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Answer
Simply put, postmodernism is a philosophy that asserts there is no objective or absolute truth, particularly in matters of religion and spirituality. When faced with a truth assertion about the existence of God and religious observance, postmodernism’s perspective is encapsulated in the phrase “that might be true for you, but not for me.” While this kind of reply may be suitable for discussions about favorite foods or art preferences, applying such a mindset to reality can be perilous as it blurs the line between opinions and truths.
The term “postmodernism” literally translates to “after modernism” and is used to describe philosophically the current era that succeeded the modernism period. Postmodernism is a reaction (or more accurately, a disillusioned reaction) to modernism’s unfulfilled promise of using human reason alone to advance humanity and improve the world. Since modernism believed in the existence of absolutes, postmodernism aims to “rectify” this by initially discarding absolute truth and rendering everything (including empirical sciences and religion) subjective to an individual’s beliefs and wishes.
The perils of postmodernism can be seen as a downward spiral that commences with the denial of absolute truth, leading to a blurring of distinctions in matters of religion and faith, and concluding in a philosophy of religious pluralism that posits no faith or religion is objectively true, hence no one can assert their religion is true while another’s is false.
Dangers of Postmodernism – #1 – Relative Truth
Postmodernism’s advocacy of relative truth is the result of numerous generations of philosophical contemplation. From Augustine to the Reformation, the intellectual landscape of Western civilization and the notion of truth were predominantly shaped by theologians. However, starting with the Renaissance in the 14th – 17th centuries, thinkEras began to elevate humankind to the center of reality. If one were to look at periods of history like a family tree, the Renaissance would be modernism’s grandmother, and the Enlightenment would be its mother. René Descartes’ “I think, therefore I am” personified the beginning of this era. God was no longer the center of truth – man was.
The Enlightenment was, in a way, the complete imposition of the scientific model of rationality upon all aspects of truth. It claimed that only scientific data could be objectively understood, defined, and defended. Truth as it pertained to religion was discarded. The philosopher who contributed to the idea of relative truth was the Prussian Immanuel Kant and his work The Critique of Pure Reason, which appeared in 1781. Kant argued that true knowledge about God was impossible, so he created a divide of knowledge between “facts” and “faith.” According to Kant, “Facts have nothing to do with religion.” The result was that spiritual matters were assigned to the realm of opinion, and only the empirical sciences were allowed to speak of truth. While modernism believed in absolutes in science, God’s special revelation (the Bible) was evicted from the realm of truth and certainty.
From modernism came postmodernism and the ideas of Friedrich Nietzsche. As the patron saint of postmodernist philosophy, Nietzsche held to “perspectivism,” which says that all knowledge (including science) is a matter of perspective and interpretation. Many other philosophers have built upon Nietzsche’s work (for example, Foucault, Rorty, and Lyotard) and have shared his rejection of God and religion in general. They also rejected any hint of absolute truth, or as Lyotard put it, a rejection of a metanarrative (a truth that transcends all peoples and cultures).
This philosophical war against objective truth has resulted in postmodernism being completely averse to any claim to absolutes. Such a mindset naturally rejects anything that declares to be inerrant truth, such as the Bible.
Dangers of Postmodernism – #2 – Loss of Discernment
The renowned theologian Thomas Aquinas once stated, “It is the duty of the philosopher to draw distinctions.” Aquinas was emphasizing that the essence of truth lies in the ability to discern – the skill to differentiate between “this” and “that” within the realm of knowledge. However, in a scenario where objective and absolute truth is deemed non-existent, everything transforms into a matter of personal interpretation. According to the postmodern perspective, the true interpretation of a book is not held by the author; instead, it is the reader who determines the book’s meaning – a process known as deconstruction. With multiple readers (as opposed to a single author), there naturally arise multiple valid interpretations.
This chaotic scenario renders it challenging to establish meaningful or enduring distinctions between interpretations due to the absence of a standard for reference. This challenge is particularly evident in matters of faith and religion. Seeking to establish proper and meaningful distinctions in the realm of religion becomes as futile as debating whether chocolate is superior to vanilla. Postmodernism asserts that objectively adjudicating between conflicting truth assertions is unattainable.
