Electric Ethos

Postmodern Possibility

A few weeks ago a friend of mine asked me, “What are we going to do about this postmodern problem?”  Then a few days later another friend said that, “Postmodernity is coming soon.” Both statements, made by people I love, miss the mark and show how blind spots slow the church from taking a seat at the table of cultural understanding. To my first friend I responded by rephrasing his statement and asked, “What are we going to do with all this postmodern potential?” With my second friend I laughed and changed the subject.  So what is “postmodernism?”  I think Ed Stetzer hits it on the nail when he writes, “…postmodernism is an art form, a literary category, an academic discipline, […] a cultural force”[1] and even more. The question is how will the church respond?

look for possibilities and not problems in the culture

            I believe that in every age, in every place on the planet, there is at least some small part of the culture that offers an opportunity to introduce the Kingdom of God, and postmodernism is no different. Postmodernism, “[…] can be an ally in our ancient heritage.”[2] The “mystery”[3] that is part of the Christian Faith can also connect with the heart and mind of the postmodern person. “Postmodern society tends to be communal”[4] and community is core to the Christian Faith and can be seen in the three members of the Trinity. Postmodernity also places high value on the expressions of art[5] and our God is an Artistic Creator at heart (Genesis 1).  So a challenge for the church is to be mindful of its blind spots and the postmodern potential at the same time and act responsibly with creative solutions.

This last week, the city of Seattle tied for 1^st place to be one of the “Next Hot Youth Magnet Cities”[6] in the Wall Street Journal. The other top city was Washington, D.C. According to the article “In their eyes, none could match Seattle’s combination of a diverse high-tech sector, cultural life, access to rugged natural terrain and a strong university presence.” Without saying it directly the WSJ was telling the world that Seattle is a postmodern Mecca. For me this is good news because it gives the church community of Seattle a wake up call about who we have become. It is time for the church in our city to come out of “Plato’s cave”[7] and see the light, sun and shadows, connecting with the postmodern world.

The Church

            At times we create relational distance by speaking through our words and actions something that is untrue about the church. This type of misinformation creates blind spots for the culture that the church is reaching to.  The Church is not a building that hosts a gathering of closed minded people on Sunday mornings.  The Church is not a political organization that advocates policy for its own benefit. The Church is not a social club for people to drive to from their surrounding communities to get their spiritual fix.  As I understand it, the church is people living out the Kingdom of Heaven, here on earth.  My good friend Wes Davis has told me time and again that “The Church is people living on the mission with Jesus.” Church means “The Called out Ones,” the question is “what has the church been called out from?”  Some believe that this means that the church has been called out from culture, and would go on to say we should come out and be separate (II Corinthians 6).  But I believe that the church has been called out from a life of sin and then Jesus becomes our example of living life in the context of culture. Jesus puts on human flesh and lives among the people (John 1) Jesus comes to earth and lives in all the accouterments of His day. For thirty years He grows in wisdom, stature, favor with God and men (Luke 2:52) in the context of Roman culture in a Jewish carpenter’s house.

            The church is not only about the gathering on Sunday, but also about the scattering[8] during the rest of the week. Many of the miracles in the New Testament happen on the way, or along the road. I think we do a disservice to the church to continue propagating the myth that the church is a building on a street corner. My pastor Bob Stone has said both privately and publicly on many occasions, “We should no longer say ‘I am going to church’ because if we can go to church than we can also leave the church. It would be so much better if we could just be the church.” And if we follow Jesus’ lead we find that culture is not the enemy.

[2] Smith, James, K.A. Who’s Afraid of Postmodernism, Grand Rapids, Baker Academic, 2006, pg 23

[3] Grenz, Stanley. J. A Primer on Postmodernism. Grand Rapids: Eerdman‟s, 1996. pg 170

[4] Ibid., pg.8

[5] Ibid., pg. 24

[6] http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703787204574442912720525316.html

[7] Smith, James, K.A. Who’s Afraid of Postmodernism, Grand Rapids, Baker Academic, 2006, 16

[8] Online Resource  http://www.eagleflight.org/cyberSermons/outreach/makingmost.html