What is Postmodernism and Why is it Important?

Dear Posterity,

There’s a common automobile bumper sticker I often see on vehicles that uses various religious symbols in lieu of words to represent a clever but misleading text: “Coexist”. Polish graphic designer Piotr Młodożeniec created the emblematic “Coexist” symbol in 2001, and regardless of the lexicon, the message is instantly clear: Muslim, Jewish, Christian, and Eastern belief systems are conflated into one word denoting the imperative to respect and more particularly, accept, each religion as truth. This contemporary interpretation of the world’s belief system underscores its foundational platform: all roads lead to God, so stop disagreeing. This postmodern perspective is a popular narrative that weaves together multiple beliefs in a harmonic manner…but what exactly makes it “postmodern”?

When I hear speakers use words like postmodernism, fatalism, hedonism, democratic socialism, etc., they’re usually met with a blank stare before I ask, “What do you mean?” Instead of grasping at a nebulous concept while searching for hidden contextual clues from the speaker, I prefer clear, concrete definitions. So what is postmodernism, and why is it important? Before we can understand what postmodernism is, we must take a look at what it is not, notably, its predecessors—and what characterizes each:

The Premodern Era (Ancient/Medieval)

The ancient period begins roughly with Jesus Christ and ends with the collapse of the great western Roman Empire. At the end of that collapse comes the triumph of Christianity: the medieval period, which starts with the rise of the papacy to overcome the negation of the Empire’s collapse and its resulting anarchy, and ends with the rise of the great Renaissance. Characteristics of this era:

“Faith seeking understanding.”
God “exists”. Everyone believes in a deity.
Truth is revealed. God(s) are knowable via revelation (ex: origin of fire, etc.)
The church and other institutions are the sources of authority.
Expectations of constancy (status quo—farmers, etc.).
Gradual change occurs (a river floods, so the village moves etc., but often very slow change).
Prior to the Enlightenment.
If one asked, “How do you know?” in the medieval period, the correct answer would be, “Because the church told me so,” which would be shattered by their own conflicts.

The Modern Era

The modern period is a period that seeks epistemology, the meaning of truth apart from the medieval method of knowing. Thus the answer to the question, “How do you know?” would be, “Because I have studied it myself. I have seen it myself.” This period is characterized by the movement toward individualism, which will birth postmodernism. This period can be divide into two parts: 1. During the early-modern period when the eschewed the authority of the church, they embraced the authority of the Bible 2. In the later period, they eschewed the Bible and are left with reason, which dominates. Characteristics:

“Understanding seeking faith.”
The Enlightenment (late 18^th to 20^th centuries).
God’s existence is questioned and must be proven to be accepted (rationalism). How do you “prove” the metaphysical?
The truth is out there and discoverable via science and reason (epistemology precedes metaphysics).
The rise of individualism—autonomy of the self leads to relativism (Descartes built his entire world upon himself…the fact that he exists).
Science and technology are the sources of authority: they become the answer to all the world’s problems.
Growing (and rapid) rate of change.
Information explosion.
The myth of progress and utopianism—the new metanarrative (the strongest, richest, fittest wins).
The metanarrative is rewritten and reapplied, and now has a competing metanarrative: relativism.
Unanswered questions, but the belief that “we can figure them out” persists.

Now we can correctly place postmodernism…

The Postmodern Era

Characteristics:

“Faith seeking understanding.”
Truth is redefined, but not denied. There is skepticism about anyone’s ability to know truth.
A “chastened optimism” toward science and technology, even to the point of pessimism.
A holistic view of the world: everything is connected.
Pluralistic worldview: there are multiple perspectives that are all true and thus all intertwined.
Cynicism and skepticism are common.
Multi-sensory and experiential.

Because postmodernism believes that everything is connected, it places the locus of value within the community; therefore, today we see a syncretistic (pursuit of truth in a variety of places that brings them together into one coherent whole) and pluralistic (multiple perspectives that are all true) worldview dominate the postmodern era.

