Haase_UZ_x007E_DTh (2).pdf - South African Theological Seminary

indefinite progress and social utopia were
actually myths that attracted and mobilized
the masses for action. Their collapse has
Brought awareness of a vacuum and
disillusionment about the ability of human
reason to give meaning to life and provide
answers for deep Existential questions.
This is at the root of the search for
alternatives, for an ability to handle mystery,
for contact with the occult, for a connection
with extra-rational forces that may influence
the course of events in individual lives as
well as in communities and nations
(Escobar, 2003:78).
Where modernity tried to make man ‘god’ over the natural realm in a closed universe,
postmodernity makes man master over any realm that might exist, for postmodernity is
not quite certain of anything, except that it doubts the ultimate truths others have foisted
upon them, but does believe there are horizons of human endeavour yet unrealized. All
humans want to have ‘power’ over their lives and their environment. Modernity through
scientific developments, has given humanity a measure of control, or power, over the
environment. New Age or Neo-Paganistic beliefs give humans a sense of control, or
power, over the unseen world that people seem to innately know exists.
Further, Western Christianity -- so deeply accommodated to modernism -- is largely
unable to respond to the animist renaissance in the West, even as modernist Western
missionaries are so-often ill equipped to handle animistic beliefs and practices outside the
West. David Hesselgrave insightfully noted: “It may seem incongruous to the missionary
heading for Sao Paulo or Santiago to study tribal religion, but it is doubtful that he will
ever really understand Catholicism as it is actually practiced by Brazilians and Chileans --
to say nothing of widespread spiritism -- until he does. And understanding must precede
effective communication” (Hesselgrave, 1978, 193).
Actually, this is good news for evangelistic-minded Christians, because animists are
historically more receptive to Christianity. John Stott noted that the great mass
movements into Christianity have often involved people from broadly ‘animistic’
backgrounds. By comparison, conversions to Christianity from the major ‘culturereligions’
-- Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, Moslems and Marxists -- are less frequent (Coote,
184
University of Zululand, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa