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From a Christian perspective, leaving
"modern" for "post-modern" is not good or
bad... it's just different! |
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| The modern worldview was not
exactly favorable to Christians, after all
Charles Darwin was a classic poster child
for the modernists. The modern view
basically held that science was going to be
our savior. It would take care of all our
needs and answer all our questions. |
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In the 60's a
new attraction opened at Disneyland called
"The Carousel of Progress." This was a
great picture of the modern worldview.
As you proceeded through the ride, you saw
different time periods and how through
scientific and technological advancement our needs were being
met and our lives were getting better and
better. Each time the scenes changed
the theme song played "There's a great big
beautiful tomorrow, shining at the end of
every day." |
| In the modern era, the
Judeo-Christian values were generally
accepted, even if someone didn't actually
believe the Bible. Think back to the
TV shows like "Leave it to Beaver."
There was a value system that was the
foundation of the culture itself. Most
of the legal system and constitution of the
United States was founded on the Old
Testament law. There was one truth.
Over the last 30 years, several Christian
groups have seen the erosion of "traditional
values" and have tried various means of
fighting the decline. However, they
did not realize the extent of the cultural
transformation that was taking place.
In retrospect we can see that most of their
efforts were like trying to protect a sand
castle from the incoming tide. A moral
standard must be based on an absolute truth
which is generally accepted. The
problem is, fewer and fewer people
accept ANY truth as absolute. |
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| We are used to the modern
worldview, it's what we know. That
which is now upon us is different and we really
don't know what to expect. But the news is
not all bad. With unbelieving moderns
we found ourselves having to argue to prove
the existence of God. With
post-moderns that is not the case because they
have
a refreshing openness to spiritual things.
With them the issue will be: "which God?"
The post-modern doesn't want a "seeker
sensitive" or watered down version of the
faith. If they choose to investigate a
particular religious belief they want to see
the real thing. But don't look for a
quick "decision for Christ." They are
not likely to pray a quick prayer in the
back of a tract. The post-modern
unbeliever is more likely to want to walk
along side you for a period of time and see
if this belief of yours is real, and how
well it is fleshed out in YOUR day-to-day
life before they make a commitment. |
| The table below gives a
thumbnail sketch of the major differences in the
two views. |
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MODERN |
POST-MODERN |
| Absolute truth |
Construct your own truth |
| Facts, Observation, Logic |
Feelings, Personal Experience |
| Scientific Exploration |
Spiritual Exploration |
| Judeo-Christian Values |
Moral Relativism |
| God = The God of the Bible |
Many gods, all equal |
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"seeing is believing" |
"believing is seeing" |
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| With this drastic change
upon us, and the methods the church has been
using becoming less and less effective in
this new culture... what is the church to
do? |
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