9. POSTMODERN WORLDVIEW
BY DR. EARL PARVIN
8/25/2019
INTRODUCTION
The 21st century world of the so-called ‘advanced or industrialized’ countries seems to have evolved religiously to a Postmodern Worldview. What does that mean essentially? Historically we have seen that there was, First, there was the ancient Animistic Worldview, which was the realm of the ‘unseen spirits’. This meant humanity sought to live at peace with nature and therefore, was decimated by the stress of fear of the spirit world. Second, there was the rise of Organized Religion with its fancy Churches of various denominations. Third, there was the Modern Worldview which rejected the Supernatural and was dominated by the idea that science could discover the answers to the riddles of life & health, which were no longer considered addressed by highly trained clergy or Faith Healers. Science would discover all the answers without God’s help. God was dethroned, religion was reinterpreted or debunked and Evolution’s Big Bang enthroned.
The result was a Spiritual Tsunami with the destruction of the Family unit. The world was disintegrating with “wars and rumors of war” as predicted in the Owner’s Manual, the Word of God.
In Postmodernism, which developed in the 1980s, it appears that both scientific investigation and religion were both found wanting; therefore, man was free to do whatever feels good, or “seems right to him’ [Pr 12:15, 21:2]. Or “right in his own eyes” [Du 12:8] or “sees fit” [Jgs 17:6, 21:25] and “turn away from Truth” [IITim. 4:4]. Yet, the postmodernist rekindled some of the modern, which he called the ‘neomodern’. God exists, and wants everybody to be good, nice, happy and feel good about himself. But God is not involved in his life, except when he needs Him. The conflicting concepts with which he grew up gave rise to what he called, Absolute Relativism. Morals are relative and yet god Absolutely wants him to be Happy. So his life is a constant stress of juggling ‘old error’ for ‘new error.’ The only answer is God’s unchanging Absolute Truth binding upon all.
What has happened to the world in the intervening years? The January 2006, Parade magazine headlines bellowed: Who is the world’s worst dictator? By David Wallechinsky. There were 14 pictures on the front page, out of which 10 were chosen. Top of the list was Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, who killed 180,000 in Darfur. He goes on to list the dictators of: North Korea, Burma, Zimbabwe, Uzbekistan, China, Saudi Arabia, Turkmenistan, Iran and Equatorial Guinea. Ten other leaders of countries were contenders. Please note that these dictators are all in countries where Christianity is either forbidden or seriously controlled; therefore, there is no rule of law, only dictatorship. The world was spiraling out of control and people turned to alcohol and drugs to try and cope, while suicide rates skyroketed.
Somehow this all smacks of ancient history, not postmodernism, even as predicted by Matt., Mk, & Luke, in the Word of God, that there would be wars and rumors of wars. James 4:1-2, spells out why this is happening: “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires [reminiscent of Buddhist thinking?] that battle within you? You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet…” When society does not live by universal rules, they will be ruled by godless dictators, who will treat them after their own passions, killing anyone who seems to interfere”.
Post Modernism postulates: no absolute Truth, especially no Biblical Truth; everything is Relative to the circumstances; Political Correctness in a pluralistic society; Humanism which is anthropocentric rules… There is a smorgasbord of religious ides to pick from whatever you wish of the world’s ‘spiritual’ ideas. Do whatever makes you feel good. Just love everybody as Jesus did.
The result in the 21st. century is a world of ‘Post Fact’, ‘Post Truth’, ‘Fake News, ‘Disinformation’, all fanned by ”Social Media” & “Fake Journalists” serving ‘political opinion’ versus accurate news”. Just make it work for you. Moral Relativism and Degradation leads to No Morals. Free Sex. Abortion on demand, up to 9 months, including Partial Birth Abortion. Euthanasia with the aid of medical personnel. A full welfare-state from the cradle to the grave served by a Political Elite spewing Socialism as the God-Father.
Even the church leaders failed to read God’s Word and turned to the tea leaves of humanism. Methodist Seminaries sought to create a ‘multi-religious’ school to train pastors to cope with a multi-cultural, multi-religious public for an Extreme Diversity. They will ordain clergy as pastors, priests, rabbis & imams with Masters and Doctorates for an Emerging Church.
With the passing of the ‘Old Order’ and the beckoning of the ‘New Order’ came a radical Paradigm Shift:
A. The digital revolution, 2. Mass
movement to the cities, 3. Social Media, 4. Supra-Nationalism & Tribalism,
5. A Global Society, 6. Internationalization of Industry & loss of Jobs at
home, 7. Rapid growth of International Migration. 8. Explosive growth of Asian
Religious Shrines, 9. Marginalization & Decline of Attendance in American
Churches. 10. Explosive growth of Mega Churches preaching a Prosperity Gospel.
11. Mass Relocation of peoples from war-torn countries in Asia, involving especially
those of the Muslim Faith. 12. Removal of Religious [Christian] Teaching from
Schools & Relics from the Town Square. 13. A Gender Identity Crisis. 14. Opioid
Adiction, 15. Homelessness, 16. Senceless killing & mass Murders.
