Statements
from the President's Office of the LCMS
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Postmodernism
A Statement from The Office of the President
The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod
1333 South Kirkwood Road
St. Louis, Missouri 63122
United States of America
Perhaps, like me, you have heard the term "postmodernism" tossed about from time to time in recent years. It is one of those words that causes us to pause, scratch our head and wonder to ourselves, "What's that all about?" Whether we know the word or not, the impact of this trend poses a significant challenge to our congregations and our church workers. As Christians, we need to be aware of the movements and trends in our society. Postmodernism is perhaps the most significant trend facing the church today.
What is Postmodernism?
Postmodernism is a cultural force and societal trend that leads many people to believe that there is no objective truth, no sure and certain right and wrong, no way of ever being sure about anything, other than what brings personal pleasure and appeals to one's personal interests and tastes. In the eighteenth century, the Enlightenment, along with its rationalism, virtually destroyed Biblical Christianity in most European nations. Mankind believed that "man is the measure of all things" and that through the use of applied science and human reason there was no problem that could not be solved, no obstacle that could not be overcome, no mystery of life that could not be fathomed and explained rationally, apart from any religious concept.
As a response to rationalism came the romantic era of the nineteenth century, where people escaped to a fantasy world that celebrated "virtues" without clear reference to solid, Biblical truth. Along with romanticism, there developed scientific materialism, the view that all of history is a natural playing out of the forces of nature.
Postmodernism describes a new approach to questions of truth. Unfortunately, postmodernism is not the solution to rationalism. We notice the influence of postmodern assumptions among the members of our congregations. In years past, the church was attacked by people who argued on the basis of rational science that the Bible is not true. That was modernism. Today the church is attacked for even claiming to have the truth. People today are led to believe that it is impossible to assert that anything is absolutely true. Anyone, or any group, claiming to have the truth today will be branded as being intolerant of others. Today, people do not say, "That is not true" as often as they will say, "Well that is your truth, but not my truth."
What Has Led to Postmodernism?
What has led to these trends? Many observers point to the fact that rationalism, reason, science and technology have failed to produce the utopia that we were assured was coming in the early part of this century. Idealist dreams were completely shattered by World War I and then even more by World War II, when we witnessed the most horrendous examples of evil that the world had ever seen before. The century of supposedly the greatest human progress has also witnessed the most horrible examples of human evil and sin.
Technology, promised to solve all problems, has brought with it problems that we have only begun to fully appreciate. With all of our progress in communication technology, human beings feel more isolated from one another than ever before. In an era where communication is instant and increasingly global, people feel more lonely than ever before.
In many ways, the church should rejoice that the foundations of modernism are crumbling. Biblical authority was horribly undermined by the rationalism of higher-criticism. But in place of modern rationalism we now face, with increasing frequency and intensity, the question Pilate asked Christ, "What is truth?"
The Church's Opportunity in a Postmodern Culture
Classical, orthodox Christianity has an opportunity today to assert itself in ways that were not as possible during the heyday of modern rationalism. With the demise of modernism, the old critics of Christianity are no longer as respected as they once were. When a "Jesus seminar" gathers to decide what Jesus said or didn't say, their assertions are no longer simply praised by secular media, but actually criticized. This would have been unheard of thirty or forty years ago where every higher-critical theory was hailed as a marvelous new discovery.
How can the church today claim to have absolute truth, when the world around us, more than ever, is rejecting the idea that there is such a truth? How can the church tell the world that there is one sure and certain foundation for all of life, when it seems that people are willing to create their own truths and their own foundations? When the church asserts that there is absolute right and absolute wrong, how is this done in a culture that believes that morality is relative, and depends only on personal interests and needs? How does the church tell people they are sinners, when people no longer feel guilty about anything?
In light of the pressures of post-modernism, it might be tempting for us to throw up our hands in despair. Another reaction may be to try to bury our head in the sand and act as if these things were not really so. Perhaps the worst reaction of all would be merely to "go with the flow" and attempt to accommodate the church to postmodern culture, to give the "consumer" what he or she wants, to do whatever it takes to be "successful" and then to cloak our surrender to postmodernism in the pious claim that we are only "being all things to all people." There is a better way.
