Postmodern Christianity - Research Paper Example

Postmodern Christianity Introduction Postmodernist thought stretches the understanding of the social world through examining how the world is constructed through the language that is used to define it. Christianity is examined through the lens of these philosophies in order to create an enriched dialogue that can include all members of the society, as well as to define the differences between truths and perceived truths. Foucault has determined that history is the construction of the narrative that has been formed around the meaning or ’phenomenology’ of events. Therefore, it is not constructed in reference to its truths, but in reference to what is relevant to the meaning of the events. Looking at the history of Christianity through this lens can deconstruct doctrines and the truths that support those doctrines. Because of the issues that are raised when social construction is defined by its dominant group, many members of that group will be left without proper discourse on issues that will affect them. When Christianity is discussed through postmodernism in regard to ‘otherness’ that exists within the group, members of that group can be considered disregarded in terms of the ways in which Christianity addresses the problems and issues of those minority members. Through looking at the way in which sub-groups are defined by socially constructed ideas, the difference between the social Christianity and the religions Christianity can be examined. Why Discuss Postmodernism? The philosophy of postmodernism opens the discussion within the Christian religion so that it can be redefined with an understanding of the phenomenology with which it has been socially constructed. Michel Foucault has opened up the concept of thought in that the foundations of knowledge do not necessarily reside where it is most often considered to reside. Oksala said of Foucault that “modern subjectivity is permeated by an unthought that eludes reflection, but that nevertheless must determine the ways of questioning it” (61). Postmodern Christianity is subject to a deconstructing so that the knowledge that is considered true, must be discovered for real truth or constructed truth. When dealing with a religion, it is the truth that is subjected to the insinuation of faith. Faith is designed to be constructed by a belief that what is trusted is true. In Christianity, the deity of Jesus is considered the foundation of all of the mysteries that follow that basic premise. However, there is some speculation that it was the rise of Christianity that deified Jesus, not the truth of his existence (Rhodes 203). Therefore, if the religion itself deified Jesus, the question becomes whether he was or was not a deity. Faith is built on this premise, that Jesus is the son of God and therefore is deified. The questions that face the postmodernists is what becomes of the history and the social construction of Christianity if is not then held up by the truth? Postmodern Philosophy Understanding Christianity from a postmodern point of view requires an understanding of postmodern philosophy. Much of the discourse on postmodernism is focused on language and how society defines itself. Michel Foucault noted French thinker and philosopher, discussed the condition of madness and how the medical community created a dialogue about the subject. Foucault revealed that the way in which the condition of insanity was discussed defined the condition, rather than the reality of the condition. The way in which the conversation between medical professionals took place worked to either marginalize or empower different aspects of insanity, thus taking its reality and making it subject to the social discourse (Riggs 77). Foucault looked at the “archeology” of social systems, examining the way in which society developed and how concepts were designed to hold the social structure together (Riggs 77). Foucault understood a new way of understanding history, that it was designed by those with the power to help promote the ‘grand narrative’, a discussion that “draws all phenomena around a single center - a principle, a meaning, a spirit, a world view, an overall shape. (Knutsen 12). History then becomes a place that is designed to address cultural meaning, rather than to define realities. The ways in which society defines itself is created through the phenomenological point of view on the events of the past. Richard Rorty used the conceptualized vision of the Enlightenment to formulate his philosophy for modernity. The conversation about what was right and wrong within society was turned back over to society, the authoritarianism of the church usurped by the ability of human beings to decide for them. As the church stopped being the last authority on all matters of social constructivism, the divine decree became less powerful. In this displacement of power, people gained a maturity and took more responsibility for their own actions and in turn their own direction (Riggs 80). Rorty continues to discuss societal philosophy, and the inherent flaws that have hampered the concepts of understanding of the mind because of two distinct problems with the foundational premise upon which thought has been examined. The first of these two problems is that reflection is not possible as human beings do not have access to an all encompassing truth in their knowledge. This sort of “privileged knowledge” makes mankind “immune from doubt”. The second of these problems is the distinction between “contingent, synthetic truths” that are learned from personal experiences, and “necessary, analytic truths” that are learned independently of actual experience (Carson 70). In other words, what is perceived as true may not be an actual truth. An example might be made with the color blue. What one sees as the color blue, may not be what actually is blue, but since it is defined as blue by the individual, it becomes blue to