LIBERTY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
Postmodern Apologetics
Submitted to Dr. Fred Smith
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of
APOL 500 — B02
Introduction to Apologetics
by
October 19, 2018
Introduction
Postmodernism is a worldview that many people share today. However, the worldview of
postmodernism has many flaws and questions that must be answered. This paper will show that
the postmodernism worldview lacks depth and structure when being evaluated by objective
criteria and will show Christianity as a belief system worth following. Postmodernism will be put
under the microscope as we will examine where postmodernist got their thought about ultimate
reality, their source of ultimate authority, how one comes to knowledge, what are human beings,
and what is their source of morality. We will get to the truth of what postmodernism is and why
we will want to stay clear of this worldview. We need to be aware of this world thinking, and we
must be able to know how to defend the Christian faith.
Summary of the Worldview
Many would say postmodernism comes from out of modernism. However, according to
many in the postmodernist camp, they would claim this is not true at all. Morawski and Bauman
both define what a typical defense for postmodern thinkers would be. We read again and again
that postmodernism is not in the least a sequel to modernism, but merely a ‘state of mind’
characteristic of modernism’s current incarnation.1 According to postmodernism there are is not
an absolute truth only truths, plural. Truth comes from the view of one person and what they hold
as truths. No one is right, and no one is wrong. In his book Truth Decay: Defending Christianity
Against the Challenges of Postmodernism, Douglas Groothuis expounds on how postmodernist
view truth. Truth dissolves into a host of disconnected “truths,” all equal to each other but
unrelated to one another; there is not overall, rational scheme of things.2 A true postmodernist
1 Morawski, S., Bauman, Z. 1996. The Troubles with Postmodernism. London: Routledge: 1-2.
2 Groothuis, Douglas. 2009. Truth Decay: Defending Christianity Against the Challenges of
Postmodernism. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press: 20
would agree with the above statement. In the book A Postmodern Reader; Linda Hutcheon and
Joseph Natoil states why a postmodern thinker would agree that all truth is equal. The
postmodern response would be to claim that this is the entire point, for its shift in “horizon of
expectation” cannot be accounted for in terms of modernist explanatory system–that is the
rationalist, overarching metanarrative.3 Postmodernist want to be taken more as peacekeepers.
They tend to side with everyone is right and we can all get along with what we believe.
Morawski would go on to say, Postmodernism is based on opposite assumptions and it
obliterates the difference between the authority of fundamental values and their being
superfluous.4
When it comes to ultimate sources the postmodernist views come from one’s self and
what they believe is truth, based on their own life experiences. One person may find that
drinking is the best way to handle stress while evidence and science would say that is not true,
but since it works for that person, their truth is true to them. Many postmodernists do not have
sources, because to have sources would put the whole thought process of there are no absolute
truths in jeopardy. Postmodernist says there are no absolute truth, meaning that even if one
would believe in an absolute truth, their view would be invalid.
Postmodernist knows what they know based on life experiences and since all people have
different life experiences one way of thinking cannot be better then another. Meaning all
knowledge is based on each person, and you only know what you know based on how you have
lived your life up to this point. A postmodernist would go as far to say that because we cannot
know the truth, that means the truth is not present, therefore, it must be false. We only know
what we can know and nothing more and nothing less. This is where community and relating
3 Hutcheon, Linda, and Joseph P. Natoli. 1993. A Postmodern Reader. Albany: State University of New
York Press: 3.
4 Morawski, The Troubles with Postmodernism, 8.
with one another works so well in a postmodern world. Postmodernist feed off of each other.
This is why community and belong are vital to postmodernist.
Human are just beings, that grow and are influenced by the culture, demographic, and the
community they were brought up in. The end goal is determined by each person. If you want to
believe that there is an afterlife, then that is all up to the person but may not be shared by another
postmodernist. Postmodernism likes to distract its thinkers, meaning that instead of thinking
about the end, death, one distracts themselves. If one does not think of death, then one would not
go looking for answers about death. Groothuis states; if not for diversions, we would “be bored,
and boredom would drive us to seek some more solid means of escape, but diversion passes our
time and brings us imperceptibly to our death.5 As humans we were made to think, this is where
postmodernism takes advantage and says; “think for yourself and what you believe is true to
you.”
