Editor Introduction: Postmodernism, The Church, and The Future  

Postmodernism, The Church, and The Future
A Pneuma Review discussion about how the church should respond to postmodernism

Suggestions for Further Reading

Ed Stetzer, “Writing on the Wall: The Future of the Church and Its Mission” Enrichment (Spring 2008), pages 36-41.

http://enrichmentjournal.ag.org/200802/200802_036_Writing.cfm  

Scot McKnight, “The Ironic Faith of Emergents: McLaren shows us not only where ‘post-evangelicals’ are going, but also how they get there.” Christianity Today (September 2008).

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/september/39.62.html  

Scot McKnight, “McLaren Emerging: In his last two books, Brian McLaren presents more clearly than ever his vision of the gospel” Christianity Today (September 2008).

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/september/38.59.html
 

Editor Introduction: Postmodernism, The Church, and The Future  

Postmodernism, The Church, and The Future
A Pneuma Review discussion about how the church should respond to postmodernism

Suggestions and Comments from Readers

Reader T.S. writes:

I thought this critique of postmodern thinking on today’s college campuses was insightful: “The postmodern idolatry is that all spiritual ways of life lead to the same place. Any local truth is a valid truth. In the postmodern mind, they’re all paths to being good and doing good.”

This was from an interview with James Choung, called “From Four Laws to Four Circles: James Choung has found a way to tell the old, old story to a new generation” Christianity Today (July 2008). http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/july/11.31.html

Here is another, older critique by Os Guinness warning of the dangers of becoming too-relevant. http://www.christianitytoday.com/outreach/articles/trustingculturalgospel.html

In another article by philosopher William Lane Craig he says, “The idea that we live in a postmodern culture is a myth. In fact, a postmodern culture is an impossibility; it would be utterly unlivable. People are not relativistic when it comes to matters of science, engineering, and technology; rather, they are relativistic and pluralistic in matters of religion and ethics. But, of course, that’s not postmodernism; that’s modernism! That’s just old-line verificationism, which held that anything you can’t prove with your five senses is a matter of personal taste. We live in a culture that remains deeply modernist” (in “God Is Not Dead Yet: How current philosophers argue for his existence,” Christianity Today, July 2008, emphasis his). Find this article online at:

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/july/13.22.html  

In the next issue (Winter 2009), Tony Richie wraps up our discussion with:

“Becoming All Things, Spoiling the Egyptians, and Occupying Culture till Christ’s Comes: Reflections on the Recent Postmodernism Conversation”  

Editor Introduction: Postmodernism, The Church, and The Future

Postmodernism, The Church, and The Future
A Pneuma Review discussion about how the church should respond to postmodernism

Suggestions for Further Reading

Tim Keel, “An Efficient Gospel?: The modern world was inclined toward reduction, efficiency, and things you can count” Leadership Journal (Winter 2008). http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2008/001/3.19.html

Earl G. Creps, “Moving Target: Reframing Discipleship for Postmoderns” Enrichment (Winter 2008), pages 68-73.    http://enrichmentjournal.ag.org/200801/200801_068_MovTarget.cfm

TS says, “Christianity Today has a number of articles that seem to apply to this discussion. Here are a few I’ve seen.”

• J. Todd Billings, “What Makes a Church Missional?: Freedom from cultural captivity does not mean freedom from tradition” Christianity Today (March 2008). http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/march/16.56.html

• “You Have Heard It Said: Caputo’s What Would Jesus Deconstruct? sends us to take another look at Jesus” in February 2008 is a review by Bruce Ellis Benson. http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/februaryweb-only/107-12.0.html

• Richard J. Mouw, “An Open-Handed Gospel: We have to decide whether we have a stingy or a generous God” Christianity Today (April, 2008). http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/april/15.44.html

Hear Jamie Smith speaking at Northwest University for the 2006 Pentecostal Lectureship Series presenting his paper “Who’s Afraid of Postmodernism? Azusa Street as Postmodern Revival.” The lecture may be downloaded here: http://eagle.northwestu.edu/chapel_mp3/20060207e.mp3 [link unavailable as of October 23, 2014].

Another perspective in this conversation: see the review of Rob Bell, Velvet Elvis by Robert Huckleberry in this issue.

Editor Introduction: Postmodernism, The Church, and The Future  

Postmodernism, The Church, and The Future
A Pneuma Review discussion about how the church should respond to postmodernism

Suggestions for Further Reading

Readers have suggested the following as places to find good articles online for further reading on this important subject.

