The Effect of Postmodernism (Part 3)

Deconstructionism

In postmodernism what comes across is that much of what we see in society is a social construct or that which is shaped by the culture around us. So there is no sacred cow as far as they are concern and if things does not work they tear it down, they deconstruct, and rebuild new edifice according to their choice and decision.

One other thing about emerging ideas is the open reception to new ways of interpreting the Word of God. Postmodernism deconstruct meanings in any text by their own reconstruction to give meaning to what they are feeling and sensing. Such way of thinking that is growing among the younger generation gives tremendous room for them to more readily accept differing interpretations to the Scriptures. In my recent survey it shows that young people have the tendencies to want to decide on their own – a freedom to choose and to express. These are the challenges within the church today. In a more subtle way, such an “easy” view of biblical hermeneutics and spiritual practices do precipitate to a theological understanding that is shallow, therefore, being in danger of religious syncretism. My concern among the people of God today is the shallow understanding of doctrines. In simple term, there is a lack of understanding of the Word of God.

Uses Feelings, Not Reasons

Postmodern people have a tendency to go for experience above reason. We can see that many people are into Reality Shows, into visual connection, media ads that appeal to the emotions, and the rise of new “family”[1] that many of their minds stay in vouch by suspending their rationality. Studies and research have shared light that modernity places a tremendous hope on humanities’ ability to know our world and reality through scientific investigation, observation, and technology without the transcendent, man being the measure of all things. That has failed this generation and brought about disillusionment. Though this generation wants to hold on to technology they are unwilling to trust everything to rationality. A high percentage of young people in our churches today wanted the freedom to question everything. They believe that doubt is part of the essential of faith. They also wanted to experience, to feel with their senses and as a result of reaction to modernity they have decided that they want the freedom to choose how they live their lives – their taste, their friends, their beliefs – without having to consult their parents unless they choose to.

And in the church today, with the emphasis of the encountering and empowering at altar calls above the intentional instruction of the Word of God line upon line and precepts upon precepts, we are actually playing to the gallery of post-modernity.

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[1] This is not the traditional family structure that I am referring to but rather it is their friends, their peers apart from their biological family and relatives have become their new family.

The Effects of Postmodernism (Part 2)

Different Shades of Truth

The challenge of postmodern thinking within the church as a whole and amongst the teenagers in particular goes against the grain of the objective truth of God’s Word. 47% of the youth in my recent survey (2008) finds it difficult to articulate and define truth objectively and they do actually live with the notion that there are many shades of truth.

This subtle idea that there are many shades of truth as perpetuated out in the marketplace of post-modernity has also found its way into the lives of our young people. Such mindset challenges the authority of the Word of God and Christian orthodoxy. The Word of God is not being taken seriously anymore. The understanding of the revelation of God through His Word is watered down. Unconsciously many have hold on to the idea that there is no real need for the Word of God to guide us in all our decisions anymore. There are many answers out there and many to choose from. You will notice that many spiritual themes are found in the movies that are been churned out each and every day and they are shaping the ideas of our young people and children!

Moral Relativism

Post-modernistic thinking advocates that there is no one right way of doing things and that every man has a right to choose and make his own moral judgment and decision. Based on this assumption that we need to allow the same freedom to others, we need also to raise the tolerance level. None of us can say that what we hold to is the only true and right view on a matter because there is no absolute truth – it is relative. So the question we need to ask then is this: is it an ethical issue or is it just utilitarian – something practical and functional?

It would be foolhardy of us not to realise that post-modern worldview has come home to roost in our present generation. Research tells us that young and old alike have been shaped in some way by the postmodern worldview. It is in the air that we breathe. But the point at which our experience with the postmodern worldview commenced plays a significant role in how and to what extent we have been shaped and influenced by that worldview.[1]

Some of the influences of post-modern thoughts are: (1) There is no such thing as progress, (2) Life has no meaning, it’s just a game, (3) You are the only one who cares about you, (4) No story is universally true, (5) There is no such thing as truth except what you create for yourself, (6) Every claim to truth is a power play, (7) Everything must be mistrusted; since truth is a power play everything has to  be deconstructed, (8) There is no order – all is random, and (9) You only go around once, so do it with gusto.[2]

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[1] Mueller, Walt, Engaging the Soul of Youth Culture (IVP Books, an imprint of InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, USA, 2006), p. 81.