In our present environment, when rationalism is being questioned, the church is able to proclaim the Gospel with new urgency and vigor, for more than ever before people are searching for meaning, identity and a sense of who they are.
Reaching Out to a Postmodern Society
Let's think about a few ways to reach out to our postmodern world. For instance, in our preaching. People today may no longer be able to deal as effectively with abstract discussions of doctrine as they once were. Instead, we will lead people to understand Biblical doctrine by the use of our Lord's parables—from the master storyteller. It will be important for us to emphasize the importance of Christian friendships and relationships.
A sense of history is more attractive than ever before to people who feel disconnected and disoriented by the rapid pace of technology. The Lutheran church has deep roots in Christian history. Unlike many Protestant denominations in this country, our church has a deep love and respect for the history of the church and its historic practices and traditions in our worship life and church culture. These historical strengths need to be emphasized and highly valued.
There is a danger in reaching out to our postmodern culture. While the church will want to reach out in ways that connect with postmodernists, we must not simply allow postmodernists to remain comfortable with their cultural assumptions. While there is a place for appealing to emotions, the church must work hard to catechize people to think Biblically. The emphasis in our circles on a renewal in catechesis is extremely important. Incorporating the strengths of the ancient church's catechetical process is more important than ever before.
Another great temptation is for the church to change its teaching in order to reach out. A congregation's desire for growth may tempt it to move away from truths that are objectionable to "seekers." We have seen how, in other Christian denominations, a desire to be a large congregation often leads to a significant change in theology. Usually, a change in style leads to a change in content.
The process of making disciples is where, I believe, the church today has its greatest challenge and most significant opportunity. We are sensing more and more that careful catechesis will involve incorporating a person into the "family" of the church, not merely putting that person through six one-hour sessions in a classroom setting. Catechesis needs to take on a more "total" approach to bring a person into the church. Worship and rights of passage through the process will become increasingly more important. Identifying "sponsors" to walk with the new member during his or her journey into the church will need to become a higher priority.
We are learning the importance for the church to stand firm on two key concepts: morality and truth. The proclamation of the Law needs to be very clear, very direct and very to the point. We realize that a person is moved by the Holy Spirit, through the preaching of the Law, to recognize his or her sin. Then, and only then, will this person be able to receive the Gospel's powerful strength and comfort. Proclaiming Law and Gospel requires a strong commitment to the truth and a desire not to compromise, water-down or sugar-coat that truth in order to please people so they will "like us."
As we survey the challenges of postmodernism, we need to recognize that there are many ways we can reach out meaningfully to our culture—ways that do not compromise our stand on Biblical and Confessional truths. We can creatively and faithfully draw people to the preaching of the Gospel among us, without sacrificing truth, or without merely imitating whatever seems to be "working" at the moment. We need to continue to reach out boldly with the Gospel, all the while remaining absolutely faithful to Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions.
Looking With Hope to the Future
Our Synod can and should look with hope to the future and recognize that the opportunities are greater today than ever before, as the Lord lays before us a people longing for a relationship with Him and with other human beings. As Biblical and confessional Lutherans, we reach out with the objective means of our Lord's grace, offering to the world those wonderful gifts of God's love, His Word and His Sacraments. We are absolutely confident that our Lord has promised to be with us through His gifts of Word and Sacrament.
To insecure people, we hold out the certainty of our Lord's presence in Word and Sacrament. To people filled with doubt, we hold out the sure and certain truth of the Word of God. To people who are anxious and troubled, we hold out the comfort of God's forgiveness in Christ our Lord. To people feeling hopeless, we hold out the life-giving hope of eternal life through our Lord's death and resurrection. To people who feel life has no meaning, or are unsure how to find meaning, we are able to proclaim the truth of the Gospel—which gives meaningful life now and for all eternity.
Yes, the challenges posed by postmodernism are great, but so are the opportunities. How good, then, to know with absolutely certainty that the Lord who has been with and blessed us richly in years past will continue to do so as we move ahead.
The Rev. Dr. A. L. Barry
President
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod