Postmodernism
A Statement
from The Office of the President
The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod
1333 South Kirkwood Road
St. Louis, Missouri 63122
United States of America
Perhaps,
like me, you have heard the term "postmodernism" tossed
about from time to time in recent years. It is one
of those words that causes us to pause, scratch our
head and wonder to ourselves, "What's that all about?"
Whether we know the word or not, the impact of this
trend poses a significant challenge to our congregations
and our church workers. As Christians, we need to
be aware of the movements and trends in our society.
Postmodernism is perhaps the most significant trend
facing the church today.
What is
Postmodernism?
Postmodernism
is a cultural force and societal trend that leads many
people to believe that there is no objective truth,
no sure and certain right and wrong, no way of ever
being sure about anything, other than what brings personal
pleasure and appeals to one's personal interests and
tastes. In the eighteenth century, the Enlightenment,
along with its rationalism, virtually destroyed Biblical
Christianity in most European nations. Mankind believed
that "man is the measure of all things" and that through
the use of applied science and human reason there was
no problem that could not be solved, no obstacle that
could not be overcome, no mystery of life that could
not be fathomed and explained rationally, apart from
any religious concept.
As a response
to rationalism came the romantic era of the nineteenth
century, where people escaped to a fantasy world that
celebrated "virtues" without clear reference to solid,
Biblical truth. Along with romanticism, there developed
scientific materialism, the view that all of history
is a natural playing out of the forces of nature.
Postmodernism
describes a new approach to questions of truth. Unfortunately,
postmodernism is not the solution to rationalism.
We notice the influence of postmodern assumptions
among the members of our congregations. In years past,
the church was attacked by people who argued on the
basis of rational science that the Bible is not true.
That was modernism. Today the church is attacked for
even claiming to have the truth. People today are
led to believe that it is impossible to assert that
anything is absolutely true. Anyone, or any group,
claiming to have the truth today will be branded as
being intolerant of others. Today, people do not say,
"That is not true" as often as they will say, "Well
that is your truth, but not my truth."
What Has
Led to Postmodernism?
What has led
to these trends? Many observers point to the fact that
rationalism, reason, science and technology have failed
to produce the utopia that we were assured was coming
in the early part of this century. Idealist dreams were
completely shattered by World War I and then even more
by World War II, when we witnessed the most horrendous
examples of evil that the world had ever seen before.
The century of supposedly the greatest human progress
has also witnessed the most horrible examples of human
evil and sin.
Technology,
promised to solve all problems, has brought with it
problems that we have only begun to fully appreciate.
With all of our progress in communication technology,
human beings feel more isolated from one another than
ever before. In an era where communication is instant
and increasingly global, people feel more lonely than
ever before.
In many
ways, the church should rejoice that the foundations
of modernism are crumbling. Biblical authority was
horribly undermined by the rationalism of higher-criticism.
But in place of modern rationalism we now face, with
increasing frequency and intensity, the question Pilate
asked Christ, "What is truth?"
The Church's
Opportunity in a Postmodern Culture
Classical,
orthodox Christianity has an opportunity today to assert
itself in ways that were not as possible during the
heyday of modern rationalism. With the demise of modernism,
the old critics of Christianity are no longer as respected
as they once were. When a "Jesus seminar" gathers to
decide what Jesus said or didn't say, their assertions
are no longer simply praised by secular media, but actually
criticized. This would have been unheard of thirty or
forty years ago where every higher-critical theory was
hailed as a marvelous new discovery.
How can
the church today claim to have absolute truth, when
the world around us, more than ever, is rejecting
the idea that there is such a truth? How can the church
tell the world that there is one sure and certain
foundation for all of life, when it seems that people
are willing to create their own truths and their own
foundations? When the church asserts that there is
absolute right and absolute wrong, how is this done
in a culture that believes that morality is relative,
and depends only on personal interests and needs?
How does the church tell people they are sinners,
when people no longer feel guilty about anything?
In light
of the pressures of post-modernism, it might be tempting
for us to throw up our hands in despair. Another reaction
may be to try to bury our head in the sand and act
as if these things were not really so. Perhaps the
worst reaction of all would be merely to "go with
the flow" and attempt to accommodate the church to
postmodern culture, to give the "consumer" what he
or she wants, to do whatever it takes to be "successful"
and then to cloak our surrender to postmodernism in
the pious claim that we are only "being all things
to all people." There is a better way.