[2] Ibid, p. 82

The Effects of Postmodernism

Choice and Decision-Making

One of the reasons for such a notion is the fact that in the contemporary world that we live in today, choices have become a norm. We are faced with choices in everything – from the endless brand of toothpaste, clothing, and food to education. This sort of multiple choices affected the practice of faith among Christians. Multiple choices, the smorgasbord of faith among the believers today, produces superficiality in commitment, shallowness in faith, and artificiality in holiness. One of the great challenges for a pastor in the church today is the lack of commitment among the people he ministered to.

There is a danger of superficiality in their commitment; faith is only there as a means to an end. The result is that their faith becomes shallow – no roots and therefore no fruits. Faith lacks authenticity and spiritual talk becomes a façade, a smokescreen for the artificiality of holiness.

Post-modernity do have a spilled over from modernity about the autonomous self which is basically self-centredness and selfishness. Much of what we do is so consumeristic that it just fit nicely into such selfishness. The media, the education, and family values in the urban setting are more appealing to the self rather than to others. We have grown up in an affluence society that has learned to receive with a “give-me” attitude rather than a “preferring others” mentality. In matter concerning individual choices and decision-making, a postmodernist would yield a far different result than one with a biblical worldview. Just take for example, abortion or euthanasia, and we would have a clash of worldview with regard to the sanctity of life. The postmodernist would appeal to individual choices and rights but the person with a Biblical worldview would have to consider deeply what God has to say about the sanctity of life and the fact that life belongs to God. We cannot choose arbitrarily!

What is Biblical Worldview? (Part 3)

The Distinctiveness of a Biblical Worldview

Just as postmodernism has distinctive a biblical worldview has the antithesis to it. Biblical worldview has a grand meta-narrative. We have a story, in fact, a grand story. Our view of reality is not random or uncertain but rather is based on the very nature of God. In the grand scheme of life God has a plan and a story and it is called His Story. There are at least four great cataclysmic events that form the grid for His grand story; (1) His creation, (2) the Fall of Man and the immediate promise of the provision of redemption, (3) the Redemptive Process when God became Man through His Son Jesus Christ to bring about repentance, reconciliation, and restoration, and (4) His second coming when He will come back again and restore His kingdom in eternity bringing a glorious hope to those who believe in Him. In the redemption work of Christ we experience His restoration ministry. Modern man believes in himself and trusts in his ability to reason things out. Postmodernist did away with reason and saw everything as relative. But a Christian perspective puts his faith in Christ and through Him allows the Holy Spirit to renew his mind that he may think through the mind of Christ, to renovate his soul through the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, and to restore his spirit that he may be in touch with the divine.

A biblical worldview is opposed to moral relativism because we have come to trust in God our Moral Law Giver. He became the framework for which we understand what is right and what is wrong. Without the awareness of the presence of this transcendent God or to disregard the notion of a Supreme Being, a Creator, gives people liberty to do what they like, however they like, and whenever they like because without it there is no foundation for ethics and no ultimate foundation for right and wrong. That kind of mindset would lead one to believe that morality is what the majority hold to or believe in and what is shaped by the culture around them. This notion also gives people the liberty to pursue their own happiness; to reach their own self-actualization without any regard of others’ needs. Personal choices become the order of the day and not what ought to be.