B. “Post moderns have a Spiritual Thirst, that cannot be satisfied with ‘Doctrine, Strategy & Institutions’. Only the Person of Jesus and His body, the community of Believers” [Jonathan Campbell, PhD Fuller, p.436 EMQ, Oct.’99, Vol 35,#4]. {TRUE, but Jesus IS Doctrine!}
C. Post-Moderns reject Institutionalized Religion. They want to “experience god” not KNOW GOD, or About God = Doctrine. [Notice influence of Asian religion…ie. Buddhism]. The Modernist rejects God as Unscientific. The Post-Modernist wants to ‘Experience god’,[a fleeting feeling] not Know Him Personally or Experientially.
THE PRESUPPOSITIONS:
1. THE NECESSITY OF FAITH
Remember the definition of faith. “Belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence”. A Postmodern Worldview requires more faith than all the other worldviews. How else does anyone with a thinking mind accept his own failures and believe that he has all the answers? Any rational person must realize that he only exists because his mother didn’t abort him as a fetus and not yet a person who would interfere with her ambitions in life. Or that he might well be euthanized as an old man no longer needed to consume limited resources….that is without the rule of law. What a leap of faith is required.
2. THE EXISTENCE OF GOD
In this age of ‘enlightenment’, there are many gods to choose from. A Significant God has been ruled out of one’s political and personal life, while insignificant, non-meddling gods are allowed in the market place, for the weak who must have this crutch. God is no longer recognized and considered relevant. Man wants to Know god, but not About Him. Man chooses his own god, and what a lightweight he is!
3. THE WORD OF GOD
There are Many Words of gods, or Religious Tombs. Just pick and choose from the smorgasbord of options. [Israel found that their neglect of Jehovah God led to “No sign from God, or prophets {Ps74:9} especially the 400 years between the OT & NT]
4. THE STANDARD OF TRUTH
Man becomes his own standard of truth for there is no Absolute Truth. [My truth is Mine. Your truth is Yours]. The courts will determine what is acceptable, enforcing whatever a secular, pluralistic, humanistic society determines, for these are ‘Living Documents’. All ancient documents are suspect and subject to reinterpretation by historians as spin masters and by the courts, which legislate, not interpret. The standard of truth is the JUDICIAL SYSTEM. Truth is DEAD.
5. THE STANDARD OF ETHICAL MORALITY
If it feels good, do it. Tolerance is the Watchword. You want it, take it or do it. Drugs or Therapy will help you live with it, not theology. Gene Veith, Word Magazine [1/14/06, p.32], says, “People today want to feel moral. But they do not want objective, transcendent absolutes…they want to feel righteous, but they prefer to construct an ethical system that does not make them feel guilty. They want morality without the worldview that comes with it”. The left pushes moral restrictions on lifestyle, when it comes to the economy, the environment, and social attitudes; but, it accepts no moral governance on sexual behavior. It is against war and capital punishment, except when carried out against the sick and unborn. The standard of morality is a smorgasbord of concepts from which one chooses that which pleases him at the moment, but may well be different for another person or set of circumstances. One can even hold ‘Conflicting Ideas’ for different circumstances.
CONCLUSION: No standards leads to fragmentation, confusion & disillusion. “Practical Atheism is the fastest growing religion in America”. God may exist but is irrelevant [Reveille Shofar journal]. Guinness wrote a book entitled: “Living Free in a World of Lies, Hype & Spin”
A Postmodern Worldview may be expressed as follows:
The ultimate end of such a Postmodern Worldview is disaster as illustrated by our society on Sterolids. The basis of any civilized society is the necessity of everyone living by and respecting the same rules. Without this, only chaos will follow. Consider the end of all ancient cultures and empires. Each died from internal disease: corruption, lawlessness and debauchery. The only way a Postmodern Worldview can be practiced, is when most of the world lives by the rule of law. The Postmodernist is indeed a Narcissist, whose myopia deceives him into thinking everyone thinks like he does, or should. Post Modern it is not. It is historic feudalism and dictatorship. Everyone is a dictator, living by his own rules. How long can that last?
DISCUSSION:
1. From a Postmodern Worldview, why are the politicians being accused of violating the rules of taking illegal funds from lobbyists who are legally operating?
2. From a Postmodern Worldview, what is the predictable future for Mainline Denominations on ordaining gay clerics?
3. How does a Postmodernist Worldview handle the latest research as enunciated by James Dobson, that children raised in abusive homes/environments become victimizers or abused become abusers?
4. How can Germany in a Postmodern Worldview, sensor rap performers for ‘sadistic content’, for pornographic, violent, racist lyrics which are gangsta-style hip-hop, lurid, offensive and glorify violence and crime, suggesting that a mixture of patriotism and violence in music is dangerous?
5. From a Postmodern Worldview, what is wrong with Iran going nuclear or saying that Israel should be wiped off the map?
6. How can one espousing a Postmodernist Worldview survive in a Postmodern world?
7. How does one holding a Postmodern Worldview, find true, lasting peace of mind?
HOMEWORK:
Seek to discover any remnants of a Postmodern Worldview in your own thinking