Outlines of various talks given at the Ligonier West Coast Conference are posted on the Ligonier Ministries blog. As you would expect, there is some challenging and excellent material being presented.
The one on Postmodernism by Ligon Duncan caught my eye.
Here are the three reasons Ligon gives for a Christian to “be informed” about post-modernism:
1. It is pervasive in our culture today. We need to know what is out there.
2. If someone truly embraces the tenants of postmodernism, it makes it more difficult to hear the claims of Christ that are being addressed in the gospel. For believers that dabble in the ethos of postmodernism, it weakens their discipleship at critical points.
3. Many church leaders today believe that in order to speak into a postmodern milieu, the church needs to itself embrace aspects of postmodernism.
and here are the ways that Ligon believes postmodernism affects Christianity if it were embraced by the church:
1. Would assert that all religions boil down to the same thing (since we cannot make absolute truth claims, all theologies must be alike).
2. All truths are relative. [Many young people are reluctant to believe that Jesus is the only way of salvation for everyone.][See Chris Chrisman Goes to College by James Sire — excellent book which explores how today’s college students are faced with postmodernism in college, both in the classroom and in their relationships.]
3. All religious systems followed sincerely will lead to the same end.
4. No religious assertions can claim to be absolutely true. All are subject to revision.
5 . Making truth claims are about attempts to impose our assertions are others.
6. Religious truths are important only in so far as they help everyone to live in harmony. If you hold some idea to be true that preferentially favors one group over others, watch out. For example, if you think that homosexuality is immoral, that is divisive and unhelpful.