Moral relativism gives people the liberty to live by the notion that “might” makes “right.” If I have the power I have the right to do what I wish and no one can tell me what to do or how to live “rightly”. At the bottom-line it is what Dr Ravi Zacharias used to say: “…we become either Hitler (power-crazy) or Hugh Hufner (erotic-maniac) – clench-fist or phallus!” [1]

Ramesh Richard in his book “Soul Passion – Embracing Your Life’s Ultimate Purpose” wrote about the danger of moral relativism:

If life is not undergirded by the right purpose, a sense of moral obligation will not influence nor order your smoke-and-mirror existence. Without purpose, morality becomes subjective and arbitrary. The Self referees good and evil, right and wrong. Anything will be permitted as long as it doesn’t adversely affect one’s Self. All moral decisions will be made by Me. All moral reality will be interpreted by Me. Nothing is right or wrong independent of Me. This view leads to every person becoming right in his or her own eyes and ways. You would be right about everything. I could be right about everything, too. When we collide in our views, might makes right. If all are equally right, only the powerful win by enforcing their ‘rightness’ on the rest of us.[2]

Other aspect of a biblical worldview would be the understanding that there is such a thing called objective truth. It is truth that hinges upon the nature of God. We believe that Ultimate Reality is the Truth with a capital “T” and it flows out of the very nature of God. In Him there is everlasting joy, unconditional love, and a glorious hope. One other important distinctive of a biblical worldview is the dynamic of Christian spirituality – being attentive to the Spirit’s voice, being open to His transforming impulses, and being empowered by His indwelling presence. It is about living all of life before God in the transforming and empowering presence of his Spirit.[3]

Evelyn Underhill wrote that “a spiritual life is simply a life in which all that we do come from the centre, where we are anchored in God: a life soaked through and through by a sense of His reality and claim, and self-given to the greater movement of His Will.”[4]

We must live all our lives before God; in relationship with Him and with others, allowing the dynamic of His transforming power in our inner life, and outflow into our spiritual vocation through the personal calling of God for our lives.

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[1] Ravi Zacharias audio message: http://www.rzim.org

[2] Ramesh, Richard, Soul Passion, (Moody Publishers, Chicago, 2003), p. 24

[3] Scorgie, Glen (Ph D), The Guide to Christian Spirituality, (Zondervan, 2007)

[4] Underhill, Evelyn, The Spiritual Life (Oxford, England; Oneworld, 1993), p. 27

What is Biblical Worldview? (Part 2)

A Biblical Worldview is Christ-Centred

There are a few thoughts that I would like to express with regards to the importance of having a worldview with Christ as the centre of the focus.

First, is that Jesus Christ is a historical Jesus. There was a time in history that Jesus was born and lived and walked on the face of the earth. He came with a divine purpose and mission and He fulfilled that very purpose. This historical Jesus was the incarnate Son of God entering into this world for a specific purpose – the redemption of mankind. He is not just a religious symbol but a living reality – his life, his ministry, his death, and his resurrection

Second is the uniqueness of Jesus Christ. He was born of a virgin. He lived a sinless life. He became the only one who could carry the sins of the world upon his shoulder. He is both totally human and totally divine in his nature.

Third, Jesus is personally involved in our salvation; he learned obedience through the things he suffered. He knew the pains that suffering brings so He is able to encourage us when we go through suffering or symbolically speaking – the valley of the shadow of death.

For the road that Jesus Christ took for mankind His Father highly exalted Him and gave him a name which is above every other name that at his name every knee shall bow and every tongue confesses that He is Lord. Our lives should be in Christ because in Him dwell the fullness of the Godhead bodily. A Christ-Centred worldview enables one to trust completely in the powerful name of Jesus and the shedding of His precious blood to redeem us from the slave marketplace.

What is Biblical Worldview?

As I study the effect of postmodernism among youths I have come to understand how deep this ideology is embedded in today’s youth culture and how deep it has make its way into the personal worldview of many Christian youth. To set about doing this task I believe we need to establish what a biblical worldview is so that it will give us some sort of measurement as we deal with the fast emerging postmodern ideology.

A Biblical Worldview is God-Centred

It is not within my intention in this study to go in-depth into defining and explaining of biblical worldview. I shall give an overview of what I believe to be the most fundamental understanding of a biblical worldview.

Let us view Christianity’s presupposition set in two basic propositional truths. This basic premise from where we start is the assumption of an objective truth that can be known. Therefore, a biblical worldview starts from the truth claim that God is and that He is self-existence.

