4th September 2024
Postmodernism
Test all things; hold fast what is good.
1 Thessalonians 5:21 (NKJV)
Some people in the West are influenced by a postmodern culture which claims that there is no truth, only truths and that the multiplicity of civilisations, cultures, beliefs, and lifestyles should be treated on an equal footing, where none is considered superior to any other.
Though the belief that truth is relative is not universally accepted, and in disciplines such as science, engineering, and technology such claims are considered at best irrational.
However, postmodernism has influenced attitudes towards religion and morality and therefore poses a problem for Christianity. How can we show the truth of Christianity to those with an ideology that views all claims to truth as being equally valid?
The inconsistencies of this ideology, particularly towards religion, needs to be unpacked. Since religion is often determined by the circumstances and geographical region of one’s birth and upbringing, some have argued that it follows that all religions must be equal paths to the truth. This idea has been largely discarded because most people recognise that the place of one’s birth and upbringing, or the mere existence of a religious idea is not an assurance of truth. What has now become predominant is the idea that whatever is sincerely believed and practised may be regarded as true: something is true if it is true for me. But what happens when different people sincerely believe incompatible and contradictory views, can all be right? And what justification can be given for sincerely held extremist views such as say Nazism or Communism that are responsible for the brutal deaths of millions of people? Clearly there needs to be criteria, standards of judgement, which allow certain viewpoints to be considered as unacceptable.
Christianity is concerned with the transformation of human existence through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It involves believing certain things are true and that truth can reliably influence our decisions, actions and perceptions. Jesus, speaking of himself, said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life…” (John 14:6). Speaking about the scriptures that form the Bible, Jesus said “… Your word is truth.” (John 17:17). Spiritually speaking there is freedom in knowing the truth: “…you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32). And, as the header scripture above reveals, Christians are always encouraged to discover and test truth claims.
Christianity teaches that what is capable of being tested, should be tested, and Christians should show a willingness to hear what purports to be truth, to judge it, and willingly accept what is found to be true.
Prayer
Father, we thank you for your revelation of truth through Jesus Christ; help us to present that truth in the best possible light in today’s culture. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
Study by Eddie Marsh
About the writer:Eddie Marsh attends the Sheffield congregation of Grace Communion International.
Local congregation:
Grace Communion Sheffield
The Showroom and Workstation
15 Paternoster Row
Sheffield S12BX
Meeting time:
Church services take place on Sundays 10.30 am, twice a month.
Please email the local congregational contact (see below) for dates.
Local congregational contact:
Christine Chamberlain
Email: sheffield@gracecom.church
Word of Life contact:
wordoflife@gracecom.church