Three Cheers for Modernism?

Eyes of a new generation.

I'm feeling a bit cheeky, so readers beware!

I've been hearing quite a few sermons lately that have been extolling the virtues of modernism. For those of you who may not be familiar with what modernism is or the controversy surrounding postmodernism, I'd like to invite you out from underneath your rock to check it out for yourself.

Wikipedia describes modernism as "a trend of thought that affirms the power of human beings to create, improve, and reshape their environment, with the aid of scientific knowledge, technology, or practical experimentation." However, most people might find it difficult to come up with a concrete definition of modernism (ironically). Modernism challenged the previous order of thinking and encouraged us to take another look at every aspect of life, knowledge, and even our faith. Modernism celebrates human achievement.

Human achievement.

Shall I extol the virtues of human achievement the modernist era brought us? There's facism, naziism, communism, individualism, and consumerism. There's the world wars, the other wars, nuclear war, and other "advances" in warfare. There's the birth of Darwin's "Origin" in 1859 which gained widespread acceptance by the 1930's. There's the loss of community as people fled rural America for artificial communities called the suburbs. And then there's modernistic spirituality which seems so "mega".

I hear a lot of people complaining about postmodernism (which has its own flaws), but was modernism really all that great?

I suppose the biggest Christian argument I hear about how wonderful modernism is comes in regards to the concept of "absolute truth". Apparently, postmodern thinkers don't believe in absolute truth and the moderns in our midst do. In true modern fashion, I'm going to have to question that line of reasoning (yes...questioning established orders of thinking is indeed a modern thing). People have been asking questions about and doubting truth for a long time. The absence of belief in absolute truth is not a postmodern invention.

For the sake of discussion, let me pose a truly postmodern question: what good is it to claim you possess absolute truth but not love your neighbor? Postmodern thinkers wonder what is so good about absolute truth if you don't live the truth the One you follow teaches you about. I've gotta say...that's a darn good question! There are a lot of people who wonder why such enlightened folks could produce the holocaust, genocide, and segregation.

What good is believing in the inerrancy of the Scriptures if we don't do what the bible says? There is no point, in my opinion.

There are hosts of people who reject the idea of truth as being a mere intellectual exercise. I have to admit, my agreement with this postmodern line of thought makes me sympathetic to their way of thinking. Yes, I am a postmodern sympathizer. I do not, however, have any interest in defending one ism over another. There are no shortage of criticisms of postmodernism, including the charges that it is divisive, arrogant, biblically illiterate and immoral. Oh...and heretical.

Those same charges have been launched at every new, emerging age. The Pharisees launched them at Jesus, the Jerusalem believers launched them at Paul, the medieval church launched them at the reformers, and the colonialsists launched them at the modernists. It seems that every new era emerged from the ashes of the martyrs. I'm convinced most of us see the older way as being the better way, which is why I am sure that postmodern thought is no more evil or heretical than the modernism that gave birth to it. It is probably equally as evil and heretical!

There have been great human achievements but none can match the achievement of the Holy Spirit to work in and through each new generation. To me, most of this postmodernism controversy is little more than another culture war to maintain influence and power, and I do not want to be drafted into it. I prefer to call it what it is and instead celebrate the continuity of the presence of God at work among the people he loves. We will continue to mess things up and get things wrong, but the gracious ministry of the Holy Spirit marches through time.

His church continues despite ourselves.