Eats with Sinners

What is a post-modernist? What does one look like? Questions like these have plagued my philosophy of ministry as of late. Unfortunately, modern philosophers and scholars have missed the mark by labeling a culture as postmodernism or emergent because of their skepticism in absolute truth. Once someone distinguishes a title for a certain group, then that group or society automatically becomes that label without question. The definition for the word stereotype is a group concept, held by one social group about another. It is often used in a negative or prejudicial sense and is frequently used to justify certain discriminatory behaviors.

The cultural envelope is being challenged. Pre-modernism was the foundation where structure was built, modernism moved forth into the future and created complacency and traditions, and post-modernism says the “heck with it all”. Oddly, history has shown that every culture throughout the ages has forms of these three elements intermixed.

If we disrobe all the presuppositions, stereotypical titles, and racial slurs, then we are left with nothing, but a human in need of its Creator. This is the start of ministry opportunities. A person, with no label other than the title of “child of God", who finds an intimate love song with Jesus Christ is the beginning of something beautiful. Once we begin to adapt to naming cultures, then the process never ends, since culture is constantly changing.

There might not be a solution to this pragmatic equation. Yet, there will always be the elite who think they have the elucidation, write a book, and gain riches in the process. I am not promoting a parley, but just an opinion. I am an outsider looking in. Labels are shown for what they are, nothing. They do not define a person or culture, neither do they create bliss. It is just another stereotypical way to make the church feel better about itself when they cannot reach the certain culture they abide in.

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