that person. Julia Kristeva, also a French philosopher, discussed the symbolism within society. A child is first connected to his or her mother without the use of language, but by signs ad symbols that trigger responses within one another. As separation from the mother occurs, this language continues, defining the understanding of that child of the world around them. The child is situated within a sign-system that is rooted within the world in which they live. This sign oriented world is defined by the ways in which the individual learns to read the signs, thus defining his or her place by associating the appropriate signals to the social roles that have been adapted. Therefore, repression and oppression will occur, even without verbal cues, as society deems appropriate. According to the writings of Riggs in reference to minority cultures within the greater culture, “marginalized groups (will) have their drives stilled and voices quieted in a variety of ways, all of which exemplify a larger pattern of social processes” (78). The basic premise of overall postmodern thought is that the way in which the world is viewed is constructed, rather than based on reality. This type of an understanding can be related to the defining structures of Christianity in that much of the history on which it was built was either incomplete, or constructed from the perspective of a dominant class. An historic example of how history is constructed can be seen through the event in which Pope Gregory I merged the identity of the woman who had wiped Jesus’ feet, identified as a sinful woman and within that act demonstrated herself as such, with that of Mary Magdalene, thus historically giving her the identity of a prostitute (Lester 15). This constructed history has helped to define the role of women within the church, forever locked between the two Marys, either a mother or a prostitute. The discourse about women within the Christian religion has had very little acknowledgement of all the spaces in between those two identities. Women, along with many other groups, have mostly been left out of the discussion of Christian tenets, their needs and specific issues left without recognition. The predominant group within the Christian religion is male, and within that group, the sub-group of Caucasian males has taken the most dominant role. Therefore, the female becomes defined by representation, rather than by actual defining address to their specific issues. This becomes true of a great many marginalized groups within the religion. History belongs to those who have written it, regardless of the truth. After all, there are many who still believe that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute. Feminism and ‘the other’ in Postmodern Christianity The concept of ‘postmodernism’ can mean a great many things to a wide variety of people who represent many aspects of the study of Christian religion. According to Crouch, the concept of postmodernism philosophies within Christianity can be associated with the Rorschach blot - it is what it is interpreted by the individual. Crouch goes on to say that postmodern Christianity intends to recognize those who have been marginalized within Western society. Those outside of the dominant culture have been excluded from the discourse on Christian principles, disenfranchised from the salvation that was intended for them from the beginning. Crouch states that “women, non-northern Europeans, gays, lesbians, and the poor all loom large in the postmodernist consciousness as hitherto recognized groups who deserve the same kind of historical and philosophical attention as their polar opposites, which would be wealthy, white, heterosexual men”. Postmodernism allows for the opportunity of creating a dialogue that includes those that would be excluded. As an example, in looking at postmodernist Christian thought in regard to feminism, a realization of the centralism on males can be observed. As an example Riggs quotes Valerie Saiving who suggests that men and women have different types of temptations in their lives, emerging from the inherent differences that can be observed. These differences are rooted in biological, sociological, and psychological role adaptation that is defined by the nature of the feminine as well as role socialization. The discourse on the nature of sin changes once identifiers that are related to gender are put into place. The sins of a male would be motivated in different ways than that of a female, but that differentiation has not been adequately addressed before the postmodern period of philosophy. Within the discussion of gender in regard to postmodernism, Edmon suggests that “the body performs or acts out what the dominant heterosexual culture determines to be normative for one sex or the other” (p. 101). Therefore, a discourse on sin would have to take into consideration the domination of one sex over the other, creating two separate cultures within the women. Without a cognitive discussion of these differences, the needs of women, as used in the example here, are not defined nor addressed. It isn’t only a matter of discussing the differences, but a matter of recognizing and acknowledging that there are differences that becomes the core of this side of postmodern thought. The discussions that become necessary will then also challenge some tenets of doctrine. There is some argument amongst postmodernists in regard to homosexuality as to whether the experiences of people who are homosexual change the scriptural judgment that is placed upon them. The problem with adapting to societal judgments over those from scripture is that it creates diversities within the philosophical opinions, which then reflect on the overall belief system that comprises the basic doctrine (Oden 114). These differences can create a disunity that will affect the entire structure of the Christian church. However, without an acknowledgement of ‘otherness’ that is outside