Common features of post-modernity

1. Technology is used to contain the world

Technology is given a new status and independence. Rather than opening ourselves up to the possibility of surprise, we in fact use technology to make things more predictable, safer and easier. We become comfortable. The transcendent is in danger of being reduced to the game of virtual reality.

2. Science is a substitute for religion

Like its popular cousin ‘technology’, the broad field of science provides a framework for public beliefs in society. The achievements of ‘science’ point toward further containment of the world.

3. Beliefs are not facts

A philosophy that implies that the private world deals with beliefs and the public world deals with empirical facts. It follows that public facts are more important than private beliefs.

4. A move to relativism.

If beliefs are essentially private matters, there is no point in attempting to verify them or justify them. In fact it is assumed that all beliefs are equally valid or perhaps invalid because they are private concerns.

5. There is a cult of the individual

Individuals are elevated, not for what they believe, but for what they do. They become more important than society.

6. Rights are more important than responsibilities

While there is much discussion in society about the ‘rights’ of different groups, there is little corresponding discussion of any relation to responsibilities.
The impact of some of these features can be seen in church life today. The move away from a transcendent focus to the practical and pragmatic, to earthed ideas that people can immediately imagine. The move toward a consumer approach to religion. It is seen in society as an optional extra and as an extra it joins the many philosophies competing for a share in the marketplace. It becomes another commodity, with the implication that it needs marketing, with the individual being the market target.

Features of a post-modern society

1. The underlying core of reality is not matter, but spirit.

People in the Western world have entered a post-material age. Possessions are taken for granted and still do not provide any real solace for the spirit. A clinical technological environment can produce a profound emptiness.

2. Society focuses on the present.

There is a common rejection of any overarching metanarrative, i.e., no history or past. There is a perpetual ‘present’. What is most important is ‘today’ and the experiences one can have.
Some of the features of a post-modern society are evident in contemporary religious groups in Australia, particularly those groups which focus on the present. As responsibilities were once critical in society, beliefs were considered first. Religion has witnessed a move away from a cerebral faith toward an expressive and experiential faith. Put bluntly this is really a move from ‘right belief’ to ‘right experience’. Part of the difficulty the church is facing today is working out what are the ‘right experiences’. The controversy over the ‘Toronto Blessing’ provides a vivid example of this debate.

3. Society embraces the
plurality of modernity.

Everything is true, but not everything is untrue. Living in a pluralistic culture, the church is forced to re-think areas of dogma and law, even in areas which were considered foundational.

4. A move toward the feminine

There is a focus on the feminine over the masculine - a new balance is created.
The churches have been struggling with gender related issues, in particular the ordination of women, but also the changing role of women and men in the family and society.

5. Symbols are strategic

Symbols become important simply as a way of encountering and dealing with the multitude of encounters in our daily life. It has been quite illuminating to read of the results of surveys on symbol recognition in Australia which reveal far higher recognition of the symbols of McDonalds, Mercedes Benz and Coca Cola than the Christian cross. Perhaps this has something to do with the amount of marketing that companies provide in order for their symbol to become a household focus. The move toward a global philosophy, like a world faith, is also happening. Companies like McDonalds attempt to provide a sense of stability and oneness in spite of our differences. Their new advertising campaign shows a picture of their international world - ‘everyone around the world’. Perhaps we will be united by Ronald McDonald, with the Big Mac becoming a part of a sacred ritual. All these global trends provide a new challenge for the church at mission. At present the church is exploring new methods and techniques, but these often leave the church caught between the past missionary era and the present uncertain future. We cannot go back to the past ways, but at present the church is still trying to work out the way for the future.

6. Religious questions are placed back on the agenda, but on a different basis.

The traditional patterns of ritual worship and practice give way to alternative styles. This has become evident in Australia with the emergence in the last two decades of high profile and vastly different religious groups and beliefs. From providing a range of traditional Christian bodies, now other faiths and beliefs present themselves as a smorgasbord waiting to be sampled.
It is interesting to note that several Christian groups now involve themselves in the various mind and body festivals throughout Australia in an attempt to ‘bridge the gap’. Several books on the church and the new age have been published, including a recent updated work Sacred Quest which looks at Christianity and the new age movement. The title works on the consciousness of those in the new age circles.

7. Sexual fixation and frustration

I was struck by Robinson’s comment that a significant practical outcome of post-modernism philosophy is a focus on sexuality, particularly pornography. Robinson believes that for the male in society pornography becomes a spiritual substitute. Men move into a variety of sexual expressions and areas in the vain hope of experiencing some of the spiritual transcendence which the society generally denies. It seems that the church is unable to provide much help in this area, partly because sexuality is not a topic of easy conversation in family oriented circles.

Conclusion

Robinson does not believe that post-modernism spells the end for the church. He believes that a post-modern society actually provides real opportunity for the churches. Gone are the old enlightenment assumptions about the evil of religion. There are spiritual openings and opportunities, but the church needs to think carefully how it addresses the post-modern society. One key to the communication of religious faith today is personal communication born out of integrity. The church needs to understand contemporary society and people and seriously seek to address their concerns and issues.

Peter Bentley