Postmodernism and Church: Crisis of Meaning

1
Postmodernism and Church Crisis of Meaning

• Peter Fitch
• December 14, 2008

2
An Impasse

• Neither Conservatives nor Liberals represented
  historic Christianity very well
• Movements from both sides tried to right
  themselves (neo-evangelicals neo-orthodox)
• In the meantime cataclysmic social change (She
  loves you, ya, ya, ya) and a growing shadow on
  Modernism

3
Modernism

• Some say the modern period begins with Descartes
  and radical doubt
• Many would start it later, in the Enlightenment
  era of the 17th and 18th centuries
• Characterized by urbanization, technology,
  reductionism, and a belief in Universals

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Important Postmodern Cries

• There is nothing outside the text
• (Jacques Derrida)
• Incredulity toward metanarratives
• (Jean-Francois Lyotard)
• Power is knowledge
• (Michel Foucault)
• Whos Afraid of Postmodernism? Taking Derrida,
  Lyotard, and Foucault to Church, James K. A.
  Smith (Grand Rapids Baker Academic, 2006),
• p. 21-22.

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Dangers of a Postmodern Perspective
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Blessings of a Postmodern Perspective

• A richer world, with many legitimate voices
• An awareness of the problems inherent in
  institutional authorities
• An understanding that there is great indignity
  in telling someone elses story
• A call to inclusion, to embrace the larger wes
• A call to be real (truth remains subjective and
  abstract until it demonstrated)

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What Can We Do?

• Build organic communities that focus more on
  people and their needs than programs and their
  structures
• Welcome peoples gifts and interactions
• Allow communities to form into basins that
  contain and demonstrate the active Presence of God

8
What Happened Last Week

• Twisted toes and damaged knees . . .

9
What Happened Through the Week

• I am still thinking about Last Sundays teaching.
  We should talk sometime. Think about Mat.
  1212-21 and see if the Holy Spirit talks. Thanks
  Blessing Jim
• Tell me more . . . P
• Well Peter its like this-bottom line. During
  Worship time God said to me Look around the
  room. These are mine. I seen a lot of

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• hurting people and it hit me with burning tears.
  God said Bruised Reed. There was a overpowering
  move of God there. I think you picked up on the
  fact God wanted to do something there. I was then
  reading Mat.12 and then Is.423. There was so
  much going on there in your teaching and you
  covered so many areas with questions and answers.

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•     Now this is what was running through my
  thoughts if  Mat 12and Is 42 would have been
  read at last the church would of moved to (Well
  hard to know where but it would have been good).
  Thats that and I just wanted to let this be but
  this week has brought me back to that.

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Exercise

• NAB John 11 In the beginning was the Word, and
  the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
• What does this mean?
• 5 minutes of silence
• Small groups

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Nuances

• Greek background logosStoic philosophy
• NT ideas (living and active, like a two-edged
  sword)
• Hebrew background debar (midebar)
• Creation
• Proverbs 8
• On-going message through the prophets

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How Do We Read the Bible?

• Benefit of 3 Different Types of Experience with
  Scripture
• Devotional Reading
• Academic Reading
• Prophetic Lens Theory

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Narrative Truth versus Propositional Truth

• Presentation by Dr. Walter Thiessen, Family
  Therapist, Professor (St. Stephens University),
  Associate Pastor (St. Croix Vineyard)

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• Sincere Enduring Truth
• an emphasis on the truth that is an honest
  testimony of our senses, faith, perspectives,
  thoughts and feelings
• Especially those aspects that are enhanced by
  agreement across time and geography

Absolute Truth an emphasis on certainty beyond
what is possible a language game that ends
dialogue or declares certain topics off-limits to
some who dont agree
17
Too Hard

• Suit of armor or crab shell
• Rigid truths arent concerned about fit, beauty,
  relationship, emotion
• Rigid truths are brittle they crack and break
  under pressure
• Objectivism creates fear
• (see Parker Palmer in Courage to Teach)

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Too Soft

• Jellyfish
• Truth that sells itself out
• Cheap grace Bonhoeffer
• Truth overly focused on statements of grace,
  acceptance and love - loses its moorings, offers
  no resistance, and takes no stand against evil
• Postmodern truths criticize all backbones

19
Storied truthjust right

• Soft bosom and a firm backbone
• - welcomes and comforts while inspiring
  decisiveness and courage
• - focuses passion without rigidity or legalism
• - gives direction without giving answers

20
Personal Synthesis

• We understand something of the difficulty of
  proclaiming one clear truth from the text
• Yet it is unacceptable to pretend that all
  readings and interpretations are equal
• Value of a lovers perspective
• We study the Scriptures to meet with and grow in
  intimacy with the One who is ultimately
  responsible for them

21
Matthew 1211-21

• 11 And He said to them, "What man is there
  among you who has a sheep, and if it falls into a
  pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it
  and lift it out?
• 12 "How much more valuable then is a man than a
  sheep! So then, it is lawful to do good on the
  Sabbath."
• 13 Then He said to the man, "Stretch out your
  hand!" He stretched it out, and it was restored
  to normal, like the other.

22
Matthew 1211-21

• 14 But the Pharisees went out and conspired
  against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.
• 15 But Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from
  there. Many followed Him, and He healed them all,
• 16 and warned them not to tell who He was.

23
Matthew 1211-21

• 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through
  Isaiah the prophet
• 18 "BEHOLD, MY SERVANT WHOM I HAVE CHOSEN MY
  BELOVED IN WHOM MY SOUL is WELL-PLEASED I WILL
  PUT MY SPIRIT UPON HIM, AND HE SHALL PROCLAIM
  JUSTICE TO THE GENTILES.

24
Matthew 1211-21

• 19 "HE WILL NOT QUARREL, NOR CRY OUT NOR WILL
  ANYONE HEAR HIS VOICE IN THE STREETS.
• 20 "A BATTERED REED HE WILL NOT BREAK OFF, AND
  A SMOLDERING WICK HE WILL NOT PUT OUT, UNTIL HE
  LEADS JUSTICE TO VICTORY.
• 21 "AND IN HIS NAME THE GENTILES WILL HOPE."