Acts 13.36
“David served the purpose of God in his own generation.”
Like David in his time, we in our time must serve the purpose of God and stand firm against the enemy. In every generation of human history, the evil one employs devious strategies to attack God and his people. Postmodernism is one of the strategies being used in our generation.
One of the great questions of our time revolves around the nature of reality and truth. Is truth connected to objective reality, or is it subjective and relative? Do we construct truth through our personal or cultural experiences, or is truth objective and knowable through observation, reason, and rational investigation?
The historic western view is that truth is that which corresponds to reality. That means truth is objective and exists independent of any person’s belief or disbelief. An individual or group believing something to be true does not make it true, nor does anyone’s disbelief make a thing untrue. Further, the western worldview is that truth is knowable through careful observation and rational investigation. And since truth is knowable, it can therefore be communicated.
Postmodernism strongly rejects this definition of truth. The postmodern view is that there is no such thing as objective reality; instead, truth is subjective and constructed. The assertion is that since objective truth does not exist, it cannot be known through rational analysis; rather, “truth” is formed and constructed through subjective experiences and perceptions, and it is shared through the narratives created by individuals and groups.
Each person and group creates their own “reality” by means of their experiences, perceptions, and stories.
These are not philosophical games reserved for academics and intellectuals. The postmodern worldview is growing significantly stronger in our time. Even people who would not consider themselves “postmodern” have adopted postmodern narratives like, “perception is reality” and “whatever is true for you” and “it’s all a matter of interpretation.” This distorted view of truth seeks to undermine the foundation of the Christian faith, and it threatens to unravel the fabric of our society.
Consider, then, Paul’s message in the opening chapter of Romans:
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools.” (Romans 1.18-22)
The Christian faith teaches that truth is objective and knowable, because God (who is objective and real) is the Creator and Author of truth. God created the physical world and the laws that govern it; he created the spiritual realm and the laws that govern it; he created man with the ability to know and communicate truth, and he placed man in the cause-and-effect world.
The Bible is God’s mechanism for communicating verbal truth to man. We are not given license to re-interpret scripture according to our subjective perceptions. Here is what the apostle Peter says: “For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” (2 Peter 1.16-17)
In the words of scripture, postmodernism is a “cleverly devised myth” that seeks to “suppress the truth.” Do not buy into the myth. Trust the truth. God is real. He has created, he has communicated, and he has called you to himself.