Additional common characteristics of postmodernism include:

A concern for the “other” (Feminist, Black, Liberation theology, etc.).
The belief that no one has all the answers and a utopia is not attainable.
A recognition that resources are limited.
A strong distrust of metanarratives due to their track record (e.g. the Crusades, etc.).

These characteristics could be called products of today’s western culture. As Andy Crough stated in Culture Making, “Culture is what humans make of the world today.” More formally, culture is defined by H. Richard Niebuhr in Christ and Culture as: “The artificial, secondary environment which humans superimpose on the natural. It comprises language, habits, ideas, beliefs, customs, social organization, inherited artifacts, technical processes, and values.”

Why is Postmodernism Important?

Not solely because it is the era in which we find ourselves living today, but because one particular characteristic of postmodernism represents the hinge upon which the culture turns today: the distrust of metanarratives.

This distrust presents a paradox in western culture today because the Great Story of God’s redemption is ubiquitously sewn throughout culture. Think about it: literature, art, mathematics, science, and philosophy all point to a restlessness, a longing, an insufficiency in conclusions. A prime example of this paradox between a rejection of metanarratives while embracing it is represented in the 1994 Disney film, The Lion King. In the film, Mufasa the lion king references the “Great Circle of Life” to explain that the animals are all connected by this great circle. This circle belies today’s cultural rally cry that “all roads lead to God,” and it is distinctly postmodern. It is surprising then to see the explicit Christological imagery used throughout the film. On one hand the film recognizes the Christian metanarrative, but on the other, intermingles it with the postmodern, holistic view of the world.

Contextualizing the gospel in The Lion King might come as a surprise to those who recognize one of the defining characteristics of postmodernism—that is, a distrust of metanarratives—but only if we fail to recognize the underlying truth to culture today: God’s creation, fall, and redemption is the narrative and medium for all others. Consequently, this becomes the source for theology since it is what God has made known to His creation or revealed through His creation.

Contextualizing God’s story is seen in a variety of forms in the culture, such as in film, music, literature, and the arts. In short:

“If God is revealed in His creation, He is also revealed in what His creatures create.”

― Glenn Kreider

This means it should inform the Christian life since “contextualization takes place as theology employs the language, ideas, customs, viewpoints, and social structures of a particular culture in framing the expressions, assertions, and doctrines that make up that theology. It’s not simply a process of translation; it’s to make the faith as a whole understandable by living out one’s faith in a culture,” insists Dr. Glenn Kreider, Professor of Theological Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary (“Contextualization and the Christian”).

Consequently, rather than avoiding, denouncing, or battling culture, the Christian should engage the culture as a community exercise.

So why is defining postmodernism so important? Because the ability to recognize God’s metanarrative throughout His culture is a unique advantage for the Christian. Naturally, as Christians are God’s children, having this advantage is not only apropos, but a providential tool for evangelism. Sifting through the culture’s output will inevitably reveal themes of hope, redemption, evil, pain, love, sacrifice, and suffering. Consider these themes each time you hear a new song, read a new book, or watch a new film. Of course, we must proceed with prudence in discerning what God has allowed and what He has caused, but equipping ourselves with the knowledge that “God is never the cause of something that is not good” acts as a divine compass (J.I. Packer and Niebuhr on Culture in “Theological Method”). Practically this will look different in the life of every Christian, but I would challenge you, posterity, to never shy away from the profane…it may be we discover God’s truth in the most surprising of places.

The postmodern culture of today’s society is not only all-encompassing, but it is saturated with ripe opportunities for ministry. Because “all truth is come from God,” as John Calvin wrote, the Christian is able to meet the profane with peace. Profane authors, artists, and philosophers are still endowed with admirable gifts from God that express His truth, whether subconsciously or not. As a result, the Christian must act as the bridge to gap God’s revelation to His creation because we are the interpreters and translators of God’s story to the world’s broken attempt to capture His truth.

With every esteem and respect,