3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” (2 Timothy 4:3–4 ESV)
To be living in a postmodern world or culture literally means to be after the modern. Postmodernism is the worldview that follows Modernity.
Modernism promised unlimited human progress; not on the basis of God but rather on the basis of science without God. Modernity promised a New Deal and a Great Society in the 20th century. However, Modernity did not bring the about the human progress that it promised.
Therefore, Postmodernism has replaced Modernity. Objective truth, whether in God or science, is deconstructed. It is no longer valid. The postmodern believes that truth is personally made rather than found. Truth, for the postmodern, is based on subjective feelings rather than objective facts. This is why politicians say that the United States Southern Border is closed even though thousands upon thousands of illegal immigrants cross the border from Mexico into the U.S. every day. A politician’s inner feelings become the basis for truth rather than documented facts.
Any claim to objective truth is evidence that the minority is seeking to oppress the majority says the postmodern philosopher. Truth is socially constructed. Truth is relative.
Postmodernism results in the death of the meta-narrative. The big story. E.g. Marxism. Capitalism. Socialism. Communism. Christianity. Western confidence of progress. Technology. Postmodernism is incredulous toward the meta-narrative.
Therefore, Postmodernism offers micro-narratives. Everyone has their own truth. You have your truth. I have my truth. For example, you may believe that marriage is until death do you part, while others believe that it can end at a moment’s notice for any reason. Therefore, extra-marital affairs are no big deal and anyone can determine what kind of marriage they want to have and what gender they want to be. Marriage, gender, and anything else is all up for grabs.
Postmodernism results in the decline of authority. Socially as well as religiously. No longer in the church do we ask what the text means. Rather, we ask what does the text mean to me, or why do we even need a biblical text. I’ll do what I want when I want because I want. I’ve prayed about it and regardless of what the Bible says, I am going to do what I want to do.
As the church, and church leaders, have sought for decades to reach out to postmodernists, it resulted in the demise of the biblical text; not only in the forsaking of expositional preaching of the biblical text, but also in faithful obedience to the biblical text. Many Christians believe the biblical text possesses subjective meaning. In other words, the reader controls the meaning. This results in the death of the author’s intended meaning. Therefore, the Holy Spirit is no longer the author of Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21), the individual reader is. Therefore, you can make the Bible mean or say whatever you want.
Postmodernism results in the decline of spirituality. We now live in a religious environment of moralistic, therapeutic deism. We want to feel good, at any given moment regardless of the consequences. Everything becomes reduced to the therapeutic. What makes me feel right? What makes me feel good? Everybody is sick but nobody is a sinner.
Postmodernism results in the decline of morality. It is all relative. When morality, or doing what is right, becomes relative the result is total anarchy, chaos and lawlessness. This mayhem extends to the individual, the family, the neighborhood, the city, the state and the country. It is found in the home, in school, at work, in the community and in the church. Teens can run rampant on the streets of any major city and the politicians say the teens are doing nothing wrong even as they terrorize pedestrians, smash store owner’s windows and obstruct traffic.
What is the answer? There is only one answer. This is what is to be addressed when next we meet?
Soli deo Gloria!
His Word Today 