The Lie of This Age Postmodernism on the College Campus

What is Postmodernism? A Philosophy or Worldview Postmodernism = no Truth

What do I know? My experience with post- modernism as a Daughter of the King

Colossians 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophies, which depend on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.

Why Does Post- Modernism Matter? It is the Religion of Academia: Your Mission Field and Opponent in College

Why Does Post- Modernism Matter? It is a Rising Presence in our Political System

Why Does Post- Modernism Matter? It Affects Our Culture: You Have Been Immersed in It!!!!

Experiment ~Follow your heart ~The “enemy” is not bad at all, just misunderstood ~It’s not our place to judge

~Be yourself, or the best version of yourself ~The solution is more tolerance or acceptance ~Christians shown as judgmental or hypocritical

~Criminals or criminal behavior excused; shown as “situational” ~We need to make our choices for ourselves— what’s right for you might not be right for me & vice- versa

~Seeing things through another person’s eyes will change your views on right and wrong or on truth ~A Christian or American

experiences another culture or religion’s beliefs/practices (specifically about religion, morality or family) and it is shown as a good thing experiences another culture or religion’s beliefs/practices (specifically about religion, morality or family) and it is shown as a good thing

Defining Postmodernism Brief History: Modernism  Postmodernism (secular affected Church)

History in 2 Sentences Mankind went looking for meaning and truth starting with himself and couldn’t find it.

2 Sentences cont. So instead of giving up on mankind as the source, they gave up on “it.”

Constructed Reality Reality is constructed by language, language is open to interpretation, so no ultimate, objective reality (Truth) exists.

Deconstruction-ism Nietzsche— man “uses the delicate stuff of concepts, which he must first fabricate within himself.”

Deconstruction-ism Nietzsche—speaking of people’s different perceptions: “which of those 2 perceptions is more right than the other, is utterly meaningless because it would require a standard of right perception, a standard that does not exist.”

Deconstruction-ism Derrida— “The surrogate does not substitute itself for anything which somehow pre-existed it...necessary to begin to think that there was no center.”

Religious Pluralism The conviction that we should be tolerant of all religious beliefs because no one religion can be true.

Religious Pluralism “We all just have different words to express the same god (Supreme Being, Ultimate Goodness)”

Cultural Relativism “Universal moral principles must be eradicated and reverence for individual and cultural uniqueness inculcated.” ~Adam Phillips

Socially-Constructed Identity Walter Truett Anderson– “all ideas about reality are social constructions.”

Socially-Constructed Identity Glen Ward—“Lacan and Foucalt propose that the stable, unified self has always been an illusion.”

Socially-Constructed Identity “You are constructed by the social [e.g. language, geography, family, education, government, etc.] and are ultimately determined by it.”

Fictional History Historians “sought out different kinds of facts because they had different kinds of stories to tell” ~Hayden White

Fictional History “We do not live stories, even if we give our lives meaning by retrospectively casting them in the form of stories. And so too with nations or whole cultures.” ~White

Why Postmodernism Gets It So Wrong: Denying the Authority of the Word. Scripture = Truth

Where Postmodernism Gets It Right ~Sees problem [human perspective is fallible and incomplete]; misreads root of it and solution

Where Postmodernism Gets It Right ~Sees the hypocrisy of modernism, inconsistencies of its relativism yet absolute atheism, etc.

Where Postmodernism Gets It Right ~Values being openminded and analytical—search for truth ~Ability to criticize our own culture and see value in others—if God’s Word is guide

Where Postmodernism Gets It Right ~Rejecting empty standards ~Focusing on application rather than head knowledge ~Principles rather than rules

Where Postmodernism Gets It So Wrong Tolerance vs. Forgiveness and Grace = Acceptance

Where Postmodernism Gets It So Wrong Denying truth and absolutes exist is: 1. Philosophically impossible 2. Morally inconsistent

Where Postmodernism Gets It So Wrong “Open-Minded” does not extend to Christianity. Shame for moral absolutes, conservative values, orthodox faith, Scriptural authority

Where Postmodernism Gets It So Wrong Postmodernism in the Church: Rob Bell, Brian McLaren, Brickianity.

What To Do About It ~Read Understanding the Times... Together ~Talk about worldviews in day-to-day life

What To Do About It ~Analyze the movies (and television) you watch. If you don’t pick out the poisoned berries, you’ll swallow it whole

What To Do About It ~Read books from nonChristian worldviews and learn to question and critique

What To Do About It ~Teach/learn Truth, but ask tough questions of your beliefs and find answers!!! ~KNOW THE WORD!!!

What To Do About It ~Develop a consistent worldview ~Learn to LIVE it ~Win respect in the classroom by your character