• Brian McLaren, “Good Marginal Thinking: The heroes of church history began as reflective Christians who doubted what everyone else took for granted” Leadership Journal (Fall 2007).

http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2007/004/14.110.html  

• Mark Labberton, “The Lima Bean Gospel: The Good News is so much bigger than we make it out to be” Christianity Today (January 2008).

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/january/19.32.html

Suggestion: “This article is all about how we the church have made Jesus look so bland in a pluralistic society—and what we might do about it.” – TS  

Editor Introduction: Postmodernism, The Church, and The Future  

Postmodernism, The Church, and The Future
A Pneuma Review discussion about how the church should respond to postmodernism

Suggestions for Further Reading

Readers have suggested the following as places to find good articles online for further reading on this important subject.

Robert C. Kurka, “Before ‘Foundationalism’: A More Biblical Alternative to the Grenz/Franke Proposal for Doing Theology” JETS 50:1 (March 2007).

Albert Mohler, “Christian Apologetics for a Postmodern Age” www.crosswalk.com/1407489/ Updated to: http://www.crosswalk.com/church/pastors-or-leadership/christian-apologetics-for-a-postmodern-age-1407489.html [as of Nov 5, 2014]

Suggestions for Further Reading

Postmodernism, The Church, and The Future
A Pneuma Review discussion about how the church should respond to postmodernism

♦ Rick Wade, “Confident Belief: What Does it Mean to Know Truth?” PneumaReview.com/confident-belief-what-does-it-mean-to-know-truth/

Please add your comments, questions, and suggestions below.

Editor Introduction: Postmodernism, The Church, and The Future

Suggestions for Further Reading

Postmodernism, The Church, and The Future
A Pneuma Review discussion about how the church should respond to postmodernism

Readers have suggested the following as places to find good articles online for further reading on this important subject.

• Crystal Downing, “Yolking With Postmodernism: Where is postmodern culture headed? Two recent films, Chicken Run and The X-Men, suggest a neo-Romantic turn” Books & Culture (October 9, 2000). http://www.booksandculture.com/articles/webexclusives/2000/october/oct09.html
• Scot McKnight, “Five Streams of the Emerging Church” Christianity Today (February 2007). “Key elements of the most controversial and misunderstood movement in the church today.” http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/february/11.35.html
• “Pluralism & Postmodernism” Numerous links and lectures critical of postmodernism: http://www.rctr.org/coplur.htm [link unavailable as of October 22, 2014]
• Henry H. Knight III, “Evangelical Theology and the Challenge of Postmodernism” Catalyst Online. http://www.catalystresources.org/issues/252knight.html [link unavailable as of October 22, 2014]
• Rebecca Jaichandran, “Pentecostal Spiritual in a Postmodern World” AJPS 6:1 (2003), pages 39-61. http://www.apts.edu/aeimages/file/ajps_pdf/03-1-rjaichandran.pdf [updated October 22, 2014]
  Abstract from the original paper: “This paper seeks to understand Post Modern thought and expressions. An attempt will be made to determine whether Post Modernism has influenced Pentecostal Spirituality like it has done to fashion, literature, art, architecture, television and culture. It then seeks to examine the extent of this influence in order to see how we as Pentecostal theologians would look at this influence—as a threat or an opportunity.”
  Reader Comment: “Although I strongly disagree with many of the assumptions and propositions made by this paper, I think it represents what many Pentecostal pastors think about postmodernism and why they are afraid of it. — TS”

Suggestions for Further Reading

Postmodernism, The Church, and The Future
A Pneuma Review discussion about how the church should respond to postmodernism

Although there are numerous scholarly papers that have been written on the subject of the church and postmodernism, here are some that readers have suggested.

♦ Stanley J. Grenz, “Beyond Foundationalism: Is a Nonfoundationalist Evangelical Theology Possible?”

http://www.luthersem.edu/ctrf/Papers/1998_grenz.pdf [as of Oct 14, 2014]

♦ D. Lyle Dabney, “The Church as a Community of (Un)Common Grace: Toward a Postmodern Ecclesiology”

http://www.luthersem.edu/ctrf/Papers/1997_Dabney.htm [as of Oct 14, 2014]

♦ “Mere Mission” N.T. Wright talks about how to present the gospel in a postmodern world, in an interview with Tim Stafford. http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/january/22.38.html [as of Oct 14, 2014]

In addition to this, you may listen to Calvin College’s January Series 2007 lecture by N. T. Wright summarizing his book Simply Christian by going to this address: http://www.calvin.edu/january/2007/ram/20070105.ram [unavailable as of Oct 14, 2014]

Please add your comments, questions, and suggestions below.