The second important truth claim is that God reveals Himself to man. His revelation of Himself is two-fold; first, through His creation which we call general revelation. By looking at the world we can make sense of reality; the vastness of the universe, the beauty of the earth, nature and its order gives us an indication that there is design and there is a Designer.

Second, His revelation of Himself is through His Word, the Holy Scriptures which we call His specific revelation. The bible contains the history of man and the involvement of God in the lives of humanity. In His specific revelation we find answers to big questions of life; what is man, and what is the meaning of life? It is in His word that we discover our way back to God; his salvation for mankind, and his inheritance for man through His Son Jesus Christ.

Postmodernism is a Worldview with Distinctive (Pt. 4)

Fosters a longing for connection and permanence

A shared worldview is like a glue that holds people together on a team or in a community but in postmodernism there is no unifying factor that gives one a sense of being connected to a team. Everyone stands alone. In effect, the postmodern world is marked by alienation and loneliness.

Advance interest in spirituality

While modernist rationalism had slammed the door on spirituality, postmodernism has nourished a fast-growing and refreshing interest in mystical and spiritual reality. The postmodern culture is a “very spiritual culture, and many desire an experience of something that is beyond them…(o)ur culture is hungry and needy and knows it is looking for answers.”

Alister McGrath says of this deep fascination with unorthodox spirituality that never fulfils:

Many people feel that any kind of fulfilment has eluded them. “Whatever it is that has the power to satisfy truly and deeply, I have yet to find it.” For some, it is something that is forever beyond human grasp. Some of the things that seem to assure fulfilment fail to live up to their promises….The great certainty of our time seems to be that satisfaction is nowhere to be found. We roam around, searching without finding, yearning without being satisfied.

Dismisses Christianity

Postmodernism sees Christianity’s assertion of truth as a play of power. While modernists argued rationally that Christianity is not true, postmodernists disagree with Christians because Christians think they alone have spiritual truths.

Sees faith as a smörgåsbords

The emerging postmodern worldview has fostered an environment that encouraged individuals to fill their own spiritual “plate” according to their own taste. They are taught to build their own faith systems based on what they like or feel they need.

Postmodernism is a Worldview with Distinctive (Pt. 3)

Promotes an agonising pessimism

There is a certain nihilistic flavour to the postmodern worldview. I was reading one of a Christian youth’s blog entry and I discovered that he is an “Emo Kid” – a youth with a pessimistic and nihilistic outlook on life. “Emo” is a sub-cultural manifestation that is fast emerging from within the youth culture. He wrote a rather sombre poem which is very typical of an “emo” youth:

A crowded room withholding no presence,
n this ward of suppression I lay shackled.
Somehow I can’t seem to comprehend its essence,
My already distorted mind now mangled.

Noise that make no sense beeping annoyingly from behind,
Pens mindlessly moving up front.
It’s bright with lights bringing forth sight.
But somehow in my corner, I feel so blind.

Thoughts lingering in my happy place of escape,<
Being here is like being locked in a room during the day.
Windows closed, the sun blocked by thick drapes,<
Someone please save me, my mind turning to mouldy clay.

The emphasis of the class leaves me dry,
So much so it makes this man weep and cry.
Closing my eyes, I count the time,
Till I escape, free, for being confined like this is truly a crime.

Displaces hope with despair

When modernism is displaced by postmodernism, hope is replaced by hopelessness. There is a close link between postmodernism and personal despair. Gene Veith points out that the postmodern mindset has had a “devastating impact on the human personality. If there is no absolutes, if truth is relative, then there can be no stability, no meaning in life.”

Alice (not her real name) comes from a dysfunctional Christian home. Her parents came to the Lord during the height of their marital problem. But after many years as a Christian they once again came face to face with the same marital problem. I personally know that she is facing such uncertainty, such trauma, as her parents try to sort out their marital problem. What went through her mind? She said she loves the Lord but listen to what she had to say about life:

Sometimes when you grasp upon something too tightly, you’ll end up losing it. The more you want to keep and maintain the things in life, the more it sways. I once heard that life is how you make it and I have to agree. How you view life can change the way you live. Your perspective moulds the way you carry yourself. I don’t know about you, but this is what I basically think about life now – rejection, hurt, anger, unforgiveness, disappointment, resentment, dissatisfaction, jealousy, and loneliness. These are the things that we have to deal with almost every day of our lives.

