Phyllis Tickle in the book “The Great Emergence” cleverly uses the metaphor of a rummage sale (garage sale) to help us understand the contextual changes in the Church over the last 2000 years. About every 500 years the church clears out its garage by holding a sale. The sign on the footpath reads” Everything Must Go”.

Tickle traces these major shifts the following way:

• 30-70 – Birth of the Church – 70-130 – Decline of Judaism
• 590 – Fall of the Roman Empire and the beginning of the Dark Ages
• 1054 – The Great Schism – Church divided between East and West
• 1517 – The Reformation and the beginning of the Modern Period
• 2000 + – Postmodern Period

The results of the last sale are that we live in a new era but we are unsure what to call it other than it is “Post” what was before. As yet we don’t have a clear paradigm/ worldview but we do have the following insights into the nature of the Postmodern Period.

Postmoderns do not endorse any one worldview but believe there is a diversity of perspectives for understanding the world. The planet we now inhabit is so much smaller than it used to be.  The internet brings the world to my fingertips.  We live with far more awareness about world events as they occur, along with exposure to people groups outside the lines of our own subcultures.  Religiously, this means that the diversity we are exposed to is not simply the myriad of Christian denominations but also most of the world’s religions, cults and pagan practices. All of this results in a diversity of perspective when it comes to understanding the world, understanding humankind, and our place in the universe. 

Postmoderns believe this universe is more complex and expansive than we realised. Those of us indoctrinated with the Modern worldview learned that the scientific method, properly applied, was a reliable process for discovering truth.  Facts, logic, rational thought led to an accurate understanding of reality. As it turns out, the universe is more complex than we realised. Now Postmoderns are pushing the envelope, promoting the idea that other ways of knowing can be real and effective. No longer is there one worldview, (or just a few), nor is there one way of knowing and describing reality. This causes problems for Christianity that tends to systematically explain reality through the lens of one worldview.

Postmoderns believe that the diversity in the world makes subjective experience far more important when it comes to identifying truth, reality, and relevance. Since there is such a growing diversity, establishing truths that persist across cultures is difficult.  Many Postmodern people are going local.  What makes sense in your local context?  What’s the truth of this community?  What’s real and lasting as you interpret life; you being a community of faith or an individual?  The local context drives Postmodern understandings of what’s real and genuine.  At the same time, one’s experience in life is also considered a very reliable guide for direction.  An emphasis on one’s individual journey, and the lessons learned, is rising as a way to set direction for life.

Postmodern people are far more open to spirituality, especially in terms of mystery and experience, than those of the Modern Era. Since logic and rationality cannot explain people’s experience, then the place of spirituality is growing.  Postmoderns believe there are ways of knowing beyond what our cognitive abilities can know. This perspective lessens the view of universal objective truths, and raises the interest in discovering truth through spiritual and subjective experiences. Scientists of the Modern Era may have dismissed spirituality due to its resistance to the scientific method, but now scientists are calling for the inclusion of spirituality in the pursuit of understanding the universe.  As you might think, spirituality and religion are not synonymous. Yet, Postmoderns see spiritual mystery as valid and even necessary for a balanced life.

Postmodern people increasingly distrust institutions. When culture and social norms begin breaking-down, the organisations that are built upon older paradigm/ worldviews also experience disruption.  The shift to the Postmodern era is raising questions about everything in society.  Institutions and organisations, seen as icons of a certain era, are receiving serious criticism as the shift becomes clearer.  We have to admit, some of the criticism and suspicion is well-placed, given the excesses (financial, moral, social, breach of trust, etc.) of leaders in the Modern Era.  These contribute to the suspicion and distrust already rising in the Postmodern Era.

Postmodern people increasingly choose to trust others based on genuineness and authenticity.  Positional authority existed in the Modern Era.  Simply because one was in a position of authority or influence, we believed this person deserved respect and levels of trust.  In this era, positional authority does not mean much.  Now, more than ever, trust must be earned.  Genuineness, one’s authenticity, is a major factor in whether we trust a person in a position of influence.  Skills and position alone will not elicit respect.  Now leaders and authority figures must have depth of personhood to back up their skill set.  Authenticity, being a real person first before filling a role, is necessary for postmoderns to trust one’s influence.

Whatever brand of Christianity you adhere to a business-as-usual approach to the future will not work. A growing portion of society is clearing out the garage and everything is going. Post-modernism rejects the notion of absolute truth, no longer trusts authority and does not believe in a meta-narrative that claims to present a single truth. They believe that truth is subjective, biased, and socially constructed. The rejection of the concept of a meta-narrative which, for the disciple of Jesus includes acceptance of authority, the Bible and the centrality of Christ as Lord and Saviour will deeply affect our mission into the 21^st century.

Invitation. If this blog spikes your interest, we would encourage you to pass the URL on to friends who are also looking at how best to engage potential disciples in the 21^st century. For those who have already done this we appreciate it.