{"id":3811,"date":"2019-02-20T11:18:31","date_gmt":"2019-02-20T16:18:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/anglicanconnection.com\/?p=3811"},"modified":"2019-02-20T11:20:05","modified_gmt":"2019-02-20T16:20:05","slug":"postmodernism-truth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anglicanconnection.com\/postmodernism-truth\/","title":{"rendered":"Postmodernism & Truth…"},"content":{"rendered":"

Twelve months ago I drew attention to Robert Letham\u2019s observations in his book,\u00a0The Holy Trinity<\/em>\u00a0(P&R Publishing: 2004), concerning the impact of postmodernism on society. He comments that since the 1970s the western world has developed \u2018a generally pessimistic view of human progress\u2026 The modern world\u2019s reliance on reason has been replaced by a preference for emotion\u2026 The cardinal fault in interpersonal relations now is to hurt someone\u2019s feelings\u2026\u2019 (p.449).<\/p>\n

\u2018In the vanguard of this new world order,\u2019 he continues, \u2018are not so much scientists as literary critics. Its root feature is the view that the world is without objective meaning or absolute truth\u2026\u2019 (p.453).<\/p>\n

How should we respond?\u00a0<\/strong>Letham suggests \u2018perhaps the most appropriate response to the postmodern suspicion of claims of objective, absolute truth is in our focusing on the manipulation-free, self-giving love of God\u2019 (p.456). Yet how often do we find this \u2018manipulation-free, self-giving love of God\u2019 emulated in churches?<\/p>\n

He asks, \u2018How often do evangelists use music to get their audience into the right mood, to soften them up, so that they can influence them more easily and so change their behaviour? \u2026 Much \u201cworship\u201d today is not worship at all, for it is not directed to the Holy Trinity, but to the advancement of hidden agendas, the bolstering of human pride, or the entertainment of seekers’.<\/p>\n

By contrast, Paul\u2019s thanksgiving for the church in Colossae, speaks of a church that is God\u2019s workmanship.<\/p>\n

In Colossians 1:3-8 we read:\u00a0In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. You have heard of this hope before in the word of the truth, the gospel\u00a0<\/sup>that has come to you. Just as it is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world, so it has been bearing fruit among yourselves from the day you heard it and truly comprehended the grace of God. This you learned from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, and he has made known to us your love in the Spirit\u00a0<\/em>(Colossians 1:1-8).<\/p>\n

Salvation \u2013 the work of the One in Three God.\u00a0<\/strong>The Colossians did not just have a \u2018faith in God\u2019 but rather their faith was in\u00a0Christ Jesus<\/em>\u00a0who, Paul tells us, enjoys a unique relationship with God the Father. Paul explains this relationship more fully in Colossians 1:15 where he speaks of Jesus being\u00a0the image of the invisible God<\/em>,\u00a0the firstborn before all creation.<\/em>\u00a0Jesus perfectly reveals the nature and being of God.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, there is reference to another Person in the Godhead whom we so easily overlook. In verses 7 and 8 we read:\u00a0This\u00a0<\/em>(gospel)\u00a0you learned from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, and he has made known to us your love in the Spirit.<\/em><\/p>\n

God\u2019s Spirit was also intimately involved in the work of salvation \u2013 the Colossians\u00a0faith in the Lord Jesus Christ<\/em>\u00a0and also\u00a0their love for all the saints<\/em>\u00a0(verse 4).<\/p>\n

Love<\/strong>. The Colossians\u2019 relationship with the Lord Jesus expressed itself in their relationship with one another. They were a new community, the people of God. The\u00a0love<\/em>\u00a0of which Paul speaks is one that binds people of different national and cultural backgrounds into a unique community. It was an example of the way Jesus\u2019 command was being fulfilled when he said,\u00a0\u201cA new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another\u201d\u00a0<\/em>(John 13: 34-35).<\/p>\n

Truth<\/strong>. In our postmodern age, it\u2019s worth noticing Paul\u2019s emphasis on\u00a0the truth<\/em><\/strong>.<\/em>\u00a0The gospel<\/em>, he says,\u00a0is the word of the truth.<\/em>\u00a0He could have omitted any reference to\u00a0the truth<\/em>, but he didn\u2019t. And, because it is the word of the truth Christianity was expanding\u00a0all over the world,<\/em>\u00a0he says.<\/p>\n

Robert Letham comments: \u2018It is vital that we present people with the context in which an intelligent response to the gospel can be made. The message of God\u2019s grace must be grounded in creation, the reality of truth, and in the union and communion of the Trinity\u2019 (p.456).<\/p>\n

– – –<\/p>\n

Starting Wednesday, March 6. \u00a0Lenten Reflections \u2013 40 Days with the Gospel of John<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lent<\/strong>\u00a0forms an important part of the Christian church\u2019s traditional calendar. Each day of Lent, I am offering a selected text from the Gospel of John, paired with a reflection. Alongside the readings and reflections, there will a prayer, one of the collects (in Anglican terms, a short prayer that collects the ideas of the day). Together with a suggested daily reading plan from the Gospel of John that will take you through the whole book by Easter.<\/p>\n

Email me if you are interested, or sign up next week on the Anglican Connection website:\u00a0www.anglicanconnection.com<\/a><\/u><\/p>\n

\u00a9 John G. Mason, Anglican Connection<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Twelve months ago I drew attention to Robert Letham\u2019s observations in his book,\u00a0The Holy Trinity\u00a0(P&R Publishing: 2004), concerning the impact of postmodernism on society. 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