Thus far in this series, I presented two stories from the Bible that demonstrate that being “good” by the world’s standards is not really good enough. The discussion of our Lord with the rich, young man and the parable of the ten virgins both indicate that our God desires us not only to be “good,” but also to be holy people. In the last article, we discussed that holiness begins by being conscious of our sins. However, in our postmodern society, it is becoming increasingly difficult to identify our sin, and, therefore, it is even more difficult to repent and attain holiness.    

Postmodernism is the prevailing anti-Christian philosophy in the western world. Postmodernists fundamentally deny the existence of an objective truth or reality, even as it pertains to history or science, and dismiss the idea that fundamental principles are independent of human conditioning.1 To them, reality, reasoning, and logic are subjective and the result of people’s ideas, languages, and cultures. Accordingly, ethics, values, and morals are floating targets formulated through the lens of a given epoch and society.

This philosophy is very problematic for multiple reasons. First, it is inherently illogical.  If postmodernism denies the existence of a universal, objective truth, how can the philosophy itself claim to be true?  The irony is: a postmodernist believes the only truth is that there is no truth.  This concept manifests itself in the agnostic idea that claims that nothing is known or can be known of the existence or nature of God. I remember a discussion I had with an agnostic coworker in which I asked him, “How do you know that you can’t know anything about God? What if God revealed Himself, could you then know?” When the conversation was not progressing, I wanted, but never mustered, enough courage to ask him, “How do you know that your mother gave birth to you?”  The idea that truth is nonexistent is utter absurdity. Sometimes, I feel like it is used as an illogical excuse by those who do not want to investigate the truth.

Secondly, postmodernism is an extremely dangerous idea.  In the absence of absolute truth or morality, people are able to create their own systems of morality based upon their own way of life.  In remote parts of the world, cannibalism is considered a sacred ritual.  In Islamic law, a victim of rape or someone who engages in sexual relations outside of marriage may be killed to uphold the honor of the family. Polygamy and child marriages are an acceptable way of life in the Fundamentalist Mormon Church. As wicked as many of these actions may sound, postmodernism denies the ability to define these actions as objectively right or wrong. Although these are extreme examples, the logical implications of this ideology are catastrophic.  Without a standard of morality, how does one assess pornography, homosexuality, abortion, pre-marital sex, and substance abuse? And if a group of people deem these acts acceptable, and another group doesn’t, whose ideas should prevail? Unfortunately, any attempt to answer these critical questions would violate and contradict the fundamental principles of postmodernism.

Thirdly, postmodernism is anti-Christian. By placing moral standards in the hands of men, we have dethroned God from His judgment seat. We have assumed that mankind knows better and that we can be moral and good without God. We have devalued holiness and the consciousness of sin and, under the veil of equality, pride, and freedom, have developed new intrinsically immoral systems of morality for which we are paying the consequences. For example, one consequence that society is struggling with is rampant pornography addiction, which is in turn fueling a date culture which values pleasure over commitment. This leads to unstable relationships, which then leads to broken marriages and depressed and fragmented families.  In my opinion, the source of the problem is that pornography and dating is tolerable in our society. These things are considered normal – not immoral – because by the world’s standards, goodness is evaluated based on the outward display of good qualities rather than an interior assessment of who one really is. I believe the world is sick of this fake display of goodness and is hungry for something better than what postmodernism can offer. It is time for our church, society, and community to acknowledge our sins, and to show the world what true goodness is – that is, God.  Let us resolve to become a holy people and to share His love and His light with the rest of the world. 

1 Duignan, B. (2017, July 14). Postmodernism. Retrieved from Encyclopedia Britannica, inc.: https://www.britannica.com/topic/postmodernism-philosophy