Dangers of Postmodernism – #3 – Pluralism
In a scenario where absolute truth is considered non-existent, and where there is no basis for making meaningful, right/wrong differentiations between various faiths and religions, the logical conclusion is that all beliefs must be regarded as equally valid. This practical manifestation in postmodernism is termed “philosophical pluralism.” Under pluralism, no religion is entitled to declare itself as true and label other competing faiths as false or inferior. For proponents of philosophical religious pluralism, the concept of heresy ceases to exist, except for the notion that heresies exist. D. A. Carson highlights the concerns of conservative evangelicalism regarding what it perceives as the threat of pluralism: “In my most solemn moments, I sometimes ponder whether the ominous aspect of what I r…”
Referred to as philosophical pluralism, it is the most dangerous threat to the gospel since the rise of the Gnostic heresy in the second century.”
These progressive dangers of postmodernism – relative truth, a loss of discernment, and philosophical pluralism – represent significant threats to Christianity because they collectively dismiss God’s Word as something that has no real authority over mankind and no ability to demonstrate itself as true in a world of competing religions. What is Christianity’s response to these challenges?
Response to the Dangers of Postmodernism
Christianity claims to be absolutely true, that meaningful distinctions in matters of right and wrong (as well as spiritual truth and falsehood) exist, and that to be correct in its claims about God, any contrary claims from competing religions must be incorrect. Such a stance provokes cries of “arrogance” and “intolerance” from postmodernism. However, truth is not a matter of attitude or preference, and when closely examined, the foundations of postmodernism quickly crumble, revealing Christianity’s claims to be both plausible and compelling.
First, Christianity claims that absolute truth exists. In fact, Jesus specifically says that He was sent to do one thing: “To testify to the truth” «Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. », (John 18:37). Postmodernism says that no truth should be affirmed, yet its position is self-defeating – it affirms at least one absolute truth: that no truth should be affirmed. This means that postmodernism does believe in absolute truth. Its philosophers write books stating things they expect their readers to embrace as truth. Putting it simply, one professor has said, “When someone says there is no such thing…g as truth, they are asking you not to believe them. So don’t.”
Second, Christianity claims that meaningful distinctions exist between the Christian faith and all other beliefs. It should be understood that those who claim meaningful distinctions do not exist are actually making a distinction. They are attempting to showcase a difference in what they believe to be true and the Christian’s truth claims. Postmodernist authors expect their readers to come to the right conclusions about what they have written and will correct those who interpret their work differently from what they have intended. Again, their position and philosophy prove itself to be self-defeating because they eagerly make distinctions between what they believe to be correct and what they see as being false.
Finally, Christianity claims to be universally true in what it says regarding man’s lost condition before God, the sacrifice of Christ on behalf of fallen mankind, and the separation between God and anyone who chooses not to accept what God says about sin and the need for repentance. When Paul addressed the Stoic and Epicurean philosophers on Mars Hill, he said, “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent” «And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: », (Acts 17:30). Paul’s declaration was not “this is true for me, but may not be true for you”; rather, it was an exclusive and universal command (that is, a metanarrative) from God to everyone. Any postmodernist who says Paul is wrong is committing an error against his own pluralistic philosophy, which says no faith or religion is incorrect. Once again, the postmodernist violates his own view that every religion is equally true.
Just as it is not arrogant for a math teacher to insist that 2+2=4 or for a locksmith to insist that only one key will fit a lock.Dear reader, it is not prideful for a Christian to oppose postmodernist ideologies and affirm that Christianity is true while anything contrary to it is false. Absolute truth does indeed exist, and there are repercussions for being mistaken. While diversity of opinions may be welcome in matters like food preferences, it is not beneficial when discussing truth. Christians should share God’s truth with love and respectfully question any postmodernist who reacts negatively to Christianity’s exclusive assertions, asking, “Have I now become your enemy by speaking the truth?” «Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth? » (Galatians 4:16).
