Who's Afraid of Postmodernism? (The Church and Postmodern Culture)

Who's Afraid of Postmodernism? (The Church and Postmodern Culture) PDF

Author: James K. A. Smith

Publisher: Baker Academic

Published: 2006-04-01

Total Pages: 160

ISBN-13: 1441200398

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The philosophies of French thinkers Derrida, Lyotard, and Foucault form the basis for postmodern thought and are seemingly at odds with the Christian faith. However, James K. A. Smith claims that their ideas have been misinterpreted and actually have a deep affinity with central Christian claims. Each chapter opens with an illustration from a recent movie and concludes with a case study considering recent developments in the church that have attempted to respond to the postmodern condition, such as the "emerging church" movement. These case studies provide a concrete picture of how postmodern ideas can influence the way Christians think and worship. This significant book, winner of a Christianity Today 2007 Book Award, avoids philosophical jargon and offers fuller explanation where needed. It is the first book in the Church and Postmodern Culture series, which provides practical applications for Christians engaged in ministry in a postmodern world.

Who’s Afraid of the Unmoved Mover?

Who’s Afraid of the Unmoved Mover? PDF

Author: Andrew I. Shepardson

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2019-02-12

Total Pages: 205

ISBN-13: 1532656793

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Are postmodern philosophy and Christian theology compatible? A surprising number of Christian philosophers and theologians think so. However, these same thinkers argue that postmodern insights entail the rejection of natural theology, the ability to discover knowledge about the existence and nature of God in the natural world. Postmodernism, they claim, shows that appealing to nature to demonstrate or infer the existence of God is foolish because these appeals rely on modernity's outmoded grounds for knowledge. Moreover, natural theology and apologetics are often hindrances to authentic Christian faith. Notions like objectivity and rationality are forms of idolatry from which Christians should repent. This book carefully examines the nature of truth, rationality, general revelation, and evangelism to show that the postmodern objections fail and that Christians ought to lovingly and faithfully use natural theology and apologetics to defend and commend the Christian faith to a world in need of the knowledge of God.

Postmodernism 101

Postmodernism 101 PDF

Author: Heath White

Publisher: Baker Books

Published: 2006-07-01

Total Pages: 177

ISBN-13: 1441234780

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Finally, here's a book about postmodernism that you don't need a philosophy degree to understand. In Postmodernism 101: A First Course for the Curious Christian, Heath White offers a brief and accessible introduction to the ideas of postmodernism and its relationship to Christianity. White paints the historical and philosophical background underlying postmodernism in understandable, but not oversimplified, language. He then describes what postmodernism means to our view of self, language, thought, the search for knowledge, and culture. White invites Christians who otherwise might have avoided postmodern theorizing into this important dialogue with questions for further thought after each chapter and suggestions for future reading. This book is ideal for students as well as curious pastors and lay readers.

The Fall of Interpretation

The Fall of Interpretation PDF

Author: James K. A. Smith

Publisher: Baker Books

Published: 2012-04-01

Total Pages: 257

ISBN-13: 1441236325

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In this provocative book James K. A. Smith, one of the most engaging Christian scholars of our day, offers an innovative approach to hermeneutics. The second edition of Smith's well-received debut book provides updated interaction with contemporary hermeneutical discussions and responds to criticisms.

Solomon among the Postmoderns

Solomon among the Postmoderns PDF

Author: Peter J. Leithart

Publisher: Brazos Press

Published: 2008-01-01

Total Pages: 176

ISBN-13: 1441201173

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In Ecclesiastes, Solomon states that "all is vapor" and describes humans as trying to "shepherd the wind." In Solomon among the Postmoderns, author Peter J. Leithart uses these claims, as well as the entire book of Ecclesiastes, to show how Solomon resonated with postmodernism. Exploring the strengths and weaknesses of postmodernism, Leithart shows how the theory reflects an important biblical theme: the elusiveness and instability of the world. But he goes on to show that biblical faith takes us beyond cynicism and despair. Solomon among the Postmoderns will appeal to academics and laypeople alike seeking a biblical view of postmodernism.

Desiring the Kingdom (Cultural Liturgies)

Desiring the Kingdom (Cultural Liturgies) PDF

Author: James K. A. Smith

Publisher: Baker Academic

Published: 2009-08-01

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 9781441211262

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Malls, stadiums, and universities are actually liturgical structures that influence and shape our thoughts and affections. Humans--as Augustine noted--are "desiring agents," full of longings and passions; in brief, we are what we love. James K. A. Smith focuses on the themes of liturgy and desire in Desiring the Kingdom, the first book in what will be a three-volume set on the theology of culture. He redirects our yearnings to focus on the greatest good: God. Ultimately, Smith seeks to re-vision education through the process and practice of worship. Students of philosophy, theology, worldview, and culture will welcome Desiring the Kingdom, as will those involved in ministry and other interested readers.

Reclaiming Identity

Reclaiming Identity PDF

Author: Paula M. L. Moya

Publisher: Univ of California Press

Published: 2000-12-14

Total Pages: 372

ISBN-13: 9780520223493

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This collection of ten essays argues that identity is not just socially constructed but has real epistemic and political consequences. They examine the way theory, politics and activism clash with or complement each other, providing an alternative to the widely influential understandings of identity.

A Primer on Postmodernism

A Primer on Postmodernism PDF

Author: Stanley J. Grenz

Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing

Published: 1996-02-06

Total Pages: 266

ISBN-13: 1467420859

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From the academy to pop culture, our society is in the throes of change rivaling the birth of modernity out of the decay of the Middle Ages. We are now moving from the modern to the postmodern era. But what is postmodernism? How did it arise? What characterizes the postmodern ethos? What is the postmodern mind and how does it differ from the modern mind? Who are its leading advocates? Most important of all, what challenges does this cultural shift present to the church, which must proclaim the gospel to the emerging postmodern generation? Stanley Grenz here charts the postmodern landscape. He shows the threads that link art and architecture, philosophy and fiction, literary theory and television. He shows how the postmodern phenomenon has actually been in the making for a century and then introduces readers to the gurus of the postmodern mind-set. What he offers here is truly an indispensable guide for understanding today's culture.

House of Leaves

House of Leaves PDF

Author: Mark Z. Danielewski

Publisher: Pantheon

Published: 2000-03-07

Total Pages: 738

ISBN-13: 0375420525

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“A novelistic mosaic that simultaneously reads like a thriller and like a strange, dreamlike excursion into the subconscious.” —The New York Times Years ago, when House of Leaves was first being passed around, it was nothing more than a badly bundled heap of paper, parts of which would occasionally surface on the Internet. No one could have anticipated the small but devoted following this terrifying story would soon command. Starting with an odd assortment of marginalized youth -- musicians, tattoo artists, programmers, strippers, environmentalists, and adrenaline junkies -- the book eventually made its way into the hands of older generations, who not only found themselves in those strangely arranged pages but also discovered a way back into the lives of their estranged children. Now this astonishing novel is made available in book form, complete with the original colored words, vertical footnotes, and second and third appendices. The story remains unchanged, focusing on a young family that moves into a small home on Ash Tree Lane where they discover something is terribly wrong: their house is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside. Of course, neither Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Will Navidson nor his companion Karen Green was prepared to face the consequences of that impossibility, until the day their two little children wandered off and their voices eerily began to return another story -- of creature darkness, of an ever-growing abyss behind a closet door, and of that unholy growl which soon enough would tear through their walls and consume all their dreams.