by Bro Smart
“Postmodernity is said to be a culture of fragmentary sensations, eclectic nostalgia, disposable simulacra, and promiscuous superficiality, in which the traditionally valued qualities of depth, coherence, meaning, originality, and authenticity are evacuated or dissolved amid the random swirl of empty signals.”
― Jean Baudrillard
Postmodernism has left the world in a constant state of instability as man now lives in a society in which the identities of the social actors are undergoing constant transformation. All societal norm is now relative: indices of truth, science, morality, and God are no longer constant. There is now no more point of reference from which man can provide any universal code for morality as the intricately woven fabrics of the community that provide a standard of conduct have been torn down and man now finds himself everywhere and nowhere.
In order to identify one’s true self, one has to believe and adhere to a certain body of principles and have a set of moral standards. One’s identity shapes how he responds to and relates with the world, the capability to see order and make sense out of a disorderly world. Postmodernism will make us believe that our self-identity must be in a constant state of change, that our self-belief and identity should be dependent on what the reality of the day is; yesterday is forgotten and have no bearing on your life, today is what matters and your identity should be based on that; tomorrow is not promised and so no decision should be made on that. Life in the postmodern world is one of instability and just like the changing of the days so man must also change who he is and what he believes in. In a nutshell, man must move with the crowd.
As stated before, postmodernism lacks the permanence of principles as it attaches relativity to any given place, person, or time. The principles and ideology of postmodernism seek to dismantle Christianity by ensuring that the traditional and social standard by which we hold our faith is deconstructed but rather ensuring that there is no objective moral standard by which we base absolute judgment or decide between truth and false. The bible which embodies the laws of God and his promises to his children should, according to postmodernism, be treated like just another book. The laws given within should be treated as mere suggestions and not as a fundamental basis to enforce obedience. What is the essence of human existence if we do not have a moral compass when the basis of our faith is treated as just another way of looking at reality, a part of the whole and not the foundation of the whole? The postmodern man is a disloyal man and as Christians, we must hold on to the foundation upon which we have built our identity.
The book of Proverbs 9:10 states that “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Christians in the postmodern world must hold on to God for wisdom, no matter the trial and chaos around them. The solution to our problems is not to constantly rewrite our story to a different set of realities but rather to embed ourselves in the fear of God and seek to establish the Godly standard. The Godly man should realize that his identity cannot be determined by the reality of today or his faith a product of societal influences. The book of Jeremiah 1:5 explains to us why our identity is deep-rooted in God. Even before we were born, God has already known us and ordained us for a purpose. Finding that purpose enables us to remain constant regardless of the seismic shifts around us. One of the articles in this edition addresses the issue of purposefully.
