I'm so postmodern....
In the words of the Bedroom Philospher
"I'm so post-modern I've got a tattoo of my pin number in hieroglyphics on my neighbour's guide dog"
I have been reading "Becoming Conversant with the Emerging Church" by that stalwart of reformed thinking, Don Carson.So far has been an interesting read, for although it tends to pan most of the emerging church conversation, he does make a few good points about the often over used and cliché term "Postmodernism"
He is quick to point out firstly that most of the emergent writings are usually “Modern BADDD, post-modern GOOOOD”, this is a good point as we seem to want to draw the good out of many traditions except late 20th Century Modernism so there is a call for balance.
The other thing is that he highlights the use of post-modernity has now become a Christian "Buzz Word" which is able to sell more books and get more people to conferences... this i do see from the distance over here in Australia. He also talks about how we use the term post-modern for the rapid rate of change in society (even if it isn’t really "post-modern" change) so what the hell is post-modernity anyway!!
All this reminds me of a few conversations i have had in a group of friends some who would make Calvin seem a little catholic and others who have tended to the trendy starbucks PoMo lifestyle. One thing has been common and that is that we don’t really want to be modern or post-modern... we want to be followers of Jesus....
I think when it boils down to it our world is now so diverse in they ways people think from country to country and generation to generation that we must seek to continually contextualise the gospel to those we seek to reach.
so am i post-modern? it would be way too UnPoMo to admit either way ;)
Labels: emerging church, PoMo
