Postmodernism and Church - would you?
Would you teach a class on postmodernism at your church?
Why?
What would you hope to come of it?
I've had a hankering to do so, but I don't know if I want to other than for my own benefit. Is this something that would benefit the church? Is there some value for it? I am torn because we are not really and evangelical church and yet we are not that Biblically literate, either. So for many people, their worldview is rather traditional though our church is not. If I did it I would probably follow Smith's "Who's Afraid of Postmodernism" as a kind of outline - concise and closer to where people are at. My goal would probably be to help people see the contingent nature of every view; a kind of epistemological crowbar, and how Jesus is our anchor.
Have you or your church done something like this before? Would it just be better to do an in depth study of something like Ephesians? What do you think?
Why?
What would you hope to come of it?
I've had a hankering to do so, but I don't know if I want to other than for my own benefit. Is this something that would benefit the church? Is there some value for it? I am torn because we are not really and evangelical church and yet we are not that Biblically literate, either. So for many people, their worldview is rather traditional though our church is not. If I did it I would probably follow Smith's "Who's Afraid of Postmodernism" as a kind of outline - concise and closer to where people are at. My goal would probably be to help people see the contingent nature of every view; a kind of epistemological crowbar, and how Jesus is our anchor.
Have you or your church done something like this before? Would it just be better to do an in depth study of something like Ephesians? What do you think?
Perhaps you could base your course on this book:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.artandphysics.com
A book which explores via Art the revolutionary all-encompassing cultural implications of Einstein's famous E=MC2 equation, and of Quantum physics/theory/reality. Which tells us that all of this seemingly solid world is a never-ending process of transformations of energy. Or, put in another way the author is investigating what the world might look like when (via William Blake) the "doors of perception are cleansed" and we are thus able to see the world a-new or as it really IS for the first time.
By contrast most, if not all of what is promoted as religion in todays world is still stuck in the 19th Century Newtonian clock-work universe - Newton's Sleep.
I had taught a Sunday school class for college students on postmodernism back in 1989 and I didn't get much engagement. The average person doesn't use that postmodern terminology; perhaps it's rather limited to the philosophy and English departments. So if you do go for it, don't use the buzz words, keep the class Socratic and conversational.
ReplyDeleteHi guys, sorry but Google somehow ate my responses!
ReplyDelete@DJ: Prudent advice. What was the genesis and goal of the class if I might ask? And materials, too! :)
@Anon: Thanks for the suggestion.