of the dominant cultural adaptation of the current church, the exclusion of a great many people takes place, nullifying the core of the Christian doctrine - salvation despite sin. Social Christianity Postmodern philosophy allows for an opportunity for a definition to be given between the social construction of Christianity and the religion of Christianity. Many factions of the Christian Church hold a great deal of power within the sociological framework of the world. The Catholic Church has long held a seat of power that has affected the political domains of many countries. Within the United States there has been a movement of conservative Christians that seek to control the political agendas of the government (Cobb 13). Within each Church there is a group of people that holds power over the congregation, helping to define the specific ideals of the community and construct the flow of fellowship. There is a distinct difference between the sociological world of Christianity and the practices of faith within Christianity. There is a belief in postmodernism that the writer of a book holds no authority over its contents, but it is subject to the interpretations of those who read it. Therefore, the bible is not the word of God, but is the Catholic translation, the Lutheran translation, and the believer’s translation. A book of the bible exists for its interpretation, not for the knowledge with which it was written (Moreland and Craig 147). In other words, whatever God intended, if one believes that He is the cumulative author of the Bible, does not define the existence of the Bible, but the interpretation that has been made defines its existence. Once again, if the case of Mary Magdalene is examined, the generalized belief that she is a prostitute is interpreted as truth from the Bible. Whether one reads it thinking that the woman who comes in to wash Jesus’ feet is the same Mary, or if because of culturally held beliefs that historic memory has been embraced, one can see how the ‘truth’ is defined by interpretation, not by the hand who wrote the Gospel. These types of ‘truths’ are defined by the interpreters, not by the writers. The collective memory holds certain cues in which its members define the social construction of a culture. The religion of Christianity, however, is subjective only in the sense that much is not known of what the true intent and purposes of God were in building his Church in the way that it has been built, with the varied doctrines that are held within the social constructions. Belief in what has been promised is very different than participation in the sociological phenomena of the group. While one can be wound down into a spiral of a discussion about how individuality that rose during the Enlightenment, along with the defiance of Martin Luther, has constructed a social phenomena that insinuates that faith, belief, and salvation lies within the realm of the individual, it is also just as true that while the social construction defines the group, the personal belief defines the individual’s convictions. Salvation has become personal responsibility as salvation has been taken from the Catholic perspective and reconstructed through the humanist perspective. Regardless of the philosophical dialogue, the individual religious experience is still within the domain of the individual. Conclusion Postmodernist philosophies on historic perspective suggests that there is a real possibility that much of what a Christian believes to be the history of their religion, might be the construction of the sociological history as defined by the meaning that is central to faith. The way in which the social groups have been developed signifies that a meaningful history has been built to support the foundation of the religion. In examining the belief systems within the group through an understanding of postmodern thought, those within the religion of Christianity can redefine and address those that have been marginalized, acknowledging key differences that might enrich the overall Christian experience. While there are those who might fear the lens of postmodernism, the discourse on the ‘truth’ and on how it has been defined, might allow for more people to be embraced within the social construct. Works Cited Carson, D A. Telling the Truth: Evangelizing Postmoderns. Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan, 2000. Print. Cobb, John B. Postmodernism and Public Policy: Reframing Religion, Culture, Education, Sexuality, Class, Race, Politics, and the Economy. SUNY series in constructive postmodern thought. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2002. Print. Crouch, Andy. “What Exactly is Postmodernism?” Christianity Today Magazine. 13 November 2000. Web 20 November 2010. Edmon, Rosalind Smith. “Feminism, Postmodernism, and Thomism Confront Questions of Gender”. In Ciapalo, Roman Theodore. Postmodernism and Christian Philosophy. New York: CUA Press, 1997, pp. 97-106. Knutsen, Karen P. Reciprocal Haunting: Pat Barker's Regeneration Trilogy. Munster: Waxmann, 2010. Print. Lester, Meera. Mary Magdalene: The Modern Guide to the Bible's Most Mysterious and Misunderstood Woman. Avon, Mass: Adams Media, 2005. Print Moreland, James P, and William L. Craig. Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview. Downers Grove, Ill: InterVarsity Press, 2004. Print. Oden, Thomas C, and Kenneth Tanner. Ancient & Postmodern Christianity: Paleo-orthodoxy in the 21st Century : Essays in Honor of Thomas C. Oden. Downers Grove, Ill: InterVarsity Press, 2002. Print. Oksala, Johanna. Foucault on Freedom. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005. Print. Rhodes, Ron. The Challenge of the Cults and New Religions: The Essential Guide to Their History, Their Doctrine, and Our Response. Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan, 2001. Print. Riggs, John W. Postmodern Christianity. Harrisburg, PA: Trinity Press International, 2003. Print. Read More