Haase_UZ_x007E_DTh (2).pdf - South African Theological Seminary

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the modernists, and especially the Higher Critics. “Many religious traditions typically float in a historical never-never land, immune from a threat that might follow from historical inaccuracies or, for that matter, the absence of any link to historical events in the world of space and time” (Nash, 1998:9). Christianity has for centuries attempted to meet its critics in the historical, here and now, battle for truth. Pre-eminent apologist, J.W. Montgomery, argues that a “nonfactual religion, of course, is not capable of factual defence; but Christianity, grounded in the fact of God’s entrance into human history in the person of Christ, is the factual and defensible religion par excellence” (Montgomery, 1978:30). Montgomery adds: The church of the New Testament is not an esoteric, occult, Gnostic sect whose teachings are demonstrable only to initiates; it is the religion of the incarnate God, at whose death the veil of the temple was rent from top to bottom, opening holy truth to all who would seek it (Montgomery, 1978:38). Christian philosopher, William Lane Craig, believes Christianity should not realign its witness to the world -- especially not in accordance with the present postmodern fad. “Such a realignment would be not only unnecessary, but counterproductive, for the abandonment of objective standards of truth and rationality could only undermine the Christian faith in the long run by making its call to repentance and faith in Christ but one more voice in the cacophony of subjectively satisfying but subjectively vacuous religious interpretations of the world” (Craig in Cowan, 2000:183). Arguing the case for Christianity using postmodern standards will only make it weaker in the process, in effect accommodating to the same subjectivities and relativisms as the postmodernists. Postmodernity does require an apologetic response, but not one that abandons reason in the process. Postmoderns contend there is no objective truth, only subjective truths. For them, knowledge of reality is a mental, and social construct developed via our earthly experiences. The postmodern contends there is no single way of determining truth, and therefore, classical-evidential apologetics are irrelevant. The classical-evidentialist response to the postmodern has been that their contentions are self-defeating; in effect, a 116 University of Zululand, KwaZulu-Natal, <strong>South</strong> Africa
uilding constructed on a shifting sand pile. Dan Story, for example, does not believe socalled postmoderns as nearly as rooted in relativism they suggest: The majority of people on the street still view the world through modernist eyes. Even people who openly endorse postmodernism and argue for relativism do not live consistently with this philosophy -- especially when it conflicts with their self-interests. Although religious pluralism and moral relativism are quickly becoming ingrained in modern culture, the majority of people still think in terms of absolutes and accept the reality of logic and reason. These people need their intellectual obstacles to faith removed (Story, 1998:170). J.W. Montgomery believes, “the effective apologist must be willing to engage in an uncompromising, frontal attack on prevailing non-Christian worldviews. Liberal accommodationism has to be rejected out of hand. Any gains from compromise are trivial when compared to the losses -- losses in integrity and in the power of the gospel message” (Montgomery, 2002). Historical, evidential truth claims are apologetically presented to answer questions, remove doubt and to enable people to make a reasonable response. Ronald Nash adds: “Theistic evidentialists and their anti-theistic counterparts start from the same presupposition, namely, that the rationality of religious belief depends upon the discovery of evidence or arguments to support the belief” (Nash, 1988:71). Evidently, what is necessary for effective Christian witness in a pluralistic world is an objective apologetic -- a ‘reason for the hope that is in you’ -- that will give the non- Christian clear ground for experientially trying the Christian faith before all other options. Absolute proof of the truth of Christ’s claims is available only in personal relationship with Him; but contemporary man has every right to expect us to offer solid reasons for making such a total commitment. The apologetic task is justified not as a rational substitute for faith, but as a ground for faith; not as a replacement for the Spirit’s working, but as a means by which the objective truth of God’s Word can 117 University of Zululand, KwaZulu-Natal, <strong>South</strong> Africa
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1 POSTMODERNITY: IMPACT AND IMPLICA
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3 Key Terms Postmodern, postmoderni
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5 An Apologetic Response 115 Compro
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killed massively in the name of goo
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9 together in an eclectic, rather d
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11 Postmodernity: Impact and Implic
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13 heights” (Veith, 1994:30). For
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15 autonomy proper to human reason
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inviolability and Divine origin, th
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diminished” (Bosch, 2000:6). The
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‘god’ to keep and to save him.
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Occultism flourished among the Brit
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He was a passionate, powerful chara
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27 record reveals that the church o
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29 eliminating poverty, hunger and
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may simply transform the nature and
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Contrary to Christian notions that
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35 ‘modernize’ the nation. To b
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37 expression. This “first respon
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39 of his own awareness of God” (
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41 Existentialism understandably em
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depends upon our decision makes our
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group Socialisme et Liberte. During
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47 The Mind of Sartre Sartre’s vi
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ethical absolutes (Craig, 1994:67).
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51 Chapter II Postmodernity: The Es
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53 Postmoderns promote individualis
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meaning and language. The postmoder
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pointed out that science, far from
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59 Ferdinand de Saussure at the tur
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considers the Greek logos (i.e., λ
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63 models and then try not to subve
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Page 69 and 70: maximum voluntary community agreeme
Page 71 and 72: 71 something akin to the virtual re
Page 73 and 74: 73 During the 1960’s, Foucault wa
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Page 77 and 78: had been trapped. Through Nietzsche
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Page 81 and 82: elieve the conventions of modernity
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Page 85 and 86: 85 referentially incoherent. That i
Page 87 and 88: 87 the second postmodern wave, whic
Page 89 and 90: action. During the colonial period,
Page 91 and 92: interpretation. It again gives sugg
Page 93 and 94: 93 There are three basic forms of (
Page 95 and 96: diverse immigrant populations becom
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Page 99 and 100: 99 but hardly in entirety. Keeping
Page 101 and 102: salvation. Here again we see how Go
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Page 107 and 108: 107 our first love -- Jesus Christ
Page 109 and 110: 109 and the life. No one comes to t
Page 111 and 112: Those who truly know Jesus Christ a
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Page 119 and 120: component of the overall package, b
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Page 131 and 132: 131 Chapter VI Postmodernity and th
Page 133 and 134: Postmodernism enhances the process
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Page 137 and 138: 137 Rome, ‘The Way’ (i.e., Chri
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Page 143 and 144: society. State authorities quite of
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Page 149 and 150: 149 Christendom West. For example i
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Page 157 and 158: 157 of Washington, D.C., have now d
Page 159 and 160: says, “Homosexual practice is inc
Page 161 and 162: the position held by the non-Wester
Page 163 and 164: 163 Chapter VII Postmodern Spiritua
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contemporary West look not to the c
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adherence overall declined from 86.
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171 (Johnson, 2004). Contemporary n
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173 The postmodernists undertook th
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deconstruction leads to a foundatio
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177 postmodernity has opened the do
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Pagans are usually worshippers of t
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most Catholics in Brazil. Many Musl
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which is one of the key factors tha
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185 1980:viii). For example, when t
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187 the higher religions. The pleth
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whose wrath has been and will be di
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in the movies, further fulfilling t
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to ancient Greek writings, the post
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195 more, the atoning work of Jesus
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197 to develop. Even after several
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199 excesses of scientism and reduc
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Carson, D.A., ed. (2000). Telling t
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Grudem, W. (1994). Systematic Theol
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McMichael, P. (2004). Development a
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207 Riss, R. (1988). A Survey of 20
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209 Bibliography of Electronic Sour
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211 Foucault, M. (1982). Truth, Pow
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Montgomery, J.W. (2002). Defending
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215 The University of Zululand Esta
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