Contemporary Theology
Definition
Postmodern theology denotes that branch of contemporary Christian thought which appropriates postmodernism’s theoretical assumptions and critical methodologies to articulate varying theological perspectives within the frameworks of liberal and orthodox theologies.
Summary
Western culture has been in the grip of a postmodern movement and mood since the 1960s. Today, it influences disciplines as diverse as mathematics and literature. This article surveys the impact of postmodernism on the field of theology in three sections. The first consists of a broad overview of philosophical and theological postmodernism. The next division explores some of the common features of postmodern theology vis-à-vis five biblical doctrines: Scripture, God, human beings, Christ, and the Church. The final section offers a succinct reflection on postmodern theology.
Related Articles
Is God a Pluralist?
To claim all ways of worshiping God are equally valid is to claim God hasn’t addressed these things and doesn’t care.
Contemporary Tolerance Is Intrinsically Intolerant
The shift between the old tolerance to the new is subtle in form but massive in substance.
The Intolerance of Tolerance
In Scripture, the centrality and glory of God extend beyond the private lives of the community of the faithful.
Postmodernism: Dead But Not Gone
“It is finished,” he cried from the Cross, the beautiful paradox of divine justice, when the death of God’s Son gave birth to everlasting life for sinners.
Late Modern or Post-modern?
In the past, many of our neighbors could understand traditional Christian preaching even when they responded with disagreement or indifference. During the last 15 years, however, our message is increasingly met with dumbfounded incomprehension or outrage. Until a generation ago in the United States, most adults had similar moral intuitions whether they were born-again believers, churchgoers, nominal Christians, or nonbelievers. That has changed. Many have characterized the change over the last generation as “the postmodern turn.” The “modern” era, we are often told, was characterized by confidence in rationality and science and the pursuit of a grand social order that...
Related Book Reviews
Theology as Retrieval: Receiving the Past, Renewing the Church
This work offers the first comprehensive, book-length treatment of theological retrieval as a contemporary movement.
The Searchers
God does not simply thunder against our doubt from heaven. He actually comes down into our valley.
Popologetics
‘Popologetics’ tackles many relevant areas of our everyday lives and greatly assists us in our pilgrimage.
The Shack—Impressions
The God of The Shack has none of the balance and complexity of the biblical God.