Postmodernity

By Trey Sullivan
Oh Hi. So, once per week the interns at Grace meet for a round-table discussion. For the last two weeks, we've been discussing postmodernity and the emerging "conversation" in the Church. We've discussed a lot of topics, and I feel like I'm finally getting a tiny grip around what it means to be a postmodern person in a postmodern culture. And while I sincerely don't buy it all, I've been trying to reorganize my thinking in order to harmonize the modern and postmodern cultures that I've been brought up in. Many of you will know that I try to be "veterrimus" rather that modern or postmodern. If we haven't talked about that before, I hope that we can.

But I'm not blogging to share my thoughts, opinions or observations. At least not this time. But I will give one observation, and then ask you what you think. I have realized that schooling never taught me about postmodernity. In my time at Huntington University, I have never had an academic class discussion about postmodernity as a whole. A lot of teachers have brought in specific aspects of the pomo mindset or beliefs, but never laid out how postmodernity came about or what challenges it brought to the status quo. I'm specifically interested that we never discussed this in my ministry classes; this new worldview holds huge ramifications about how we minister in our culture.

So let me ask you, have you received any teaching about Postmodernity at HU? Any teaching that was specifically about Pomo, and not just critiques of specific aspects of it?

Love
Trey
 

4 comments so far.

  1. Brett June 18, 2009 at 8:57 AM
    Did you ever take Emerging Worship? That was a lot of postmodern discussion. I'm think there was a J-term class last year about it too.
  2. Trey Sullivan June 18, 2009 at 9:58 AM
    I did take Emerging Worship, but I don't remember a lot of discussion on postmodernity itself, more discussions about postmodern worship practices and values. But I could just misremember.
  3. Ben June 18, 2009 at 9:04 PM
    my suspicion about post-modernity is that no one really defines it because it is indefinable, and doesn't really exist. it's just POST-modernity, a reaction to the modern worldview, stating itself as something beyond modernity, but not having any definable structure or worldview of its own. i think it's dumb to label things "post-" this or that. then no one really knows what it is besides that it's not that which it is "post" of. we should probably come up with a new name for post-modernism. something cool, and hip. and not modern.

    emerging worship is a confusing thing too, because it's pretty much born out of the post-modernism movement, and in a way a reaction against the modern evangelical church, and thus also indefinable. at least that's got its own name though. it's a start.
  4. constant composition June 23, 2009 at 1:34 AM
    Trey . . . both your "postmodern" post and my own struggle with the divides the church has suffered in today's world inspired me to seek out some of the perspectives offered up in this infinitely accessible postmodern communication forum we call the internet . . . I came across a paper that has renewed my faith in Christ, and I think might address some of your questions about how the postmodernist worldview might affect the ministry of the gospel . . .I look forward to discussing this paper with you . . . here is the link . . . enjoy:
    http://www.scribd.com/doc/13385894/Preaching-in-a-PostModern-City . . . Sean

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