Apologetic Cartography in a Postmodern World Does Anyone

“Apologetic Cartography in a Postmodern World: Does Anyone Have a Compass? Rich Knopp, Ph. D. Director, World. View. Eyes Prof. of Philosophy & Apologetics Lincoln Christian College & Seminary www. worldvieweyes. org E-Mail: rknopp@lccs. edu

34 Years’ Difference 1970: 2004: Long hair Longing for hair KEG EKG Growing pot belly Hoping for a BMW Hoping for a ? ? 1970: 2004: Rolling Stones Kidney stones “Whatever” “Depends”

“Apologetic Cartography in a Postmodern World: Does Anyone Have a Compass? Rich Knopp, Ph. D. Director, World. View. Eyes Prof. of Philosophy & Apologetics Lincoln Christian College & Seminary www. worldvieweyes. org E-Mail: rknopp@lccs. edu

Why are You Here? Modernism Postmodernism Deconstructionism Foundationalism Anti-foundationalism

What do you Prefer? Ps ot Modernist o m T e r s i d N

“Christian” Approaches to Postmodernism

Apologetic Cartography in a Postmodern World: Does Anyone Have a Compass?

Robert Greer, Mapping Postmodernism: A Survey of Christian Options (2003)

Leonard Sweet, Aqua Church (1999) Part One: “The Traps of Maps”

Apologetic Cartography in a Postmodern World

? The Church’s Mission ? ? ? ? ?

The Church’s Mission Christians ? Destination ? Truth ? You are here.

The Church’s Mission • “the pillar and the support of the truth” (1 Tim. 3: 15) • “speak the truth in love” (Eph. 4: 15) • Jesus: “the way, the truth, & the life” (Jn. 14: 6)

Session Overview 1. The Condition of our ‘Postmodern’ World. 2. The Constructive Contributions of PM for the Church. 3. The Destructive Capabilities of PM for the Church. 4. The Restrictive but Adequate Nature of the Church’s Map and Compass.

(1) The Condition of Our Postmodern World

“Cultural” Postmodernism Vs. “Philosophical” Postmodernism

A Changing Culture Pre. Modern 17 th Century 18 th Century Post-Modern 1960 s Today

A “Pre-Modern” Culture Pre. Modern • Manual economy • Little diversity or social change • Religious/Social Authority • Pre-scientific 17 th Century 18 th Century 1960 s Today

A “Modern” Culture Pre-Modern • Industrial & machine Modern • Western • Consensus & Conformity • Word-based & Linear 17 th Century 18 th Century 1960 s Today

A “Postmodern” Culture Pre. Modern Post-Modern • • Industrial • • Machine • • Western • • Consensus & Conformity • • Word-based & Linear 17 th Century 18 th Century Service Electronic/Digital Global (Non-Western) Diversity Image-based & Random 1960 s Today

“Cultural” Postmodernism Vs. “Philosophical” Postmodernism

Cultural vs. Philosophical Postmodernism Pre. Modernism “Cultural” Post-Modernism “Philosophical” 17 th Century 18 th Century 1960 s Today Just because we live in a “Postmodern” world does NOT mean that we are (or should be) “Postmodernists. ”

Philosophical Umpires Pre. Modern “There are strikes and there are balls, and I call ’em as they are. ” Modern “I call ’em the way I see ’em. ”” Post. Modern “They ain’t nothin’ ’til I call ’em. ”. ” Walter Truett Anderson, Reality Isn’t What It Used to Be.

Philosophical Contrasts Pre. Modern • Absolute Truth • Can discover Truth • Reason & Science • Certain Foundation • Total Objectivity 17 th Century 18 th Century Post-Modern • • • Everybody has a truth Can’t know THE truth Whatever works No single foundation Subjective / Community 1960 s Today

Modernism

Postmodernism

(2) The Constructive Contributions of P. M. for the Church

The Contributions of “Cultural” Postmodernism to the Church

Chuck Smith The End of the World … As We Know It: Clear Direction for Bold and Innovative Ministry in a Postmodern World (2001)

Robert Webber, Ancient-Future Faith: Rethinking Evangelicalism for a Postmodern World (1999)

D. A. Carson, ed. Telling the Truth: Evangelizing Postmoderns (2000)

“Unchurched” Adults Barna Research Group 100 90 80 1991 Today 70 60 92% increase in Unchurched 50 40 30 20 10 39 Mil. 75 Mil. Only 15% increase in Adult population

“Cultural” Postmodernism and the Church • • Worship ? Teaching methods ? Leadership ? Diversity ? Creativity ? Relationships ? Architecture ? Pop Culture ? • • Evangelism ? Music ? Prayer ? Experience ? Women Leaders ? Image Oriented ? Technology ? Apologetics ?

