Who can blame people for being wary of the postmodern mindset? To many of us, postmodernism is an ideological failure, a way of life built on rocky ground that soon will crumble. It often celebrates change for changes sake and seems to be based on the maxim, If it feels good, do it.
But, lets take a higher view. First, lets thank God for the ones who have turned to Christ, and then lets discover and duplicate the approaches that worked for them. Second, lets admit that postmoderns are here to stay. Their approach to life is not a fad that will fade away like last years fashion. Theirs is a philosophy thats been developing and evolving for decades.
Social historians date postmodernisms inception to the late 1960s and early 1970s when the first baby boomers came of age and questioned authority. And those in leadership often left themselves wide open for distrust. A gap developed that was chipped wider by people on both sides of the growing chasm. We may not like it, but its there. Its a fact of life, and those of us who are serious about evangelism need to spend more time understanding it than complaining about it, so we can build an effective bridge.
By listening, Im not suggesting we agree with them. Far from it. Our truth is based on the firm foundation of Gods gracious gift of salvation. I agree with evangelist Junior Hill who tells about a new pastor in town who was advised to avoid using the name of Jesus in order to offend fewer and reach more. Junior said he would take the first plane away from a place where he was told to appease a pagan mindset.
Third, lets remember theypostmodernsare not the enemy. Satan is. Much of the rhetoric I hear implies that postmoderns are evil. That kind of thinking divides people and labels on mission Christians as unenlightened. Postmoderns are a mission field ripe for harvest. They are searching for a truth that is solid.
Fourth, lets be frank: they are often us. As the comic strip character Pogo famously said, We have met the enemy, and the enemy is us.
Evangelical researcher George Barna says 64 percent of Christians dont believe truth is absolute; they believe it is relative. This confirms my observation that too many of us are theoretical evangelicals but practical relativists. We say one thing but do another. The thinking of the postmodern world has spilled into our own.
Look at our marriages. Even those of us who have been grounded in Gods truth and should know better often cave when we experience a shift in our emotions. Radio host Janet Parshall tells of a pastors wife who emailed for advice, saying her marriage was growing cold. The woman wrote: When I look to my pastor, who is also my husband, and I know he doesnt love me like he used to, I realize I cant grow spiritually under his leadership. Should I go to another church? Im proud of Janets unwavering answer:
No, God wants your marriage restored.
I think of a pastor who told me of having an affair. When I asked him ifwhile falling into the sinful relationshiphe recognized the warning signs, heard the alarms going off in his conscience, he answered: Yes, but I decided to disconnect the wires.
A pastor friend of mine and his wife spoke to some teenage girls about dressing modestly, explaining that one reason was to help boys avoid temptation. We were shocked by their response: If the boys minds stray, thats their problem. These were Christian girls, but this was postmodern thinking.
Wouldnt it be great to reach out to postmoderns and convince them that following Jesus is cool?
Bob Reccord is president of the North American Mission Board, SBC. His latest book is Beneath the Surface: Steering Clear of Dangers that Could Leave You Shipwrecked (Broadman and Holman 2002). He is the host of the Baptist Hour which airs on more than 400 radio stations and at www.baptisthour.com.