A few have asked for the quotes related to postmodernism from yesterday’s sermon entitled, “Grace and Peace,” from Colossians 1:1-2. My first point was that “peace is the purpose of Colossians.” My third point was that “peace is the achievement of grace.” My second point – intended to demonstrate the relevance of the first and third points – was that “peace is the longing of these postmodern times.”
I sought to illustrate this second point, that peace is the longing of these postmodern times, by pointing to two examples: that of the consummate postmodern person, on the one hand, and the consummate postmodern community, on the other.
The first, the postmodern person, comes from one of the more provocative and influential American philosophers, Richard Rorty, Professor of Humanities at the University of Virginia. In the introduction to his Contingency, Irony, and Solidarity, Rorty sketches a figure he calls the “liberal ironist,” or what I referred to as the consummate postmodern person. Rorty explains:
I borrow my definition of ‘liberal’ from Judith Shklar, who says that liberals are the people who think that cruelty is the worst thing we do. I use ‘ironist’ to name the sort of person who faces up to the contingency of his or her own most central beliefs and desires – someone sufficiently historicist and nominalist to have abandoned the idea that those central beliefs and desires refer back to something beyond the reach of time and chance. Liberal ironists are people who include among these ungroundable desires their own hope that suffering will be diminished, that the humiliation of human beings by other human beings may cease” (p. xv).
In trying to identify a second example, that of the consummate postmodern community, I didn’t have very far to look. In fact, I only had to go as far as the Village of Oak Park website, where I then downloaded the community’s Diversity Statement. Here are the relevant paragraphs (the entirety of which can be found at: http://www.oak-park.us/public/pdfs/2003%20diversity%20statement.pdf):
The people of Oak Park choose this community, not just as a place to live, but as a way of life. Oak Park has committed itself to equality not only because it is legal, but because it is right; not only because equality is ethical, but because it is desirable for us and our children. Ours is a dynamic community that encourages the contributions of all citizens, regardless of race, color, ethnicity, ancestry, national origin, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital and/or familial status, mental and/or physical impairment and/or disability, military status, economic class, political affiliation, or any of the other distinguishing characteristics that all too often divide people in society.
Oak Park’s proud tradition of citizen involvement and accessible local government challenge us to show others how such a community can embrace change while still respecting and preserving the best of the past. Creating a mutually respectful, multicultural environment does not happen on its own; it must be intentional. Our goal is for people of widely differing backgrounds to do more than live next to one another. Through interaction, we believe we can reconcile the apparent paradox of appreciating and even celebrating our differences while at the same time developing consensus on a shared vision for the future. Oak Park recognizes that a free, open, and inclusive community is achieved through full and broad participation of all its citizenry. We believe the best decisions are made when everyone is represented in decision-making and power is shared collectively.
Now, in neither of these examples do you hear the language of peace. Yet you certainly feel the longing for peace in both, don’t you?
Finally, let me conclude with a few observations.
- First, we won’t understand these postmodern times in which we live unless we come to terms with this underlying longing for peace, which, in my view, drives the whole outlook.
- Second, as Christians we must not scorn or despise, much less mock, postmodern expressions of a longing for peace, whether in the form of a bumper-sticker or an anti-war march, since a longing for peace should be our longing too.
- Third, as Christians we should let the “peace of Christ” (Col. 3:15) so shape our lives, both individually and corporately, that it becomes evident to all that only in the Gospel can one find the peace we all long for.
For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross (Colossians 1:19-20).
Listen to this sermon from October 5, 2008
9 comments ↓
I agree that we should not despise or mock the postmodern person or community. In my experience however, it has been very difficult to not be perceived as being mocking or despising, by simply disagreeing with a postmodern person or community on policies, politics, or ideas. I find many postmoderns to be among the most intolerant people or communities I know.
As Christians living in a postmodern culture, we will have to find new ways to bridge that perception gap or our message will fall on deaf ears, as has been my predominant experience thus far.
I think some keys to bridging the gap include building relationships with people, and connecting with communities by serving them.
I’m really excited about this sermon series as I’ve been reading a lot about Christian responses to postmodernism and meeting many college students who express very postmodern thought. A couple thoughts I have that hardly originate from me are as follows:
1) I try not to think of postmoderns in a me vs. them kind of way, or think that because I’m a Bible Believing Christian, that I’m in no way postmodern. In so many ways postmodernism resonates with me. That doesn’t mean that I think truth is relative or anything like that, but I can see some of the longings we talked about within myself.
2) Postmodernism as a worldview isn’t better or worse than modernism as a worldview. I think as a church we got used to defending Christianity to a modern world, but now have to make adjustments. I’m excited to talk more about how the longing for peace that is so present in the postmodern worldview is a a door wide open for Gospel Conversation.
Thanks, Pastor Todd, for reminding us that Christ and His Word have the power to change and save people of every label. We look forward to continuing the study of Colossians!
Great sermon-so important for our time & place!
Randy, I agree that pms are probably the most intolerant folks around-just look at how election issues have been revealing more extreme reactions to conservative positions than I can ever recall-yikes!
But it’s interesting, we’re seen in the same way by them. I started thinking that we actually have that in COMMON!I have some great work relationships I enjoy and value who are strong adherents to the pm culture. It never ceases to amaze me that we can work so well together and actually think alike in many work related ways. I joke that they “act” more like republicans/conservatives than I do and call them “closet conservatives” given their actual behavior in real work life scenarios.
