apologetics in a postmodern era (part 3)

This is the third in a short series of articles on the subject of Christian apologetics in a postmodern world.

Postmodern Positives: Embracing what God is doing today.[11]

Many evangelicals have taken a stand against postmodernism, belittling its radical nature and encouraging others to do the same. Make no mistake about it; hard or radical postmodernism is an enemy of the truth, and its darker elements must be resisted. However, this does not mean that every postmodern assertion is invalid or that one’s relationship to it must be primarily negative.

In contrast to this mostly negative stance, there is much to garner from postmodernism, and those sensitive to contemporary concerns are better off than those who ignore the issues that have been given voice through the emerging church movement.[12] The beneficial features of postmodernism, which will be explored in more detail below, include an embrace of community as the context for faith, a recognition that God is not only knowable but also baffling, a realization that the Lord (and not merely our ideas about Him) must be encountered, an awareness of our place in the grand story God is telling, and a hopeful willingness to journey with others toward the truth.

Community Apologetics: Belonging as the context for faith

Though Christians have always given lip service to the notion of community, in practice they have sometimes been guilty of fostering an independent brand of faith. Following cultural inclinations, it is common to hear truth explained in terms of the individual, sanctification as something each person must do, and salvation itself as my response to the gospel.

In contrast many in our day are captivated by community and driven by the friendships it provides. Though human beings have always needed to connect with others, postmoderns are particularly concerned to find places of belonging. As a result, there is much emphasis on this theme.

This community orientation is something that is embedded in Scripture, finding its impetus in the fact that human beings are created in the image of a communing God.

The fact that God is the social trinity–Father, Son, and Spirit–gives us some indication that the divine purpose for creation is directed toward the individual-in-relationship. Our gospel must address the human person within the context of the communities in which people are embedded.[13]

Just as, according to Christian theology, God is a plurality of persons, a divine community of interaction, so we are wired to commune. It is thus no surprise to find that most people desire to lives their lives in conjunction with those who are like-minded.

Scripture is replete with examples of how this is might take place. When the early church was scattered due to persecution, there was a strong impetus to provide a haven for those who had lost everything. As Acts describes, “all those who had believed were together and had all things in common” (Acts 2:44). This is summarized by Paul, who instructs his readers to “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love” (Romans 12:10), which includes a willingness to “rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15).

Here, then, is a wonderful opportunity and privilege. We can be–individually and as faith communities–the place where love and truth coalesce. Indeed, 1 Peter 3:15, that key apologetics text, implicitly highlights this theme. The context of our apologia, the place where others might encounter God, is among those motivated to“give an answer for [their] hope” (1 Peter 3:15).

Hope, in other words, is observable. When we exude an expectation of better things, when purpose and truth flow forth from our lives, we “set the stage” for the development of faith. Our responsibility involves much more than providing answers; it also entails an active demonstration of hope. A community of faith provides the framework, the subtle yet powerful influence, by which truth claims are given authentic expression. Only when truth is embedded in life does it become captivating.

A word of warning is in order. The notion of providing safe places must not be viewed simply as a means to something greater, a gimmick to lure people into the church. Too often, postmodern insights are treated like stylistic changes that are made in order to make the truth more palatable to outsiders. While this, no doubt, has a place in our thoughts, we must never reduce our friendships with people to the level where they become agenda-driven. When this happens, our relationships with others look like cleverly devised evangelistic trickery. We must not play make-believe friend with people; instead, we are to seek genuine, unforced connections with men and women simply because we care.

Of course the manner in which this belonging motif takes shape will vary. Whether through regular gatherings, casual activities, or by means of ongoing encounters and friendships with our neighbors, the point remains the same. Human beings need one another. All people crave places where they can feel free to be themselves and to explore life with those who are like-minded.[14] A good part of a postmodern apologetic will entail providing those places.

When Christians are overly judgmental, when we remain aloof from society and only draw attention to what’s wrong with it, when there does not seem to be even a hint of empathy for those who doubt, question, and hurt, the results are predictable. Postmoderns, more than their predecessors, are less willing to endure such attitudes.

Our challenge is to build relationships with others, learning to connect with them. These efforts must never be manipulative or forced but rather expressions of a sincere concern for and enjoyment of our fellow-human beings. Our apologetic, in other words, must embrace the idea that belonging often precedes believing, and faith often develops best when it takes place within the framework of an already established bond. No matter how accurate our doctrinal beliefs or precise our theological formulations, it is imperative that we love and accept people in Jesus’ name. In a postmodern world, a community of unconditional love is one of the strongest apologetics we can provide, for only within integrity-laced, caring relationships can we truly show that Jesus is Lord.[15]

Sacred Apologetics: Encountering God through mystery

Moderns tend to approach life in a rather dogmatic fashion, treating some of the more difficult questions of truth and life as if they are easily answerable. Part of this is understandable, for God has indeed revealed Himself to us. Given that He is a God of truth, it makes sense that we would be confident about what He has shared with us.

That God reveals Himself is no surprise to Christians. On the other hand, believers have not always been willing to admit, or even cognizant of the fact, that many things about God are not easily deciphered. Though He has revealed many things, “the secret things” are hidden from our view (Deuteronomy 29:29). The Lord is a deity who both reveals and conceals (see Deuteronomy 29:29).