In our
present environment, when rationalism is being questioned,
the church is able to proclaim the Gospel with new
urgency and vigor, for more than ever before people
are searching for meaning, identity and a sense of
who they are.
Reaching
Out to a Postmodern Society
Let's think
about a few ways to reach out to our postmodern world.
For instance, in our preaching. People today may no
longer be able to deal as effectively with abstract
discussions of doctrine as they once were. Instead,
we will lead people to understand Biblical doctrine
by the use of our Lord's parables—from the master storyteller.
It will be important for us to emphasize the importance
of Christian friendships and relationships.
A sense
of history is more attractive than ever before to
people who feel disconnected and disoriented by the
rapid pace of technology. The Lutheran church has
deep roots in Christian history. Unlike many Protestant
denominations in this country, our church has a deep
love and respect for the history of the church and
its historic practices and traditions in our worship
life and church culture. These historical strengths
need to be emphasized and highly valued.
There is
a danger in reaching out to our postmodern culture.
While the church will want to reach out in ways that
connect with postmodernists, we must not simply allow
postmodernists to remain comfortable with their cultural
assumptions. While there is a place for appealing
to emotions, the church must work hard to catechize
people to think Biblically. The emphasis in our circles
on a renewal in catechesis is extremely important.
Incorporating the strengths of the ancient church's
catechetical process is more important than ever before.
Another
great temptation is for the church to change its teaching
in order to reach out. A congregation's desire for
growth may tempt it to move away from truths that
are objectionable to "seekers." We have seen how,
in other Christian denominations, a desire to be a
large congregation often leads to a significant change
in theology. Usually, a change in style leads to a
change in content.
The process
of making disciples is where, I believe, the church
today has its greatest challenge and most significant
opportunity. We are sensing more and more that careful
catechesis will involve incorporating a person into
the "family" of the church, not merely putting that
person through six one-hour sessions in a classroom
setting. Catechesis needs to take on a more "total"
approach to bring a person into the church. Worship
and rights of passage through the process will become
increasingly more important. Identifying "sponsors"
to walk with the new member during his or her journey
into the church will need to become a higher priority.
We are
learning the importance for the church to stand firm
on two key concepts: morality and truth. The proclamation
of the Law needs to be very clear, very direct and
very to the point. We realize that a person is moved
by the Holy Spirit, through the preaching of the Law,
to recognize his or her sin. Then, and only then,
will this person be able to receive the Gospel's powerful
strength and comfort. Proclaiming Law and Gospel requires
a strong commitment to the truth and a desire not
to compromise, water-down or sugar-coat that truth
in order to please people so they will "like us."
As we survey
the challenges of postmodernism, we need to recognize
that there are many ways we can reach out meaningfully
to our culture—ways that do not compromise our stand
on Biblical and Confessional truths. We can creatively
and faithfully draw people to the preaching of the
Gospel among us, without sacrificing truth, or without
merely imitating whatever seems to be "working" at
the moment. We need to continue to reach out boldly
with the Gospel, all the while remaining absolutely
faithful to Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions.
Looking
With Hope to the Future
Our Synod
can and should look with hope to the future and recognize
that the opportunities are greater today than ever before,
as the Lord lays before us a people longing for a relationship
with Him and with other human beings. As Biblical and
confessional Lutherans, we reach out with the objective
means of our Lord's grace, offering to the world those
wonderful gifts of God's love, His Word and His Sacraments.
We are absolutely confident that our Lord has promised
to be with us through His gifts of Word and Sacrament.
To insecure
people, we hold out the certainty of our Lord's presence
in Word and Sacrament. To people filled with doubt,
we hold out the sure and certain truth of the Word
of God. To people who are anxious and troubled, we
hold out the comfort of God's forgiveness in Christ
our Lord. To people feeling hopeless, we hold out
the life-giving hope of eternal life through our Lord's
death and resurrection. To people who feel life has
no meaning, or are unsure how to find meaning, we
are able to proclaim the truth of the Gospel—which
gives meaningful life now and for all eternity.
Yes, the
challenges posed by postmodernism are great, but so
are the opportunities. How good, then, to know with
absolutely certainty that the Lord who has been with
and blessed us richly in years past will continue
to do so as we move ahead.
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