Morality comes from one’s own understanding. A postmodernist would say there is no
good or evil. They would say that morality ultimately is decided by the community around you.
A postmodernist would also claim that good and evil are based on what they have seen and
believe. If they want it to be good, then it is good but there is no universal good or bad. In
Groothuis other book Christian Apologetics he states; If this postmodernist view is accepted,
objective truth is ruled out in principle.6 Groothuis would continue saying; truth dissolves into
communities, ethnic groups, genders and other contingent factors, and no one “metanarrative”
can rightly claim to be a true and rational account of reality.7 To think and live this way would
cause someone, in the mind of a postmodernist, to be enlightened, and thus gain great
5 Groothuis, Truth Decay, 173.
6 Groothuis, Douglas. 2011. Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith. Downer
Grove: InterVarsity Press: 119.
7 Groothuis, Christian Apologetics, 119.
knowledge. Postmodernism relies on others and what they believe as well as the individual. In
doing so, one comes to a common belief, that the community, or group as one come to this
conclusion. When the community or group comes to a set truth and/or conclusion it defines
morality for those people.
Evaluation of the Worldview
One may rearrange the debris in any number of contingent ways, but there is no original
order and no image that reflects a reality outside of itself.8 Since there is no truth one cannot
effectively explain postmodernism. Postmodernist would have a hard time explaining life,
afterlife, and creation, because their own experiences would be counted as truths and one’s truths
can be different than other truths. Postmodernist would say that this life is all we have, and death
is the ceasing to exist. At least that is what a rational postmodernist would say if they were not
distracted by postmodern thoughts.
Since there are no rules about what truth is, all people can have truths and if everything is
truth then nothing can be true. What may be morally good to one person can be morally evil to
other and both are correct in their own thinking. Postmodernism has major issues on the morality
of good and evil. If they do not claim that there is good, and yes, there is evil, then postmodernist
will always struggle with finding what is moral and what is not moral. By claiming that good can
be evil and evil can be good, they are essential saying that all truth is no truth despite what you
believe. This leaves one puzzled, lost, and confused. Postmodernist would have to come to grips
with the simple fact that this does not hold up. We all acknowledge that there is good and there is
evil that all people can in fact morally agree upon.
Postmodernist have no rules to their ideas. Since good and evil are determined by each
other, they will have a hard time saying anything is good or bad. Postmodernist only exist
8 Groothuis, Truth Decay, 170.
because of the need to get away from modernism. Meaning that somewhere along the line
someone thought modernism was wrong, and wanted to change the way of thinking, thus
creating something that has no rules or order. All postmodernist will say that they are not a
branch of modernism, because they want to feel like they are vastly different than any other
thought process out there. In fact, postmodernism is exactly that, it is an extension of modernism.
This may be a hard concept to grasp for a postmodernist but once they come to grips of this truth,
they will be better able to explain what they think and why they think it.
This way of thinking is a popular thought however progress in society is meaningless and
is an illusion. Postmodernist would have a hard time wanting progress but knowing that progress
is a social concept to them. They are aware that all people see life differently and all life is based
on each other’s own experiences. Postmodernist is the new way of thinking. As Curtler states in
his book Rediscovering Values: Coming to Terms with Postmodernism; It is difficult to
characterize such a heterogeneous group of thinkers who agree about little except that the
modern era is over and the postmodern must begin with emphasis on intuition, everyday life,
local knowledge, specifics, the contingent, personal testimony and direct experience rather than
theory and abstraction.9 This worldview is extremely popular and has merit to a newer
generation. This generation is a generation that want to think for themselves and not care what
others think. However, deep down they want others to affirm those convictions they have. This is
why community is vital to this generation and why it is so easy to go along with the follow of
belief because they identity with these people. All of these people have the same belief as they
do. They are consistently being affirmed and encouraged to think for themselves. This way of
thinking is of course going to be popular and it is going to attract many.
9 Curtler, Hugh. 1997. Rediscovering Values: Coming to Terms with Postmodernism. New York:
Routledge: 29.
