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In our post-Cold War, post-colonial, post-Christian world, Western culture is experiencing a dramatic shift. Correspondingly, says Myron Penner, recent philosophy has taken a postmodern turn in which traditional concepts of reality, truth, language, and knowledge have been radically altered, if not discarded. Here James K.A. Smith, John Franke, Merold Westphal, Kevin Vanhoozer, Douglas Geivett, and R. Scott Smith respond to the question, "What perils and/or promises does the postmodern turn hold for the tasks of Christian thinkers?" Addressing topics such as the nature of rationality and biblical faith, the relationship of language to reality, and the impact of postmodern concerns on ethics, this book presents a variety of positions in vigorous dialogue with each other.

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Philosophie et théologie

Christian theology

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Publié par	Baker Publishing Group
Date de parution	01 juillet 2005
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781441202512
Langue	English

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Christianity and the Postmodern Turn
Christianity and the Postmodern Turn
Six Views
Edited by Myron B. Penner
2005 by Myron B. Penner
Published by Brazos Press a division of Baker Book House Company P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287 www.brazospress.com
Printed in the United States of America
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means-for example, electronic, photocopy, recording-without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Christianity and the postmodern turn : six views / edited by Myron B. Penner. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 1-58743-108-4 (pbk.) 1. Postmodernism-Religious aspects-Christianity. I. Penner, Myron B., 1968- . Title BR115.P74C47 2005 230'.09'05-dc22 2005000260
Unless otherwise marked, scripture is taken from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission.
Scripture marked NASB is taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE . Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.
Scripture marked NIV is taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION . NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
Scripture marked ESV is taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
To C. Scott Baker
Contents
Acknowledgments
Contributors
Introduction: Christianity and the Postmodern Turn: Some Preliminary Considerations, by Myron B. Penner
Part I: Christianity and the Postmodern Turn
1. Is God a Story? Postmodernity and the Task of Theology, by R. Douglas Geivett
2. Christian Postmodernism and the Linguistic Turn, by R. Scott Smith
3. Pilgrim s Digress: Christian Thinking on and about the Post/ Modern Way, by Kevin J. Vanhoozer
4. Christian Faith and Postmodern Theory: Theology and the Nonfoundationalist Turn, by John R. Franke
5. A Little Story about Metanarratives: Lyotard, Religion, and Postmodernism Revisited, by James K. A. Smith
6. Onto-theology, Metanarrative, Perspectivism, and the Gospel, by Merold Westphal
Part II: Response Essays
7. Postmodernism and the Quest for Theological Knowledge, by R. Douglas Geivett
8. Postmodernism and the Priority of the Language-World Relation, by R. Scott Smith
9. Disputing about Words? Of Fallible Foundations and Modest Metanarratives, by Kevin J. Vanhoozer
10. The Nature of Theology: Culture, Language, and Truth, by John R. Franke
11. Who s Afraid of Postmodernism? A Response to the Biola School, by James K. A. Smith
12. Of Stories and Languages, by Merold Westphal
Acknowledgments
I am very fortunate to work with such fine colleagues in this book, and I am indebted to each of the contributors for his willingness to participate and see it through to such a good result. It goes without saying that this project would not have been possible without their generosity and charitable spirits. John R. Franke, Kevin J. Vanhoozer, and R. Douglas Geivett, in particular, offered much additional support in terms of advice and encouragement.
I also wish to express my deep appreciation to Stanley J. Grenz, whose friendship and advocacy for this project were vital to its inception and development. Scott Baker, Oz Lorentzen, and James Enns graciously offered additional and invaluable perspectives on parts of the manuscript, and Steven Martz provided friendship and a discriminating ear throughout its development. I also owe a special debt of gratitude to Karyn Ironside for lending her superlative editorial expertise to the preparation of parts of the final manuscript, more than making up for my vast inadequacies in that regard. Finally, my wife, Jodi, is a constant companion indeed, and a true partner. This book would not be possible without the innumerable forms her love and dedication take. Thank you, Jodi.
The bulk of the material in this volume is previously unpublished. However, two chapters in Part I of the book are revised versions of articles previously published in academic journals. The permission and cooperation of those journals is appreciatively acknowledged.
An earlier version of chapter 5 originally appeared in James K. A. Smith, A Little Story about Metanarratives: Lyotard, Religion, and Postmodernism Revisited, Faith and Philosophy 18: 3 (July 2001): 353-68.
