THE POST-MODERNIST CHRISTIAN CHURCH |
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'Post-Modernism' is the label given to the philosophy, or manner of living, of our times. Much has been written about this phenomenon, but put succinctly it is saying that people today feel free to question everything, even the most fundamental basis of society and the most traditional beliefs. This has come about in the Western world due to a number of factors, each of which influences the other. Universal formal education has enabled people to be more enquiring. Our economic sufficiency raises our concerns from day-to-day survival worries to enjoy more leisure which in turn enables us to investigate a wide range of subjects which broaden the mind. The availability of knowledge on any subject, of scientific matters especially, through the media and the Internet and the opportunity to learn the opinions of the widest variety of people. Add to these, the enormous number of choices now open to every individual. These factors together promote the present trend to lead a life which is more personal, more individualistic, more self-sufficient, from which it follows that we have less regard for the authority of persons and institutions. This gives us freedom of expression and freedom of life-style. More aware that we are all citizens of the same world influenced, through travel and immigration, by a large variety of cultures, we are questioning our own traditional cultural values. Science, as a universal language unaffected by culture, is no longer believed to be the provider of all answers for our future. Nor is pure rationalism. In fact there is no longer a belief in any certainties, in any truth as absolute. Everything we have relied upon in the past is thrown into the melting pot and has not yet been poured out into a new mould, nor, in fact is it ever likely to be. And among the elements of life thrown into the pot is religious belief. Today, Christians are feeling free to question past religious teaching. They want to be persuaded that it is authentic, by which they mean that it relates to how they experience life within the total context of our present world. They are no longer prepared to have life's decisions taken by other people on their behalf, by people 'in authority'. They want to decide for themselves how they should live and the quality of life they want for their children. There is a re-emphasis today on the conscience as the final arbiter in the choices with which we are faced. When we say that people are conscientious we mean that they listen to their conscience, they live an ethical life. Literally, the word 'conscience' means 'knowledge alongside' (con-science). The conscience is that 'still small voice' at the deepest level of our consciousness which nudges us into a way of behaving in line with our better self. In Christian terms, the conscience has been defined as our homing instinct for the Kingdom of God. Far from meaning 'do what you like' or 'let the situation determine the morality', basing our moral decisions on our conscience does presume a formed conscience. One's conscience is formed by sifting and accepting a variety of ingredients and the composite picture they give us. Among these ingredients are our Scriptures and Church teaching. There is the Civil Law. Also the advice we receive from others and our own experience which we must learn to trust. Then there are the opinions of others expressed in discussion or dialogue, as well as consideration of the here and now situation in which we have to make our decision. And under-girding it all is our prayerfulness, our openness to the promptings of the Holy Spirit in whatever form this may come to us. We need to distinguish between our moral conscience, as we describe it above, and our psychological conscience. This latter arises from our feeling guilt. It predominates among children who have not the maturity to arrive at a formed conscience. A feeling of guilt may arise from the blame or punishment one expects. It has no relation to moral evil. In these times which may seem so chaotic and without reliable guidance, we are called upon to build our personal bridge between religious doctrine - what the Church proposes for our belief - on the one side, and our present-day culture on the other. The belief system upon which we base our life has to be expressed, even to ourselves, in a language which rings true with our culture. Our post-modern culture is challenging Christians to make a personal shift in their religious life. A shift from accepting religious truths as a 'given', to venturing to make our own journey of discovery. From relying upon what we are taught, to putting more reliance on what we experience. From the ideal of seeking perfection as 'soul business' - saving our souls - to seeking wholeness in body, mind and spirit, for both ourselves and for others. From regarding opposites (different Faiths for example) as being in conflict, to accepting to live with the paradox of opposites. (If I maintain I am right, it does not follow that the different belief of others is wrong.) In embracing this new paradigm, Christians may find themselves in conflict with a Church leadership which in many cases is still stuck in a pre-modernist model. Adrian B Smith |