Even if evidence is proven a postmodernist would say that in light of the truth, that truth
is not true to me and would ignore basic truth. Postmodernist are not necessary looking to
disprove Christianity because to do so would go against Postmodernism because every person
can have their own believes. All people can believe what they want because there is no absolute
truth, just many truths. If one wanted to be a Christian postmodernist this is the biggest issue one
would run into. If there is no absolute truth, then one cannot claim that Jesus is the only way to
heaven. However, if we say this is not true based on someone else saying that they personally do
not believe that, therefore, it is only true to that person. This means that one can believe that a
donkey is the messiah and as long as they believe it then it is held as true. A postmodernist would
come to a conclusion that all their truths are based on reasoning. White states in Postmodernism
101: A First Course for the Curious Christian, he states; reasons might be stunted by lack of
education, darkened by superstition, or cowed by weight of tradition.10 We cannot help but
notice the unhealthiness of this thought process and it does not take one long to have major
issues with postmodernism.
Evaluation of Christianity
In Christianity we see absolute truths. That God created the world and all the humans in
it. That sin entered in the world because of humans, and that sin has been defeated because of
Jesus and his sacrifice on the cross. All of this is possible to be believed based on Christ
resurrection from the grave. God gave us as humans access to truth. Without truth then there
would be no right or wrong. Making the world we live in an impossible place to live. As
Christians we can acknowledge that putting our trust in a truthful and honest God is better then
10 White, Heath. 2006. Postmodernism 101: A First Course for the Curious Christian. GrandRapids:
Brazos Press: 20.
putting hope in people. It is healthy to admit that all truths cannot be true, and it is healthy to
admit that we do have an ultimate authority that we can put our trust and hope in.
In Christianity our main source is God, and we can know God and his will for our life
based on the history that we left us in the Bible. Postmodern does not do a great at showing the
authority they need. Harrison highlights this fact in her book; Pop Art and the Origins of Post-
Modernism. Contemporary Artist and Their Critics; The most prominent of these is anonymity,
that is lack of authorial presence or a centered sense of personal identity.11 We believe the Bible
to be the word of God. Christians would say that we have been left with the Bible, the Holy
Scriptures, as God’s way of communicating to us. Christians believe that, while God may not
have taken pen to paper and wrote the Bible, God inspired others to write on his account. God
used the Holy Spirit to fill up his people, so they could write the words we have today.
Knowledge is not something we can come to on our own, but through the power of the
Holy Spirit it is given to us so that we can know the truth of Jesus and we can follow Him and
allow Him to be in control of our lives. Knowledge is something that can be learned over time. It
would be arrogant to say that we cannot learn anything on our own. We know this to be true
because the Holy Spirit has not always been present in one’s life. Once someone becomes a
believer in Jesus, they are filled with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit does interpret and gives us
a better understanding of God’s word and allows us to have a connection with God. While we as
humans can gain knowledge, it is up to the Holy Spirit to solidify that knowledge.
Humans are born sinful, because of the sin that was committed in the Garden of Eden.
We are sinful, and we deserve death because of sin, but because of Jesus, those who call upon the
name of the Lord will be saved. We deserve death and separation from God but through Christ
11 Harrison, Sylvia. 2001. Pop Art and the Origins of Post-Modernism. Contemporary Artist and Their
Critics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press: 11.
we can now have a person relationship with God. Humans can be nice, and morally good.
However, is that enough to live well. Humans offer nothing to God. This all steams from what
Jesus did on the cross for humanity. Jesus paid the debt that we were not able to pay. That debt
was for the sins that we have, had, and will commit in our lives and Jesus paid it all. While
humans may bring nothing to God, God still loved humans enough, and valued them enough to
send His one and only son to die for the human’s sin.
Morality comes from God, we have the ability to know what good and evil is because of
what we have been told and what we have seen. We as Christians match up truth with God’s
truth, if they do not match it is our truth that is skewed not God’s. It can be very simple to have a
warped view of morality if we do not line ourselves up with God. We have an experience of what
good and evil is. If we are unsure we are to ask, and God will give us an answer, and sometimes
it is a fast response and sometimes it is not. The first two humans understood what good and evil
was. While Adam and Eve may not have ever done evil in the slight of the Lord, the day that
they took the fruit, evil, sinfulness, entered into the world. Jesus’s death covered the sin of the
world, but we still sin, and we still must know the line of good and evil. However, at the end of
time we will not have to pay the wages of what we have done on this earth.
