Post or Pre?

Post-Modern, Post-Christian or Pre-Christian? 

Theologians and Ecclesiologists often refer to our time as Post-Modern. What does that mean?  A search for a clear definition leaves one confused as to a consensus meaning. But here is a simple definition by Terry Eagleton: "the contemporary movement of thought which rejects ... the possibility of objective knowledge" and is therefore "skeptical of truth, unity, and progress" ["After Theory," 2003]. 

The operative word is: “rejects the possibility of objective knowledge.” Therefore, Relativism has become normative in politics, economics, theology, sexuality, ethics, truth, philosophy, etc. There is no doubt this Post-Modernism rules in our universities, mainline theological seminaries, our culture and many of our churches. Since in Post-Modernism there can be no absolute truth, “my” truth becomes absolute for me. So if I self-identify as a rock, who are you to question my truth? 

This attitude toward the nature of truth has produced what many in Europe and North America identify as a Post-Christian age. This is understandable since Orthodox Christianity rests on certain absolute truths as revealed in Scripture and confirmed by the church through the generations. The crisis currently being experienced in the modern mainline denominations is the result of the impact of Post-Modernism on the church. 

Now we can enter a time of mourning for what has been lost. Mourning is most appropriate during times of grief and loss. To avoid mourning is simply to postpone it. We will never move beyond the loss until we experience an appropriate grief process. 

 As we mourn and begin to process through our grief, we then begin to ask, “Now what?” We can never return to the way things were before the loss. We have experienced the death of a child. One marks time, “before our son died and after.” Things will never be the same again. 

So if the age is Post-Christian, and we have adequately dealt with our grief over what is lost, where do we go as a church? What is next? 

I recommend we boldly move to understand or see our world as Pre-Christian, or “Not yet Christian.”  While 75% of Americans say they are Christian, fewer than 35% attended worship last week. And as experienced pastors, we know many who do attend have never had a transforming experience of the grace of Jesus in their lives…or are not Christian. While it's hard to get accurate numbers of practicing Christians, simple observation makes clear most people in our world have no vital relationship with Jesus. 

That is sad. We need to experience godly sorrow over that sad truth. Then we need to get up and do something about it. Our Modern way of doing and being church in a Post-Modern, Pre-Christian world is not working and it never will.

Jesus came to seek and the save the lost. What would it look like if the church of Jesus Christ rediscovered what it means to effectively join Jesus in his mission?