Postmoderns, some who have grown skeptical of overly confident claims, tend to reject anything that sounds too dogmatic, (sometimes to the point of embracing outright skepticism), preferring a humbler approach to knowledge. This does not mean that postmoderns themselves are necessarily more humble than their predecessors. It does mean, however, that their general philosophy of life is one in which close mindedness and unnecessarily narrow views are despised.

This dovetails nicely into a Christian worldview. Scripture not only provides parameters for living and truths for believing, but it also declares that many things defy the creature. One avenue by which we can approach matters of faith, therefore, is to recognize, even embrace, this fact of human ignorance in the presence of God. A Christian apologetic is fortified by the idea that we can only grasp deity in part, that the Lord will always exceed our efforts to comprehensively understand Him.

A part of our apologetic strategy, therefore, will be place life’s mysteries with the broader context of an often mysterious God.[16] This mystery template enables us to consider the difficult questions we encounter in a humbler fashion. Likewise, to the degree that we show ourselves humble, it affords us the opportunity to speak with more boldness about those matters which are not hidden from us.

Can we not revel in the fact that many things about our Creator are far beyond us? Would it not be conducive to building relationships for us to admit that there are often times when we, too, “don’t get it”? Indeed, would it not be refreshing for us to exhibit an attitude of combined humility and confidence? Yes, we know some things because God has revealed them to us; these must be humbly and appropriately shared. But, other things exceed our understanding, and even the things we truly know about God are enveloped in deep mystery. Such is the case when dealing with the great “I am.” As Paul once wrote: “We know in part” (1 Corinthians 13). Isaiah puts it this way: “But to this one I will look, to him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word” (66:2). A postmodern apologetic is one that invites others into the presence of a knowable but also mysterious God.

Notes

11. A number of preliminary remarks are in order. (1) This is neither an effort to criticize those not inclined to move in a postmodern direction nor a naive claim that moderns have never engaged in any of the efforts mentioned below. The point, simply, is to recognize some positive ideas that have been brought to light in this era. (2) There is no intent here to become so enamored with postmodernism that it becomes a theological version of political correctness. If moderns made some foolish decisions, postmoderns are just as liable to error. (3) The idea here is not to leave behind the best features of modernity. It is never enough to give mere lip service to the best ideas of previous generations. We must, rather, retain whatever is valid from any era, while also looking to see what new things are available in our day. Though the emphasis here will be, as it should be, on postmodern inclinations, a fully orbed apologetic will not fail to embrace modern ideas, as well. Indeed, some supposedly modern concepts, ideas that received much ink and were prominent during the modern era, are actually quite biblical in origin. To this degree we must approach postmodernism not as an end-all but as another (important) aspect of our journey. (4) The key in all of these postmodern ideas is not simply to look or act postmodern, as helpful as that might be. The point, truly, is to locate God’s activity in our age. What postmodernism does, in other words, is drive us back to our sacred texts wherein we discover that some of what is taking place around us is actually quite consistent with Scripture. Our goal is to hear God’s voice as it echoes across time, listening for reverberations that come to us via this postmodern time.

12. Emergence is a term often used to describe the new and sometimes unconventional realities that are emanating from people and groups that are postmodern in orientation. It basically depicts the unprecedented changes that are taking place in society in general and within segments of the church. For a brief discussion, see Kimball, The Emerging Church, 13-17.

13. Stanley J. Grenz, A Primer on Postmodernism (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1996), 168-169.

14. What is genuine community? Be like us? Join us? Force yourself into our mold? There is, of course, a sense in which we want people to see the love and truth of God in us, as it is displayed in our relationships. This, however, is only a part of what is necessary. Our apologetic, in other words, must entail far more than “join us at church.” What’s more, we must not be so naive as to think that we can manufacture some sort of artificial place of belonging. More relevant, or so it seems to me, would be a concerted effort to simply love our neighbors. Not love as a means of coercing a decision, not love in order to get others to join our congregations, not love as a tool of religious manipulation, but simply love in the name of Jesus. A postmodern apologetic is one that provides each day an environment where the people we encounter can feel comfortable, accepted, and (hopefully) willing to journey with us.

15. What is genuine community? Be like us? Join us? Force yourself into our mold? There is, of course, a sense in which we want people to see the love and truth of God in us, as it is displayed in our relationships. This, however, is only a part of what is necessary. Our apologetic, in other words, must entail far more than “join us at church.” What’s more, we must not be so naive as to think that we can manufacture some sort of artificial place of belonging. More relevant, or so it seems to me, would be a concerted effort to simply love our neighbors. Not love as a means of coercing a decision, not love in order to get others to join our congregations, not love as a tool of religious manipulation, but simply love in the name of Jesus. A postmodern apologetic is one that provides each day an environment where the people we encounter can feel comfortable, accepted, and (hopefully) willing to journey with us.

16. Rudolph Otto popularized the idea of the mysterium tremendum, the awful mystery. The basic idea is that God can be encountered in ways that transcended (not contradict) the rational.