Chapter 6 was originally published in Merold Westphal, Perspectivism, Onto-Theology, and the Gospel, Perspectives (April 2000), 6-10.
Contributors
John R. Franke Associate Professor of Theology, Biblical Theological Seminary
R. Douglas Geivett Professor of Philosophy, Talbot Department of Philosophy, Biola University
Myron B. Penner Associate Professor of Philosophy and Theology, Prairie College
James K. A. Smith Associate Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Seminars in Christian Scholarship, Calvin College
R. Scott Smith Associate Professor of Ethics, Biola University
Kevin J. Vanhoozer Research Professor of Systematic Theology, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
Merold Westphal Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, Fordham University
Introduction
Christianity and the Postmodern Turn: Some Preliminary Considerations
Myron B. Penner
Instead of asking, what is postmodern?, we should ask, where, how and why does the discourse flourish?, what is at stake in its debates?, who do they address and how?
Steven Connor 1
Christianity and the Postmodern Turn is inspired by three sets of concerns. First, while the terminology of postmodernity 2 has entered the Christian lexicon and is frequently employed in many quarters, the form it takes in these conversations demonstrates that it is rarely well understood. My suspicion is that the majority of us agree with the indubitable words of Moe, the surly owner and bartender of Moe s Tavern in the TV cartoon The Simpsons, when he explains to Homer that postmodernism means weird for the sake of weird. The diversity of images, definitions, and expressions of postmodernism can bewilder the casual observer; in fact, producing confusion may seem the whole point of the postmodern turn in philosophy. 3 Unfortunately, much of what has been written about postmodernism-including the literature of those tagged with the postmodernist label-often does little to render it more intelligible, so that proper interpretations of the postmodern turn seem not only oxymoronic but impossible to achieve. This book aspires to provide Christians a clear introduction to the issues of concern precipitated by the postmodern turn in philosophy and, hopefully, to remove some of the confusion surrounding these concerns.
Second, and more importantly, however, this book was initiated by a specific occasion. In the autumn of 2002 I attended the Evangelical Theological Society annual meetings in Toronto and sat in on some sessions that focused on postmodernism and Christianity. It was largely as a result of the exchanges that took place at this conference that I became convinced of the need for a book such as this. Two things became apparent in these meetings. First, the topic of postmodernism is one that can easily divide Christians. Generally we have two polar opposite positions emerging in the Christian intellectual community in response to the postmodern turn-those who are for the postmodern turn and see its value in articulating the gospel (these constitute, somewhat ironically, a minority among their peers); and those who are against the postmodern turn and view it as a clear and present danger to the integrity of the faith and Christian community (and these make up a much larger group). The first group of Christian scholars, who favor postmodernism, tend to believe that the postmodern naysayers just do not get it, that they are too blinded by their modern prejudice and categories to engage with postmodernity meaningfully. Meanwhile, the tendency of the Christian critics of postmodernity is to believe that the first group is slipping into heresy by merely mentioning the possible value of the insights of the postmodern turn. Second, I also noticed that the two sides often are like the proverbial ships passing in the night-they do not always seem to refer to one and the same concept by the name postmodernism. If a worldview or concept is to be disputed or rejected, it is always good practice to be sure one understands that worldview or concept from the inside-that is, that one understands the concept(s) involved in the same way as one s opponent does-lest one risk refuting what is not at issue. I discovered that what often is rejected as postmodern is not at all what those described as postmodern subscribe to. Conversely, not all defenders of modernity recognize as their own what is rejected by those who make the postmodern turn. It occurred to me that it might be helpful to have a forum in which the two sides may speak with and to each other, rather than talking past each other. It is in this spirit that I present this collection of essays.
The third factor motivating this project concerns the scope or forum that discussion of Christianity and postmodernism tends to take. As indicated above, the range of Christian responses is often presented as a dichotomy: either one is for it or one is against it. The actual fact of the matter is more complex than that. Not only is the Christian community beginning to realize that the postmodern turn is varied and complex, but it is also learning that responses to it may be varied. For example, an important question concerns whether the two alternatives described above are