Haase_UZ_x007E_DTh (2).pdf - South African Theological Seminary

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186 New Age Also very popular among postmoderns is New Age spirituality, both similar and different from Neo-Paganism. “New Age” became popular terminology in the 1980’s. The term describes a quasi-religious set of beliefs, encompassing a wide array of beliefs. These practices are largely confined to the industrialised West. They can be also be traced to the socio-political unrest of the 1960’s, and the height of postmodern deconstructionism. “The 21st Century has opened with a widespread resurgence of interest in spirituality” (Clifford, 2003:2). This resurgence is primarily due to two factors: (1) the long period of spiritual repression by modernity; and (2) the dawn of the postmodern cultural wave. In the Western world there is a growing sense of need to have some spiritual orientation in life. However, those who pursue this quest for spirituality are uncomfortable with institutionalised religion. They are also disturbed by explanations of life that are based on scientific reductionism, as well as the consumerist tenets of society. As a result many Westerners have adopted practices and worldviews from other religious and spiritual traditions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism as well as from the Pagan past of Europe and from various shamanic traditions (Johnson, 2004). Many postmodern spiritual seekers are looking to the past for present fulfilment, often turning to pre-modern religions and spiritualities. “Seekers do not wish to revert to premodernity, but rather to blend the best elements of modernity with carefully selected morsels of pre-modern spiritual practice. So, New Age spirituality attempts to resacralize a world that has been de-supernaturalized by modernity” (Clifford, 2003:11). Terms like Aquarian Age, New Consciousness, New Edge, New Spirituality, Next Age, Next Stage, and Postmodern Spirituality, have now mostly replaced the once popular term, “New Age.” Where these new religious expressions were long considered fringe and ‘off-beat,’ they have now become mainstream and normative, almost as much so as University of Zululand, KwaZulu-Natal, <strong>South</strong> Africa
187 the higher religions. The plethora of New Age beliefs run the gamut from pre-Christian, Pagan beliefs to the embrace of Eastern philosophies. Animistic religions and worldviews have become wildly popular. Native American religion has become very popular in North America. Many seem them as a cultural representation of the first Americans, but others embrace the spiritual connotations attached to them. The notion of tribalism, closely associated with many animistic cultures, has become widely popular as well. New Age religions are rooted in the relativistic Eastern philosophies and religions, again, according well with the postmodern penchant for anti-rationalism. “New Agers generally follow postmodern assumptions, and should therefore be viewed as within the postmodern fold” (McCallum, 1996:208). Because all is one -- the pantheistic view -- all are gods. Thus, postmodern spirituality and New Age thinking are “explicitly concerned with the journey toward realizing our essential divinity” (ibid.). Like the religious pluralists, all paths lead to God. The true path becomes self-enlightenment and self-empowerment, as well as self-love. People do not have to look outside themselves for spiritual fulfilment; they have only to look to the inner self. For this reason, postmodern spirituality welcomes Eastern practices of meditation, hypnosis, creative visualization, and centering. These are practices common to many pantheistic and animistic beliefs and are as old as mankind. Esoterism or esoteric religion is again very popular. Adherents of esoteric religions hunger for hidden, or privileged spiritual insights and knowledge (cf., Gnosticism). Symbols and powers from ‘god,’ or other dimensions are now very popular. This is hardly surprising in a culture driven by the modernist penchant for progress, power and control. Theosophy, promotes “perennial wisdom,” and truth available beyond what the organised religions offer. Claims abound that the so-called, ascended masters have made these great, additional truths available to mankind. With this have again come historically unsubstantiated stories concerning the biblically un-mentioned years of Jesus' life, some suggesting he travelled to Tibet and India to gain enlightenment from other spiritual masters. 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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marginalized and to the historical
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without essential foundations (Khan
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maximum voluntary community agreeme
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71 something akin to the virtual re
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73 During the 1960’s, Foucault wa
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generally agreed that his views wer
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had been trapped. Through Nietzsche
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Foucault also seemed to delight in
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elieve the conventions of modernity
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83 Will 'Po-Mod' Endure Ernst Gelln
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85 referentially incoherent. That i
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87 the second postmodern wave, whic
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action. During the colonial period,
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interpretation. It again gives sugg
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93 There are three basic forms of (
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diverse immigrant populations becom
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desperate population to believe tha
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99 but hardly in entirety. Keeping
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salvation. Here again we see how Go
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103 and sick, conquered ignorance t
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with relativism, pluralism and no a
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107 our first love -- Jesus Christ
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109 and the life. No one comes to t
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Those who truly know Jesus Christ a
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future was no longer heaven, but a
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115 An Apologetic Response Beyond t
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uilding constructed on a shifting s
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component of the overall package, b
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irrelevant. The postmodernist, like
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123 terminate this inquiry with the
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consider the spiritual truths the B
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people are to effectively participa
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witness among the Gentiles, by usin
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131 Chapter VI Postmodernity and th
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Postmodernism enhances the process
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Page 171 and 172: 171 (Johnson, 2004). Contemporary n
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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
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