Monday, May 14, 2012
Does God Read Derrida?
WHO IS DECONSTRUCTING THE DECONSTRUCTIONISTS? - Millard Erickson
It is no secret that the church in North America is in decline and in trouble. There are many diagnosis's to the problem but one that the church has been flirting with for a few decades is a more postmodern Christianity. Modernity had it strengths and weaknesses but the world the church finds itself in is so different that modern or older versions of doing church simply won't work. Newer models like missional or emergent or postmodern are the new teachers for our day.
For people who can take the strengths and leave the weaknesses of postmodernity and make their faith better, then more power to you. For those who want to posit postmodern against modern and make this another place for the church to split over, the church does not need one more division among the many divisions that already exist.
One of the amazing things is how Christians can hitch their wagons to almost anything new or faddish all in the name of being progressive or newer is better. I certainly believe Christians can learn something from their critics but what happens when the critics become Christians tutors unawares? Most of the leading postmodern philosophers like Derrida, Focault, and Lytard were all French Jewish atheists. Should the church be charting its future course from one of radical skepticism? And is there anything left saving or contructing after all the radical deconstructing is finished if it ever is? Is it possible that the way forward for the church is for it first to understand it's past, where it's been, and who it has become? Rather than Christians trying to deconstruct God or Jesus or the church, maybe its time God start deconstucting us?
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