“Fishers of Men”

The Contributions of “Philosophical” Postmodernism to the Church

Over-Reliance of the Church on Modernism Church • • Individualism Rationalism Factualism Objectivism “We alone have it. ” “We can explain it all. ” “Just the facts. ” “Interpret it right. ”

Insights of Philosophical Postmodernism for Our Faith • Not all ‘rational’ • Not just ‘facts’ • Not simplistically ‘proven’ • Not exhausted in a ‘book’

Curtis & Eldredge “We have lived so long with a ‘propositional’ approach to Christianity, we have nearly lost its true meaning…. Our rationalistic approach to life … is barely more than mere fact-telling. Modern evangelicalism reads like an IRS 1040 form: it’s true, all the data is there, but it doesn’t take your breath away” (The Sacred Romance, pp. 44 -45).

(3) The Destructive Capabilities of P. M. for the Church

“Destructive” Postmodernism • No absolute truth • “Truth” is just what the community says it is. • No universal Reason • No knowledge of the “real” world • No moral absolutes

Millard Erickson, Postmodernizing the Faith: Evangelical Responses to the Challenge of Postmodernism (1998)

Millard Erickson, Truth or Consequences: The Promise & Perils of Postmodernism (2001)

Douglas Groothuis, Truth Decay: Defending Christianity Against the Challenges of Postmodernism (2000)

Stanley Fish [deconstruction] “… relieves me of the obligation to be right … and demands only that I be interesting. ”

Potential Dangers for the Church • Renouncing Truth for Trust • Relinquishing Reason for Relevance • Rejecting Logic for Love

Alister Mc. Grath “We … need to realize that it is now bad tactics to major on the truth question. If we’re going to get a hearing in today’s culture, we need to be able to show that Christianity has something relevant and attractive to offer” (Evangelicalism and the Future of Christianity, p. 103).

Douglas Groothuis “Our operative term ought to be engagement, not relevance” (Truth Decay, 163 -164).

William Lane Craig, Reasonable Faith: (1994)

Thom Rainer, Surprising Insights from the Unchurched (2001)

Changing Culture and the Biblical Church Biblical Postmodernism • Rational • Empirical • Propositional • Relational • Experiential • Personal

“If you are accentuating community and creatively cultivating relationships of trust; if you are pursuing love as your final apologetic, passionately pursue these under the banner of the Bible and the cross of Christ, not under the pretext of Postmodernism. ”

(4) The Restrictive but Adequate Nature of the Church’s Map & Compass

Christian Reflections on our Postmodern World • We desparately need a map and a compass. • God has provided an adequate map & compass. • We shouldn’t exaggerate the precision of our interpretation of the map and compass.

What We Need 1. Locate where you are. 2. Identify where you need to go. 3. Have adequate guidance on how to get there. You are here.

The Temptations • Reflect Postmodernism • Retreat to Pre-Modernism • Retrench into Modernism

Constructive Christian Postmodernism Modernism Post. Modernism

Constructive Christian Postmodernism Modernism Post. Modernism The church today must avoid the arrogant overconfidence of rationalistic Modernism, and it must refuse the impotence of relativistic Postmodernism.

GPS (Ground Positioning System)

“Triangulation”

“Spiritual Triangulation” Word Father Spirit

Christian Cartography 1. The Condition of our ‘Postmodern’ World 2. The Constructive Contributions of Postmodernism for the Church 3. The Destructive Capabilities of Postmodernism for the Church 4. The Restricted but Adequate Nature of the Church’s Map and Compass

“Apologetic Cartography in a Postmodern World: Does Anyone Have a Compass? Rich Knopp, Ph. D. Director, World. View. Eyes Prof. of Philosophy & Apologetics Lincoln Christian College & Seminary www. worldvieweyes. org E-Mail: rknopp@lccs. edu