Tag Archives: James K. A. Smith

Rethinking Nietzsche

Posted on by under philosophy

NietzscheI’ve stated this before – I am no great philosopher. I muse over things through a theological lens, though one can’t get away from philosophical frameworks.

I have tried my hand at understanding a little around the epistemological perspectives (“how we know what we know”) of the 3 eras of history, which are pre-modernism, modernism and post-modernism. In this, I owe much to the works of James K.A. Smith and Kenton Sparks, particularly Smith’s, Who’s Afraid of Postmodernism, and Sparks’, God’s Word in Human Words. Both books were super-informative and illuminating in getting my mind around some of these philosophical concepts. Continue reading →

Who’s Afraid of Postmodernism?

Posted on by under books, philosophy, postmodernism, quotes

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. Continue reading →