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Mission to post-moderns

Last post 11-01-2006, 2:28 PM by emissary. 1 replies.
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  •  10-07-2006, 3:56 AM 483

    Mission to post-moderns

    I'm going to be a little radical here and suggest that questions of absolute truth are probably not the best place to start with a post-modern.

    The liberal theologian Paul Tillich once put it that, "the fundamental concern of the classical civilisations was about the Fates and the fear of death. The fundamental concern of the Middle Ages was about moral guilt. But now, the fundamental question is not about guilt but about meaning". I would add to that, that because of the rise of science in the eighteenth century the fundamental question at that time was about Truth - was it to be found in all the science of the time, in the Marxist view of history, or where?

    Now, please note how the way the church missioned into those fundamental concerns. To the fear of death and the fates the Church preached the Resurrection and the sovereignty of God. To the mediaeval concerns about guilt, Luther preached justification by faith. To moderity's concern about truth we developed all the apologetics ministries. But now?

    The British Alpha course has as its tag-line, "an opportunity to explore the meaning of life". Very simply, those are the questions that the post-moderns are asking. Not the questions about guilt or truth that have served as the focus for our mission to date. So that's where you should start. Ecclesiastes is a good part of the Bible for them ("everything is meaningless!"). In terms of reading, try anything from Francis Schaeffer - his stuff from the late sixties is even more relevant now than then. Once they have begun to explore what the Bible says about meaning, the other questions will fall into place easily enough.

  •  11-01-2006, 2:28 PM 723 in reply to 483

    Re: Mission to post-moderns

    I don't think you can lump all "postmoderns" together. The meaning of the term contains a lack of a focus. Every individual is trying to restore what the Hebrew language called "shalom": more than peace, it includes hope, health, prosperity, tranquility, harmony, safety, purpose, and a few more concepts. Basically - the human condition is a search for what's been lost: life as it was designed to be lived. That takes different forms for different people, and we have to really get close to someone to help them with the issues that they personally struggle with... those issues that relate ultimately to lostness.

    Illusion will dissipate. Truth will emerge. ...Ask your questions.
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