The Church in a Postmodern World
By Glenn Daman
We live in a postmodern world. Its influence is not only see in the secular world but it is increasing seen in the church as the issue of epistemology is becoming more critical in our understanding of truth, the scriptures and its implications for our life. The basic tenet of postmodernism is that there is no metanarrative, that is there is no overarching explanation of life and truth. This view collides with the fundamental doctrine of the church, that there is an absolute truth that is absolutely exclusive. As Ravi Zacharias points out, “We as Christians make a staggering claim: We lay claim to truth that is exclusive. In a society that not only does not believe in metanarrative or in exclusivity but also rejects the notion of objective truth, ours is a monumental claim.” (Telling the Truth: Evangelizing Postmoderns; D.A. Carson editor, p. 38). Certainly the issue of absolute truth is a fundamental issue in our interaction with the secular mind, what is even more troubling is that it is becoming a critical issue even within the church. While people would not reject the absolute truth of scripture in the church (that would be heresy), postmodernism sneaks into the church in our understanding of the role of interpretation of scripture. No longer is interpretation the pursuit of an absolute understanding of scripture, rather it becomes a pursuit of each person’s own perspective. Instead of there being one interpretation and many application, it now has become many interpretations, each equally valid. Because we cannot have an infallible interpretation in all matters, many conclude that we cannot know for certainty any interpretation. The battle we face in the next decades will be the battle of truth: Can we know truth and how do we know it?
How then do we respond, how do we point to the certainty of interpretation. While we cannot know all truth absolutely, we still can know some truth absolutely. (For example: we still may not know with absolute certainty the relationship between God’s sovereignty and man’s free choice but we can know for certainty the deity of Christ and the necessity of faith alone as the basis of salvation.) . In response to those in the church who would question our ability to know with certainty the meaning of scriptures there are three critical principles we need to affirm. First, God is a God of truth. In John 14:6, Christ states, “I am the way, the Truth and the life.” There is absolute truth because truth is an expression of a perfect God, in whom there is no falsehood. God cannot lie and cannot distort the truth or misrepresent it any way. It is intrinsic to his nature.
Second, God, as the source of all truth, has communicated to us. (2 Peter 1:21; 2 Timothy 3:16-17). God as the source of absolute truth and as the perfect communicator has communicated to us in order that we might understand and live according to that truth. Scripture is not arbitrary, it is not partial, it is complete, and it is absolute. Because it is his communication, it is not for us to be arbitrary in our understanding of it. The critical question is not, “What does it mean to me?” it is, “What did God say?” He holds us accountable for how we understand and treat the word of God.
Third, God has given us the Holy Spirit to guide and teach us in truth (John 16:13). The certainty of our interpretation comes not from our own abilities or intellect, but from the internal presence of the Holy Spirit who guides us in our understanding. Because the Holy Spirit is the same in each individual, there is consistency in what he teaches. Thus, my personal interpretation must be consistent with the rest of the body of Christ. I am not free to treat the scriptures willy-nilly, but am accountable to the rest of the church for my understanding.
The challenge before us as pastors is to not only respond and witness to a postmodern world, but equip our people to respond as well. To do this it is critical that we provide them a foundation by which they can engage a postmodern culture but not be influenced by it.
We live in a postmodern world. Its influence is not only see in the secular world but it is increasing seen in the church as the issue of epistemology is becoming more critical in our understanding of truth, the scriptures and its implications for our life. The basic tenet of postmodernism is that there is no metanarrative, that is there is no overarching explanation of life and truth. This view collides with the fundamental doctrine of the church, that there is an absolute truth that is absolutely exclusive. As Ravi Zacharias points out, “We as Christians make a staggering claim: We lay claim to truth that is exclusive. In a society that not only does not believe in metanarrative or in exclusivity but also rejects the notion of objective truth, ours is a monumental claim.” (Telling the Truth: Evangelizing Postmoderns; D.A. Carson editor, p. 38). Certainly the issue of absolute truth is a fundamental issue in our interaction with the secular mind, what is even more troubling is that it is becoming a critical issue even within the church. While people would not reject the absolute truth of scripture in the church (that would be heresy), postmodernism sneaks into the church in our understanding of the role of interpretation of scripture. No longer is interpretation the pursuit of an absolute understanding of scripture, rather it becomes a pursuit of each person’s own perspective. Instead of there being one interpretation and many application, it now has become many interpretations, each equally valid. Because we cannot have an infallible interpretation in all matters, many conclude that we cannot know for certainty any interpretation. The battle we face in the next decades will be the battle of truth: Can we know truth and how do we know it?
How then do we respond, how do we point to the certainty of interpretation. While we cannot know all truth absolutely, we still can know some truth absolutely. (For example: we still may not know with absolute certainty the relationship between God’s sovereignty and man’s free choice but we can know for certainty the deity of Christ and the necessity of faith alone as the basis of salvation.) . In response to those in the church who would question our ability to know with certainty the meaning of scriptures there are three critical principles we need to affirm. First, God is a God of truth. In John 14:6, Christ states, “I am the way, the Truth and the life.” There is absolute truth because truth is an expression of a perfect God, in whom there is no falsehood. God cannot lie and cannot distort the truth or misrepresent it any way. It is intrinsic to his nature.
Second, God, as the source of all truth, has communicated to us. (2 Peter 1:21; 2 Timothy 3:16-17). God as the source of absolute truth and as the perfect communicator has communicated to us in order that we might understand and live according to that truth. Scripture is not arbitrary, it is not partial, it is complete, and it is absolute. Because it is his communication, it is not for us to be arbitrary in our understanding of it. The critical question is not, “What does it mean to me?” it is, “What did God say?” He holds us accountable for how we understand and treat the word of God.
Third, God has given us the Holy Spirit to guide and teach us in truth (John 16:13). The certainty of our interpretation comes not from our own abilities or intellect, but from the internal presence of the Holy Spirit who guides us in our understanding. Because the Holy Spirit is the same in each individual, there is consistency in what he teaches. Thus, my personal interpretation must be consistent with the rest of the body of Christ. I am not free to treat the scriptures willy-nilly, but am accountable to the rest of the church for my understanding.
The challenge before us as pastors is to not only respond and witness to a postmodern world, but equip our people to respond as well. To do this it is critical that we provide them a foundation by which they can engage a postmodern culture but not be influenced by it.
posted at 11:09 AM
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