Roy said "Rationalism was actually a very good thing. After all it did bring
us modern science and mathematics. Where would we be without those things?"
then he said "they [the early church] focused on Jesus Christ as the central
figure of all reality."  I think this is really suggesting where we ought to
put our effort:  using rational thought and methods where they are
beneficial to better understand God, the central Figure.

Rationalism (science, naturalism, "modernism") is an extremely useful tool,
and we would probably be wise to recognize it as such, rather than as a
world view.  The difference between treating rationalism as a tool and as a
worldview is this:

If we accept modernism as a world view, we are forced into the false
conclusion that it can indeed explain the meaning of life (which it can't).
However, as merely a tool, it can be used to better explain things like the
creation of the universe and how information and design and, therefore, a
Designer, were necessary.

If we accept modernism as a world view, then we are forced to conclude that
only those things that are visible and can be "scientifically" studied are
real.  However, as a tool we can use cutting edge modern discoveries about
the mind and brain to point us toward a realm of existence that transcends
mere brainwaves and gray matter.

Any other examples?



-----Original Message-----
From: Roy Hershberger [mailto:royh@...]
Sent: Monday, February 14, 2005 6:20 PM
To: Christian-Ghetto@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [Christian-Ghetto] Nee, postmodern before his time?


On Monday 14 February 2005 01:19 pm, Jim Berge wrote:
> Maybe we ought to simply get rid of all labels and categorizations and say
> that we follow Christ.  Suddenly, all the POMO, MO, Post-POMO, Cheerio,
> Oreo and Wack-O labels dissolve and we're left with a personal
relationship
> with the God who created us and wants to have a relationship with us.
>  Wouldn't that be cool?

I know what your saying. The tendency to want to label everything is very
modern. See there I go again. He He

But seriously, your exactly right. Nee wasn't postmodern he was just in
touch
with God a lot more then most Christians of his day. The fact that he was
from China may have also helped him to escape from the extreme rationalism
of
the West.

The ancient church was much the same way. Their world view was dominated by
many of the same ideas we are now just starting to recapture. Yet they
lacked
something.

Rationalism was actually a very good thing. After all it did bring us modern

science and mathematics. Where would we be without those things? Without
them
we may have remained more balanced in some spiritual sense, but we never
would have grown technologically. Obviously there is a side to God and his
creation that is highly ordered and structured, and because he is interested

in redeeming all of creation it was necessary that we go through this phase
of human development.

The danger of embracing postmodernism whole heartily is found in the old
pendulum ride analogy. Our culture seems to be taking things to another
extreme forgetting the good things that modernism has brought us.

That's why I believe that what you suggest is very wise. In one of the books

I'm currently reading, "Ancient-Future Faith," the author Robert Webber,
talks about the early Churches focus on 'Christus Victur'. Christ's victory
over the powers of darkness, and his redemption of all creation. They did
not
focus on the current cultural trends, they focused on Jesus Christ as the
central figure of all reality. If anything we should try to focus on that as

well. Get away from the "follow the fad mentality" and concentrate on the
One
main and lasting theme.



Community email addresses:
   Post message: christianghetto@onelist.com
   Subscribe:    christianghetto-subscribe@onelist.com
   Unsubscribe:  christianghetto-unsubscribe@onelist.com
   List owner:   christianghetto-owner@onelist.com

Shortcut URL to this page:
   http://www.onelist.com/community/christianghetto
Yahoo! Groups Links