OPPORTUNITIES
IN OUR TIME
CRIEFF
JANUARY 2013
Absolute Truth: A Person - a Life
John 14:6: "I am the way and the truth and the
life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
NEEDS AND VALUES
• Paulien:
• A sense of brokenness
• Humility and autenticity
• Search for identity and purpose
• Need for community
• Inclusiveness
CHRISTIAN AND POSTMODERN
VALUES
1. The value of holism
2. The value of diversity
3. The value of relationship
4. The value of spirituality
5. The value of community
POSTMODERN CHALLENGES FOR
THE CHURCH (1)
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Spiritual – but vague
Suspicious of institutions / religious experts
Post-denominationalism
Little interest in organic ecumenism
Emphasis on local congregation
POSTMODERN CHALLENGES FOR
THE CHURCH (2)
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Less (or no) interest in doctrine
No absolute Truth – pick and choose
Why christianity?
Charismatic – Holy Spirit
Angels, miracles
POSTMODERN CHALLENGES /
POSSIBILITIES FOR THE CHURCH (3)
• Belonging before believing
• Believing
• Behaving
• Belonging
• Experiential – worship – praise
• Cell
• Church
• Celebration
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Church discipline ?
Interested in story of others
Relational
Slow to make commitment
NEW EMPHASES IN THEOLOGY
• Not focusing on prolegomena or existence
of God
• Not: Does God exist? But: What is God really
like?
• Theology describes experience
• Strong role of community / tradition
• Process theology / narrative theology /
feminist theology
KEY ISSUES
• Truth: Is there a middle road between
foundationalism and total relativism?
• Uniqueness of Christianity/Christ?
• Inspiration of the Bible?
• Role of doctrines?
• Balance reason / experience
CHRISTIAN RESPONSE: BASICS
• Faithful to gospel
• Fully addressing contemporary situation
• Must affirm propositional truth
• Must affirm rational knowability
• Christianity: ‘most cogent explanation for a
whole range of facts in accordance with
essential tenets of logic and criteria of
evidence that are required for all critical
thinking’
• Must use language that can be understood
• Must be contextual
POSTMODERNISM – IS IT ALL
WRONG?
1. Strive for balance:
1. May be suspicious about comprehensive
doctrinal systems, but there must be
structure in what we believe.
2. Church – problems with bureaucratic and
centralistic structure, but some rules and
agreements are needed
3. Value of historical criticism remains, but
Bible must also be read as vehicle for
God’s voice.
4. Idea of value for each human being must
not be lost.