Primer on Postmodernism

8/13/2019 Primer on Postmodernism

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What Is Postmodernism?

Some descriptions

incredulity toward metanarratives(Lyotard)

capitalism in overdrive (Harvey) the acceleration of timeand shrinking of

space (Gergen)

life in fragments (Baumann) But what is the modernism of which it is

post?


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What Is Modernism?

Three streams converge

Renaissancereturn to sources, in

particular Greek and Roman philosophy

ReformationLuthers famous stand on

conscience against the system

Enlightenmentcentrality of humanreason, science and progress


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Question Authority! Giants of Enlightenment

Descartes - I Think Therefore I Am

Kant - Noumenal/Phenomenal Divide


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Star Trek Ambitions

Powerful cocktail of ideas whichemphasize man as measure of all things,power of reason and scienceanddebunkinginherited authorities andsuperstitions

Life can be rationally controlled andsocially engineered

Taylormanagement by the clock,workers as part of the assembly linemachine


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A Brief History Of Modern Times

The modern eraischaracterized by

the industrial revolution

unimagined scientific

breakthrough French & American

revolutions

Optimistic dreams of

progress and utopia Global expansion of

empires, ideologies,

nation states


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Waking From Modern Dream?


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Prophets Of Suspicion

Nietzsche

Marx

Freud


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Influential Po-Mo Thinkers

Derrida

Foucault

Lyotard


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My Mama Told Me So

In postmodern thinking, we are led to consider Theres no discoveredTruth, only constructedtruths

Truth claims are masks for power interests

Truth is what works today(Richard Rorty) Reality is determined by our perception,

interpretive community, social construct

We are prisonersof limits of Language. Gapbetween reality and words to convey meaning

Celebrate novelty of difference, accept the walls

of separation and just tolerate what is.


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Is There Meaning Here?

There is no transcendent signified. Even

if it exists, we have no access

No fixed meaning in text. Only the readers

response. (Derrida)

Reveal power agendashidden as truths

in language and institutions (Foucault)

No objective truth, we are left with value

judgments, tastes and preferences


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Are you in The Matrix?

Films like Truman Show & Matrix withtheme of living in a controlled and

constructed social environment

Culture is the new absolute - a form of

social determinism?

Focus not on what we believe(content,

objective, justification) but how beliefs are

formedor inherited by context


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Forbidden To Forbid

Who are You to Say?morality

If you prefer certain lifestyles, why should society,

government, family or anyone else restrict it as

wrong?

George Barna statistics

64% adults say truth is relative to person

83% teenagers say morality depends on situations

Only 32% born-again adults believe in moral

absolutes


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Whatever Is, Is Right

Os Guinness cites how university students are

more ready to justify the Nazis as products of

culture and history

The intolerance of the tolerant:

The Freedom of our day is the freedom to

devote ourselves to any values we please, on

the mere condition that we do not believe them

to be true

Harvard student speech


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I Shop Therefore I Am

Hyper-Consumerism: If life is a supermarket,

and moral choices are like the products on the

shelves, then all that matters is personal

choice.

The only problem is the lack of freedom to

choose. A determined failure to acknowledge

limits and boundaries


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Gospel: Opportunities

Weakened pride in autonomous reason and

naturalistic scientism

Openness to the supernatural

Yearning for authentic relationships Need to see gospel embodied before it is

proclaimed

Be sensitive to context, history, culture,locality, earthiness, here-and-nowrather than

extreme other-worldliness


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Gospel: Challenges

Suspicion of evangelistic propaganda, more

conversation

False dichotomyLove versus Truth. Speak

the Truth In Love (Eph 4:15)

Organized religion is out, personal spirituality

is in

Gospel subverted as one of many stories

Social pressure of relativism which is intolerant

of Christian faith in particular


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The Calling

Understand the times, every era has itschallenges

Confidence in God and His truth

Indwell the gospel, take the risk toeffective persuasion

Demonstrate earthly good

Dialogue What Would Jesus Ask?

C. S. Lewis argument from desire,longing? (1 Peter 3:15-16)


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How Can I Discover

My Mission in Life?

R PAUL STEVENS LE DISCOVERMISSIONsh

Primer on Postmodernism

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