I am no philosopher, nor historian, nor scientist. I am simply a teacher-shepherd looking to help people understand God and his kingdom, especially within our world today. Still, at times, I find it interesting to engage with these fields. So this week, I have begun reading James K. A. (or Jamie) Smith’s work, Who’s Afraid of Postmodernism: Taking Derrida, Lyotard, and Foucault to Church. And I have appreciated the little I have read concerning postmodern thought in these two books: God’s Word in Human Words by Kenton Sparks and How (Not) to Speak of God by Peter Rollins.

This whole discussion around postmodernism is and has been a touchy subject within the church for the past decade, with not a few evangelicals identifying postmodernism as inherently evil.

But is it?

Jamie Smith comes from a very strong reformed background, teaching philosophy at Calvin College. Yet, as a philosopher, and still knowing his theological roots, Smith takes up the challenge to show how postmodern thought is not intrinsically wrong and can actually be helpful for the church as we move forward more and more in the 21st century.

It might sound shocking to some Christians, but I think he might just be on to something here. Well, others have argued a similar thesis – Brian McLaren, Peter Rollins, Rob Bell, et al. But many a evangelicals will not turn an ear to their thoughts. Hence why Jamie Smith becomes an important voice in this discussion.

The philosophical and cultural era previously laid (and still remains the framework for many westerners) is known as modernism. And, you know what? Such a philosophical and cultural construct is not all bad. But perhaps postmodernism could bring a helpful balance to the mix.

And so, in the book, Smith sets out on the path to a) explain the positives of postmodern thought and b) challenge much of the church’s assumptions about postmodernism.

Thus far, here is one thing that really caught my attention. Smith notes that a philosophical construct can shift (such as what is happening with the shift from modernism to postmodernism), but the cultural impact of such a change might take some time to flesh itself out. Thus, though many cultural phenomena are wrongly connected to postmodern thought, much of what we experience in our culture (at least our culture in the west) is actually still the outworking of a modernist perspective.

Smith particularly remarks:

I’m not sure many have made such connections.

Thus, Smith goes on to claim:

And his argument, from a more practical sense, boils down to this thesis:

I find myself challenged that, if such is practically true and helpful, then I have a lot to learn and even see change in my own approach to theology and ministry. I suppose a postmodern culture, of which I am seated right in the heart of post-Christendom western Europe, could be reached by not going ‘ancient’. But this gives me, or us (me with other brothers and sisters), much to reflect on.

I like the book so far. As I said, I’ve touched lightly into engaging with more philosophical constructs, though I am not sure I will ever go too deep. Still, I appreciated perspectives like Kenton Sparks’ identification with the practical realism of postmodernism. And I suppose one as grounded as Jamie Smith (though I believe Sparks is just as grounded) has much to bring to the table in the realm of philosophical discourse.