Haase_UZ_x007E_DTh (2).pdf - South African Theological Seminary
Haase_UZ_x007E_DTh (2).pdf - South African Theological Seminary 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
185 1980:viii). For example, when the great missionary Adoniram Judson died after 37 years of labour in Burma, he left only 100 converts from Buddhism, but 7,000 converts from the animistic Karens (Coote, 1980:viii). In part, the Pentecostal and Neo-Pentecostal movement, born in the early 20th Century, seems something of a divine response to the accommodation of the Western churches to the Enlightenment and it lower-only world. “At the dawn of the twentieth century a novel and virile version of Christianity, the Pentecostal movement, made its appearance and has since grown to become the largest single category in Protestantism, outstripping the Lutheran, Reformed, and Anglican communions” (Bosch, 2000:352). Pentecostalism is now extremely popular in the developing world, especially among the illiterate and poor. David Barrett reports that 71% of all Pentecostals are non-white; 66% live in the Two-Thirds World; 87% live in poverty; and the majority are urban dwellers. The modernist churches still (sometimes) vehemently criticize Pentecostals and neo- Pentecostals for their fresh embrace of supernatural Christianity. While their criticisms help to counter the inevitable extremes of mysticism in the faith, their penchant for ‘natural’ Christianity is ill-equipped to meet the challenges of the Neo-Pagan renaissance that postmodernity has helped produce, and in so many ways encourages. In many ways, Pentecostalism has been God’s answer to the syncretism of Christianity with modernity, as most Pentecostal groups are also extremely ‘fundamental,’ or orthodox in their views toward Scripture, countering the widespread disrespect the modernist churches have. It seems no coincidence that Pentecostalism, in its varies expressions, has done much to fill the spiritual vacuum in the West, as these streams of the faith are uniquely able to respond to the deep spiritual hunger and searching’s to many postmoderns have. Pentecostalism is also uniquely able to respond to the new challenges presented by the Neo-Pagans. University of Zululand, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
- Page 133 and 134: Postmodernism enhances the process
- Page 135 and 136: 135 Yet, with few exceptions, the W
- Page 137 and 138: 137 Rome, ‘The Way’ (i.e., Chri
- Page 139 and 140: were the changes made to the clergy
- Page 141 and 142: of transforming it... Christendom i
- Page 143 and 144: society. State authorities quite of
- Page 145 and 146: “The subtle assumption of Western
- Page 147 and 148: The church should instead take a Ch
- Page 149 and 150: 149 Christendom West. For example i
- Page 151 and 152: not know what it means to be indepe
- Page 153 and 154: creative times has been, about doin
- Page 155 and 156: 155 Ours is not a faith rooted in i
- 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
- Page 165 and 166: With the dawn of the Enlightenment,
- Page 167 and 168: contemporary West look not to the c
- Page 169 and 170: adherence overall declined from 86.
- Page 171 and 172: 171 (Johnson, 2004). Contemporary n
- Page 173 and 174: 173 The postmodernists undertook th
- Page 175 and 176: deconstruction leads to a foundatio
- Page 177 and 178: 177 postmodernity has opened the do
- Page 179 and 180: Pagans are usually worshippers of t
- Page 181 and 182: most Catholics in Brazil. Many Musl
- Page 183: which is one of the key factors tha
- Page 187 and 188: 187 the higher religions. The pleth
- Page 189 and 190: whose wrath has been and will be di
- Page 191 and 192: in the movies, further fulfilling t
- Page 193 and 194: to ancient Greek writings, the post
- Page 195 and 196: 195 more, the atoning work of Jesus
- Page 197 and 198: 197 to develop. Even after several
- Page 199 and 200: 199 excesses of scientism and reduc
- Page 201 and 202: Carson, D.A., ed. (2000). Telling t
- Page 203 and 204: Grudem, W. (1994). Systematic Theol
- Page 205 and 206: McMichael, P. (2004). Development a
- Page 207 and 208: 207 Riss, R. (1988). A Survey of 20
- Page 209 and 210: 209 Bibliography of Electronic Sour
- Page 211 and 212: 211 Foucault, M. (1982). Truth, Pow
- Page 213 and 214: Montgomery, J.W. (2002). Defending
- Page 215 and 216: 215 The University of Zululand Esta
185<br />
1980:viii). For example, when the great missionary Adoniram Judson died after 37 years<br />
of labour in Burma, he left only 100 converts from Buddhism, but 7,000 converts from<br />
the animistic Karens (Coote, 1980:viii).<br />
In part, the Pentecostal and Neo-Pentecostal movement, born in the early 20th<br />
Century, seems something of a divine response to the accommodation of the Western<br />
churches to the Enlightenment and it lower-only world. “At the dawn of the twentieth<br />
century a novel and virile version of Christianity, the Pentecostal movement, made its<br />
appearance and has since grown to become the largest single category in Protestantism,<br />
outstripping the Lutheran, Reformed, and Anglican communions” (Bosch, 2000:352).<br />
Pentecostalism is now extremely popular in the developing world, especially among the<br />
illiterate and poor. David Barrett reports that 71% of all Pentecostals are non-white; 66%<br />
live in the Two-Thirds World; 87% live in poverty; and the majority are urban dwellers.<br />
The modernist churches still (sometimes) vehemently criticize Pentecostals and neo-<br />
Pentecostals for their fresh embrace of supernatural Christianity. While their criticisms<br />
help to counter the inevitable extremes of mysticism in the faith, their penchant for<br />
‘natural’ Christianity is ill-equipped to meet the challenges of the Neo-Pagan renaissance<br />
that postmodernity has helped produce, and in so many ways encourages. In many ways,<br />
Pentecostalism has been God’s answer to the syncretism of Christianity with modernity,<br />
as most Pentecostal groups are also extremely ‘fundamental,’ or orthodox in their views<br />
toward Scripture, countering the widespread disrespect the modernist churches have. It<br />
seems no coincidence that Pentecostalism, in its varies expressions, has done much to fill<br />
the spiritual vacuum in the West, as these streams of the faith are uniquely able to<br />
respond to the deep spiritual hunger and searching’s to many postmoderns have.<br />
Pentecostalism is also uniquely able to respond to the new challenges presented by the<br />
Neo-Pagans.<br />
University of Zululand, KwaZulu-Natal, <strong>South</strong> Africa
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