Tuesday, 24 August 2010 19:00 Written by John Ronning

One of the tenets of postmodernism is the (alleged) inability of humans to have certain knowledge of the Truth. Truth is relative, and should be arrived at and agreed upon in community settings. What is believed to be truth, according to this thinking, should promote community through the common adoption of a narrative, or story line, about what life is all about. Different communities can have different, conflicting stories, and no one should use his beliefs to oppress those who disagree. A community can have their own "narrative," describing what they like to believe, but no one can have a "metanarrative," which purports to be true for everyone.

Since the Bible makes it clear that we not only can, but must, come to a certain knowledge of the truth. You might think it obvious that Christians would not be open to postmodernism. Some professing Christians are, however. If you are a preacher, how do you address this issue?

I think that the incident of the golden calf (Exodus 32) is one example of postmodernism in action. Sounds odd, doesn't it—how could something that took place 3500 years ago be post (after) modern? Well, that's one of the main things that has come to me over and over again in studying postmodernism: there is really nothing new about it, except perhaps some of the terminology that is used. Here are my main points:

1. Postmodernism is a philosophical mask for unbelief, which is a spiritual and moral problem, not a logical or philosophical or epistemological one.

How could the Israelites say, "We do not know"? They did not know because they did not believe what God had previously said: "Come up to me on the mountain and remain there, and I will give you the stone tablets with the law and the commandment which I have written for their instruction" (Exod 24:12). So they could only say they did not know what happened to Moses because they did not believe.

Postmodernism gives such unbelief a philosophical justification: "We don't know because we can't know, and no one can know, because of the situatedness of all human communication, because we are fallible and sinful, because all language is ambiguous. Anyone who tells you different is just trying to control you; reasoning and metanarratives are just tools of oppression."

God's perspective is different; the problem with the people is not merely a matter of logic or philosophy, but it is moral, spiritual: "Your people... have corrupted themselves, they have turned aside quickly... they are a stiff-necked people" (Exod 32:7–9). In explaining his going along with the people's wishes, Aaron acknowledges that it is not some abstract philosophy that motivated the people, but their evil inclination: "Do not let the anger of my lord burn, you know the people yourself, that they are prone to evil" (v. 22). And notice how "evil" and "unbelieving" are paired in Heb 3:12 in applying the lessons of the wilderness generation: "Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God."

Here is another way of summarizing point 1: Postmodernism is a philosophical trick used to justify doing and believing what is right in one's own eyes.

2. Postmodernism on Mt. Sinai led to syncretism, the most deadly form of idolatry, which is an abomination to our God.

"We don't know" is the basis for saying to Aaron, "Make us a god (or, gods) who will go before us." This is basically how postmodernism works: "We cannot know, all attempts at certain knowledge must fail, so the best we can do is construct our own worldview, our own narrative, our own gods, have our own local theology, our own gospel (there is, after all, no pure, transcendent, gospel), and have a good time while we're at it" in order to meet the needs and aspirations of postmodern man, which is "story" and "community." Notice how these twin objectives are realized in the worship of the golden calf: "here are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up from Egypt" (story) and "they sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play"(community). Of course, we realize that these human desires are properly met in Biblical religion, as the Church is the true community, believing the true story.

Syncretism takes truth and mixes it with error. Because of the part that is true, God's people may be seduced into swallowing the error. "Here are your gods, O Israel, who led you out of Egypt" contains some truth, but the perception of the nature of God is distorted, which is idolatry, even if the correct name for God is used, as Aaron did, probably trying to "rescue" the Israelites from out and out idolatry.

We must therefore not be duped into thinking that just because someone uses the name of Jesus, they are talking about the Jesus who really is, the Lord of glory. The phrase "generous orthodoxy" has been used in the last decade as a way of promoting such syncretism in the church of Jesus. We see this for example in a book called A Generous Orthodoxy by Brian McLaren, a leader in the so-called "emerging church" movement, which is a syncretism of Christianity and liberalism.

3. Postmodernism results in a casting off of restraint.

"Moses saw that the people were out of control, for Aaron had let them get out of control" (or more literally, "let them loose"; Exod 32:25). Aaron doesn't get much credit for being sensitive to the needs and aspirations of postmoderns at Mt. Sinai. There seems to be a play on words, as "he let them loose" in Hebrew looks very much like the name "Pharaoh" (including the retention of the archaic h at the end of the word), as if to indicate the "egyptianizing" of the people.

In the first Psalm, we see that the godly man's attitude towards the law of God is that he delights in it, and meditates on it day and night. In the second Psalm, the wicked view God's law as chains and fetters which they desire to cast off. Postmodernism obviously serves to justify this same result. As I have looked into the beliefs of an organization within the emerging church movement called "Emergent Village," I have seen the same sequence: "We don't know" followed by making one's own god, followed by rejecting biblical law. One sees this repeatedly in the area of sexual immorality, especially in the attempt to normalize homosexuality.

4. In the midst of apostasy there is a call to action to the ministers of God.

Moses called out "Who is on the LORD's side?" and the sons of Levi gathered to him (v. 26). The response of the Levites led to their being chosen as the ministers of God, the teachers of the Bible in Israel (Deut 33:8–11). The consequence of Israel's syncretism was death, and the Levites demonstrated that their loyalty to God was greater than that for their countrymen and family members. Such a fate has as its NT analogy excommunication for those who do not repent, and eternal judgment beyond this life.

Often, postmodernism is marketed as something humble. Isn't it arrogant to think you have the ability to know the truth? Don't you know all the crimes and other abuses that have been committed by those who were certain that they had the truth? Several responses are in order: (1) when men ascribe to us the inability to know the truth about God, they are really ascribing an inability to God to reveal himself to us—that's not humility, but blasphemy. (2) Have you noticed how postmodernists can be so certain about inherent uncertainty? (3) The spread of postmodernism has not resulted in a better world.

Postmodernism, taken to its logical conclusion, cannot pass judgment on those who are "sincerely" practicing the tenets of their belief system arrived at in their particular community, whether communists or jihadists.