I also tell them how much I admire how they value and demonstrate ethical personal behavior. The belief chasm is huge between us and pms, but in a neutral dimilitarized zone-which workplaces are, I find I often prefer working with zealous pms who will work like mad on projects they believe in, than with other chrisitans who I often find are in “another world” most of the time, demonstrate less than honroable work ethics and not nearly as committed as they should be to doing what they are being paid to do. Perhaps my expectations were a bit unrealistic and hence have a higher probability for disappointment. Whatever the cause, this perception has grown & not diminished in my many years in the workplace.
Sorry for the divergence but I do think there is a road to relationship with pms but I believe it requires us to recognize & value their individual strengths and sincerity/passion of heart toward the ideals and peace they aspire to without giving them a “religious” message. They know us, they expect it ( a trac or sermon) and are surprised and happy to be spared and then can actually get to know “the enemy”, and be pleasantly surprised that we do have many shared values, which then can become a bridge to discussing deeper things without major defense mechanisms getting in the way. Thank God for exposure in the workplace or it would probably never happen as we both seem so intent on maintaining a huge distance from one another.
Hello Pastor Todd, just wanted to thank you for a very stimulating sermon. You really connected the dots in a conceptual manner which I appreciated. I can see aspirations for peace, and words regarding the healing of the earth, in our political campaigns, and I see how those longings can only be served by the prince of peace, and not by man. Your message was also a good reminder to be positive and affirming while pointing people towards Christ. Peace to you…
I’d like to point out that as Christians, when experiencing external “postmodern expressions of a longing for peace”, the ‘correct’ loving postmodern response is to try and find the ‘good’ within the expression. One of the clearest examples that comes to mind is from the movie sage Star Wars (yes, I am a Sci Fi geek). In the movie, the antagonist (Darth Vadar) is controlled by the dark side of the force, and the protagonist (Luke Skywalker) is powered by the good/light side of the force. The movie ends up building to a climax in where one man (Vadar) must die in order to be ‘saved’ from the dark side, which in turn saves all of the good guys (and kills all the bad guys).
Many would just say that this is simply a fictional movie, but the film creator (George Lucas) is actually trying to make a very philosophical point by creating such a large contrast in what drives the characters (that there is good & evil – eg the force) and that unselfish acts offer redemption of one’s self and others (eg Vadar at the last moment . If we take this at face value, it is a nice fable that tells a morale lesson or two.
Rather, if we try to find the ‘good’ within it and couple it with the underlying longing that is expressed, we can expand the themes to those of right and wrong as well as the need for a Savior that sacrifices all to redeem those he loves.
What this type of thinking has done for me is to open my eyes to the thousands of opportunities that exist every day when interacting with non-believer postmodernist to re-direct the conversation to an alternate place. The meanings these folks tease out of culture, how deep they read between the lines and ultimately what conclusions they draw are all the wrong and shallow answers to the same undercurrent that I myself have. As it has been said, we all have a God shaped hole, the only question is what do we try to fill it with?
It is my job to be “of the world” just enough to be able to have relevancy to engage on these pop culture expressions, but “not of this world” enough to be a guide to point to them to the real Christ-centric meanings and desires that are expressed.
Thanks Todd for the efforts you obviously put into your initiatory sermon as Calvary’s senior pastor. I pray all your labors will bear much fruit and God’s peace will reign in each of our lives and our body.
I can’t resist quoting one of my favorite lines from Bob Dylan, about mankind’s longing for a “man of peace”:
Scripture warns us that the anti-Christ will be an “angel of light” and that he will offer great hope for global peace. Paradoxically, Christ said “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword”.
What is the lesson? The lesson is that true and lasting peace is impossible until evil is dealt with. It also means that if we do not love and understand truth, we see and chase a dangerous mirage that leads us into the middle of Death Valley.
I’m really sorry I missed the service last week! I hate to comment without having first heard the whole sermon, but what the heck…
The “longing for peace” you describe is a central feature of our shared humanity. We all have this innate sense, deep down, that something is not right… that we lack peace (inside ourselves and with the world) and we spend our lives looking for the answer to that need.
I can’t blame anyone for thinking that there *must* be some way for us to all come together and find a way of reconciling ourselves to one another, using our own strength. I think that’s why Jesus looked on the crowds with compassion, rather than disdain: we’re in a real mess here and we just want to find a way out of it.
As a follower of Christ, I know that this peace, this reconciliation, this “right ordering” of our existence is only found in relationship with God. It is a real challenge to engage with people who have a postmodern view that is so certain that God *can’t* be the answer, for any number of reasons. And yet… we must engage. The answer to that deep longing is only found in Jesus.
I’m still not certain, but the concept of grace seems to appeal so much to the sophisticated postmodern (it’s not a system of achievement, it acknowledges the ongoing lack-of-peace while providing an answer to it). “You are more sinful than you ever dared imagine, but more loved than you ever dared hope” as a mentor of mine summarizes grace and the gospel.
I guess at the core I am fully convinced that the modern/postmodern are not some different species of person, just people who are finding different expressions of the same foundational human needs. Same ultimate answer, though… how to bridge the gap so need meets provider?
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