodern Opportunities Postmodernism is very skeptical of "master narratives" that make universal claims. So, in that way, it is hard for them to hear Christ's call --- for Christ makes universal claims of the grandest kind. You talk about convincing people by reason. But the kind of "apologetics" we are used to, that work in a very reasoned way, often don't work from a postmodern viewpoint anyway. Reason itself is suspect --- if you look at where the "age of enlightenment" or the "age of reason" has brought us. Our challenge is conveying the gospel is very different than it was, say, 30 years ago -- when reasoned arguement was the way to go, it seems. There are amazing entry points, however. People are less closed to the idea of the miraculous, the idea that there is more than a measurable reality. The idea that God can act in creation is not as "heretical" to our society as it used to be. While people balk at master-narratives, they are increasingly open to the personal story. Once you say, "God has changed my life in this way..." people are very open. "I was reading this in the Bible, and it compelled me to do such and such...." Sure, they may put the information in a box labelled "someone else's experience." But they are listening, engaging, and Also, people are hungry. So, in telling a personal story, God can use that story to touch their desire for more meaning. Beneath the cynicism of postmodernists, there lies a hunger for meaning, for justice, for authentic experience. Look, for example, at the protests against the World Trade Organization -- people are trying to envision a better world, and are trying to raise their voices. Personal story (a strategy that Paul used a lot, if you look through the letters, especially Ephesians, or Galatians...) Touching their hunger (like, for instance, Paul in Athens, picking up on their altar to the unknown God) These can lead to more systematic discussions on what who Jesus is, what the cross means, what the Bible is, etc. Here is a book I found amazing: "Colossians Remixed." It looks thoroughly at the book of Colossians -- within the context it was written (Roman Imperialism) and asking questions about the Empires Christians live within today. It also includes a "questioning voice" that is basically your postmodernist... that voice keeps raising questions throughout the book, and the authors respond. In a sense, the whole book is written with that postmodernist audience in mind (the authors are, I think, Inter Varsity worker in Toronto -- so they are fighting the good fight within a sophisticated postmodern culture) |