Or, Living Free in a Postmodern World
"I cannot overcome the impression," Václav Havel noted, "that Western culture is threatened more by itself than SS-20 rockets." A battle is being waged in the West over Truth, and is being fought on many fronts - between the remnants of the Modernists who are entrenched in technological disciplines, and the Postmodernists, whose relativism is increasingly the philosophy of academician and the young. In the middle of this fray, supporting absolute truth on one hand and critiquing the dangers of positivism on the other, standing as a beacon shining against the night, is the Christian church...
Unfortunately, the Christian church has been swayed far too much by the struggle, and has repeatedly been in danger of losing its soul. As Os Guinness points out, Modernism is as dangerous as Postmodernism, but Postmodernism is more current. For this reason, it is essential that Christians stand for Truth and not compromise to the vain philosophies of the present age. We must be like the men of Issachar, knowing the times in which we live.
But there is more to Truth than simply talking about it or knowing it. Truth must be lived. In this way, when one apprehends the Truth, it becomes a living force within his soul. He can no more conform that Truth to his own desires than he could wish the wind to blow contrary to its paths. By doing so he risks his own destruction. For when the Truth penetrates the heart, it changes a man to the innermost core of his being. He does not conform the truth to his desires; he is conformed to the Truth.
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******* Monergism, Postmodernism
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http://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/topic/postmodernism.html ]
******* Os Guiness, Differences Make a Difference
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http://www.mtio.com/articles/bissar20.htm ]
Part One: [PDF]
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http://www.ankerberg.com/Articles/_PDFArchives/theological-dictionary/TD1W1099.pdf
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Part Two: [PDF]
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http://www.ankerberg.com/Articles/_PDFArchives/theological-dictionary/TD2W1099.pdf
]
"The exhortation of the apostle Paul to "beware of philosophy" (Col. 2:8) is as urgent today as it was in the first century, if not more so. And this is not only true for Christians who call themselves philosophers but for those who do not, especially for biblical exegetes.
"Although the context of Col. 2:8 probably has reference to a proto-Gnostic type philosophy at Colosse that had a disastrous mix of legalism, asceticism, and mysticism with Christianity, the implications of Paul's exhortation to "beware of philosophy" are appropriately applied to other alien systems of thought that have invaded Christianity down through the centuries since then."
"Since his death in 1945, and especially in the last ten years, Bonhoeffer's writings have been stirring remarkable interest among Christians, old and young alike. Thus, we are going to examine the merits of reading the works of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. We will do this by examining the man and his particular place in the canon of Christian writers, his background and historical setting, and finally three of his most important and influential works." ...
"... In 1933, before Hitler came to power, Bonhoeffer, a minister in the Lutheran church, was already attacking the Nazis in radio broadcasts. Two years later he was the leader of an underground seminary with over twenty young seminarians. That seminary is often seen as a kind of Protestant monastery, and is responsible for many of his considerations about the Christian life as it pertains to community. Later the seminary was closed by the Secret Police. In 1939, through arrangements made by Reinhold Niebuhr, he fled to the United States, but returned to Germany after a short stay. He believed it was necessary to suffer with his people if he was to be an effective minister after the war. The last two years of his life were spent in a Berlin prison. In 1945 he was executed for complicity in a plot on Hitler's life."
"We're witnessing a broad based backlash against reason in our culture. The argument is that every time somebody claims to be in possession of the truth (especially religious truth), it ends up repressing people. So it's more "informed" not to make truth claims at all." ...
"For most people, the postmodern outlook I've described is more "absorbed" than thought out. An impressive majority of Americans believe that truth is relative. But few know why they think that way. Still fewer have any clue about how their beliefs practically relate to their own lives. In general, people are more ideologically confused than deeply committed to their convictions. So while we hear the rhetoric of openness to everything and tolerance for everyone, it's rare to find someone who really understands what this means. It's just the socially appropriate attitude to have." ...
"While Christians should welcome much of postmodernism's critique of modernism, the basis of their critique rests on equally dubious assumptions and leads to disastrous conclusions. The rhetorical power of postmodern terms like "tolerance," "openness," and "inclusion" effectively disguise a more destructive objective -- the end of all absolutes. Postmodern openness to spirituality may seem like a positive step away from modernist naturalism. But the reality is that postmodern spirituality is inherently anti-Christian, because it considers the Christian message (like all world views) true only for those who accept it." ...
"Christians need to be respectful of what others believe and of the traditions and experiences that form those beliefs. But the postmodern demand to uncritically accept all beliefs as true (at least for the person who believes them) is fanatical. Beliefs formed in the postmodern climate of openness and tolerance create a firewall against genuine and substantive dialogue about spiritual and moral truth ... This has given rise to the accusation, even among liberal academics like Harvard's Alan Dershowitz, that a new McCarthyism pervades intellectual life today. History offers sobering testimony to the high price such anti-rational dogmatism exacts."
"As our own culture of lies worsens, we would do well to tackle the thorny issues surrounding a tough view of truth by grappling with Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, the twentieth century's apostle of truth.
"In 1989, David Aikman, then a journalist with Time magazine, was granted the first major interview Solzhenitsyn had given an American news organization for years. Aikman's engaging and lively account portrays an amazing man who has devoted his life to the battle for truth. Read by the author, with an introduction by Os Guinness."
"If the worst thing you can be is intolerant, then how do you express your moral outrage? If you are intolerant of someone who is intolerant, then you have necessarily violated your own principle. But if you tolerate those who are intolerant, you keep your principle but sacrifice your responsibility to the principle. Indeed, the only person who can find consistency on this matter is the individual who is wholly committed to tolerance, to the point of being apathetic."
"Young people from Christian homes are brought up in the old framework of truth. Then they are subjected to the modern framework. In time they become confused because they do not understand the alternatives with which they are being presented. Confusion becomes bewilderment, and before long they are overwhelmed. This is unhappily true not only of young people, but of many pastors, Christian educators, evangelists and missionaries as well."
The following list of books are listed by Os Guinness as recommended reading in "Time for Truth":
"I'll always be younger than this society. What do you expect
me to do, keep silent all my life?"
Oleg Kostoglotov, from Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's Cancer Ward
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