Daily Encounter: A Week-day Devotional by a staff of ACTS International.

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."¹

Sometimes it can be very difficult trying to understand the spirit of our age that has been described by some as a day of postmodernism. But what is postmodernism?

The following insights by Kenneth D. Boa and Robert M. Bowman Jr., in their book, 20 Compelling Evidences That God Exists, help me to understand a little of what is happening in today’s secular world. And to help understand post modernism Boa and Bowman summarize the major characteristics by using the acrostic P-O-S-T.

P-Power Controls Knowledge: “According to postmodernists, all knowledge is political. That is, what people believe is shaped largely by their relationship to the political powers that govern the institutions (such as schools and churches) through which knowledge is transmitted.”²

O-Objectivity Is Dead: “Different cultures, different religions, and other types of communities have different perspectives that give them their identity. Postmodernists contend that these different perspectives should be celebrated and preserved, not challenged or critiqued.”³

S-Science Constructs Models; It Does Not Describe Reality: In contrast to science being an understanding of the world as it really is “Thomas Kuhn’s 1962 landmark book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions itself led a revolution in science…. Kuhn has convinced a generation that science cannot and need not seek truth; its goal is rather an understanding of nature that meets the needs of the scientific community and of the larger society. Such a view of science, of course, implies that scientific theories are now to be assessed partly in terms of how well they support the values of those who pursue science.”⁴

T-Tolerance, Not Truth, Is Absolute: “The postmodernist understands tolerance to mean accepting people’s different beliefs and therefore refraining from criticizing or even disagreeing with those beliefs. Postmodernists are especially bothered by claims that a particular religious or ethical belief is the truth that all people ought to accept. Rather than examining such claims to see whether they hold up in light of the facts, postmodernists dismiss such claims as arrogant, narrow-minded, and intolerant.”⁵

Tragically, if we don’t correct course, postmodern political correctness will ultimately destroy us. Without access to the truth there is no reality, no freedom, no sense of direction, and no hope of salvation for mankind. No wonder so much of today’s world is floating in a sea of mass confusion. While we don’t agree with postmodernism, we do need to understand its basic tenets so we don’t get sucked into its empty, meaningless void.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me discern the difference between what is truth and what is meaningless rationalization used to justify what postmodernists want me to believe. Help me always to base my beliefs on principles that are found in, and/or in harmony with, Your eternal Word, the Bible. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Jesus, in John 8:32 (NIV).
2.  Kenneth D. Boa and Robert M. Bowman Jr., in their book, 20 Compelling Evidences That God Exists, Victor, Cook Communications Ministries, Colorado Springs, Colorado. p. 18.
3. Ibid, p. 19.
4. Ibid, p. 19.
5. Ibid, p. 19.

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