Postmodernism and the Church

The following is partly an extract of an email conversation I had with a pastor at my church regarding postmodernism (PoMo) and homiletics. As will be seen, I'm among those who believe we have already entered into what some have called 'postpostmodernism'.

I think the culture has begun moving beyond PoMo in many ways. PoMo's radical emphasis on individual story and truth has begun to run its course. While the unassailability of individual experience remains dominant and is something that we must preach to prophetically, there is a real hunger in the culture to embrace something transcendent. People have done the 'it's true for you but not for me' thing, and the result has been complete factionalism that has left people lonely, isolated, and without any sense of larger belonging - and they don't like it. People are beginning to see what radical individualism is doing to us as a society, and the all-out factionalism we are seeing in our politics, discourse, and even our own families is scaring us. We sense that something very basic has changed for the worse, and people are ripe to latch onto something better, such as a sense of community working towards a shared purpose that is real and substantive rather than merely superficial cheerleading.

This is where Biblical preaching and teaching can really strike at the heart of a very real cultural hunger and gain real traction in ways we couldn't achieve 20 years ago. That's what Keller has done in NYC, and it's what Hoburg is trying to do in downtown DC. These preachers have reintroduced metanarrative to folks who have gotten bored and disillusioned with their own narrative, and people are listening and responding. Our job as preachers and lay teachers is to help steer this hunger for the transcendent squarely toward Jesus Christ and demonstrate that Christ alone satisfies this hunger and redeems it for eternity.

Having a hunger for the transcendent is an improvement over the death of truth movement that banished any overarching explanatory narratives in favor of individualized truth, individualized meaning/purpose, and individualized responsibilities. But longing for the transcendent is not sufficient on its own. Scripture is replete with object lessons of how an unfocused and misdirected hunger for transcendence results in false and misdirected worship of gods that do not satisfy our hunger or deliver what they promise, and leave us no better off. Christian preachers and teachers can rejoice that increasing numbers of people are willing to give transcendent metanarratives a hearing once again. But we can't be satisfied with this. The yearning for transcendent significance and purpose must be directed to the lone object who can fulfill and redeem it.

This requires courageous yet humble, patient, and compassionate preaching and discipleship. Part of the reason why the American church has mostly failed to reap the harvest from society's increasing misgivings about PoMo is that too many of our preachers and lay teachers lack at least one of these characteristics. To embody all of these characteristics is a tall order indeed, and probably not realistic. But what ought to be realistic is for our preachers and teachers to be cognizant of the environment they're in, and what they personally need to do to maximize the cause of Christ in the sphere God has placed them in. To be loyal to God means being consistent with the fruits of the Spirit, and also being consistent about repenting when we fail. The two 'R's of Reform and Revival will never happen without the third 'R' - Repentance. Anyone who wants to know how to get the PoMo generation to stand up and take notice will make a point of getting themselves very familiar with the practice of repentance. After all, it's no accident that 'Repent' is included in the first recorded words out of Jesus' mouth in Mark's gospel.

In a society that is becoming ever more fearful that our common cultural fabric and purpose is unraveling, the church is uniquely positioned to speak prophetically to the masses about the comprehensive nature of Christ's Kingdom and its cosmically transformative power. As one of my preaching professors was fond of saying, "That'll preach!"