Postmodernism is a Worldview with Distinctive (Pt. 2)

Celebrates pluralism, diversity and tolerance

Our pluralistic world has subtly softened the plausibility that “our way” is the right way and “our truth” is the only truth. In the postmodern world, where everyone is encouraged to think and to do what is right in their own eyes, differences in values and behaviours that once were seen as wrong are now permissible – even celebrated.

In one of my personal reflection which I wrote in my blog I mentioned my frustration over such shift among Christian teenagers. Let me quote what I had written in my blog:

Tell me what you think ……

….many young people in church today are not even thinking much about serving God – giving up all and go all the way for God like doing theology in seminary, preparing to be missionary or pastoring instead of the regular engineering, IT, marketing and management or some professional courses.

….many young people in church today are pretty “vulgar” in their speech; using words that make their parents cringed with disgust and full of distaste. I shall not write down those nasty terms.

….many young people “fake’ their faith and their walk with God. What do you think has gone wrong with our young people?

….many parents spent more time and more money on their children’s secular education and not too much concern of their spiritual health and education.

….I noticed many young people listening to secular songs (songs that are not church-based/worship songs) most of the time. What is going on…..?

….Parents seems unable (no strength) to control their children; allowing them to do what they want and get away with a lot of things we would frown upon when we were young.

….Parents allowing their children to go to the Mall frequently, watching movies frequently, hanging out with friends at Starbucks and MacD but threatened to stop them from coming to the youth service when their grades dropped.

….Parents stopping their children from attending youth service but to stay at home due to exams inadvertently (unconsciously) ended watching TV with them!! (It happened before!)

Replaces immorality with amorality

In the absence of commonly held absolutes, all behaviour is amoral: neither right nor wrong. A lack of moral norms erases the possibility of sin, guilt and personal responsibility for one’s actions. Recently I watched a TV Series “The Secret Life of an American Teenager” and there was no moral compass from which the teenagers could appeal to. In fact the only Christian girl in this TV drama was seen as a square and purity is frowned upon. She was considered by all her college mates as naïve, super spiritual, and a “boob” (my 17 years old daughter version of a stupid person).

Postmodernism is a Worldview with Distinctive (Pt. 1)

The following thoughts on the distinctive of Postmodernism is largely taken from Walt Mueller in his book, Engaging the Soul of Youth Culture (pp. 62 – 77)

Stories and words are power grabs

Prior to the present postmodern time, there are systems, laws, traditions and principles that served as a kind of glue to hold society together and keep everyone on the same page. These form a meta-narrative or an overarching story that gives focus, cohesion, commonality, and meaning of life. But to the postmodern mind meta-narrative are oppressive, merely a power play. There is no overarching story and every community has its own story and every story is valid and has meaning for that particular community. The language and words used in meta-narratives are constructed and employed by one culture in an effort to suppress another. The fundamental shift explains why the biblical meta-narratives of creation, the Fall and redemption is so quickly rejected in the postmodern world.

Uses feelings, not reason

Take today’s advertisements and you will soon realise that they do understand the mindset of a large segment of people in this postmodern world. Contemporary advertisements are typically not designed to appeal to reason. Rather than presenting the superior nature of the product, marketing creates a desirable experience or positive feeling that is associated with their product. Take for example “The Petronas” advertisements during the festive seasons. They are meant to appeal to our feelings and through that associate it to a Company that cares.

Embrace moral relativism

It used to be that there was respect given to the belief that there is such a thing as unchanging, objective, transcendent truth rooted in something or someone outside ourselves. Our postmodern world is marked by a new level of moral relativism, the view that each person’s own personal standard of right and wrong is as legitimate, true and authoritative as any other. The end result is significant. Popular culture reflects this changing spirit and poses unique challenges to the church. It is a recipe for spiritual, moral, and political chaos.