Defense of Christianity
Christianity’s answer to the problem of evil. Evil in the world tends to be a hot topic of
debate in the world. Not many worldviews tackle evil better then Christianity. The age-old
question is why bad things happen to good people, is problematic to many worldviews. In
Penner’s book The End of Apologetics: Christian Witness in a Postmodern Context; he states;
Postmodernism, is immoral and cowardly and a form of intellectual pacifism that lacks the
courage to fight for the truth.12 However, the difference is Christianity chooses to answer this
question and does so pretty well.
Begin at the Garden of Eden when evil (sin) first come onto the scene. While evil existed
after that moment, God sent a savior to right the wrong. As one man sinned, and sin entered the
world. One man died for the world to vanquish the sin. The apostle Paul writes about this in the
book of Romans. Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of
righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by one man’s disobedience the
many were made sinners, so by one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.13 In the
commentary New Bible Commentary, the authors point out the parallel between Adam and Jesus.
The verses are parallel, each of them comparing the way in which Adam’s trespass/ disobedience
has brought condemnation and sinfulness to the way in which Christ’s one act of righteousness/
obedience has brought justification and righteousness.14 This means that while evil may be
present a believer in Jesus has hope. Jesus gives believers hope that in offering up His life, evil
will be defeated. While a postmodernist would say that evil is only in the eye of the beholder. As
long as they accept others and how they believe can they indeed to truth. Still not holding to an
absolute truth but believing that all people everyone have truths they hold to. Postmodernist
would never want to define what good and evil, let alone say that one is better than the other.
Postmodernist would even claim that any one has any authority to define what good is and/ or
what is evil is truly. However, we have been given a moral law from the one true God, creator of
the universe. To not line up with God and His thinking means one is defining that God is not real
and will not listen to sounds facts or reason. Through Jesus who was our example and our
12 Penner, Myron B.. 2013. The End of Apologetics: Christian Witness in a Postmodern Context. Grand
Rapids: Baker Academic: 39.
13 Romans 5:18-19 (ESV).
14 Carson, D. A., France, R. T., Motyer, J. A., Wenham, G. J.. New Bible Commentary: 21st Century
Edition. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press: 1134.
atoning sacrifice we can know what truth is. Evil is present in the world today because of the sin
of one at the beginning of earth, but now Jesus has come, and he has died, and he has covered
that sin. It does not mean evil in the world will not happen, but Jesus covered the sin and paid the
price for that evil, for that sin.
The resurrection of Jesus is a hot button, since people do not just get up and walk out of
their tombs. However, with the over 500 witnesses accounts that saw Jesus, and the eye-witness
accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, we can be sure of the resurrection of Jesus. The
resurrection has huge implications if it is wrong, it means that we have been misled and we
should be most pitied. Paul writes about this in 1 Corinthians 15:17; and if Christ has not been
raised, your faith is futile, and you are still in your sins.15 The resurrection is the only event that
matters if it actually happened. This event is what the new testament writers were writing about.
They were writing about their eye witness account to the resurrection of Jesus. It would be hard
to dismiss over 500 accounts of the resurrection of Christ. Many worldviews do not have major
issues with the resurrection, many will tend to attack other parts of the Bible. This is not where
Christians should dig in and battle at. Where Christians should dig in at is at the focal point of
their belief, which is the resurrection. While the defense will look different, it can be effective.
One would start by looking at all the eye witness accounts that we do have. We would start with
Matthew, Mark Luke and John. These are men who went to the grave believing that Jesus was
who he said he was, and they believed that Jesus was the resurrection and the life. In the
Christian faith you cannot leave out the resurrection as an event to defend, because so much
balances on its truth.
Conclusion
15 1 Corinthians 15:17, ESV.
In Conclusion this paper showed that the postmodernism worldview lacks depth and
structure. This paper evaluated postmodernism by objective criteria and will show Christianity as
a belief system worth following. Postmodernism says there are no absolute truths. Beilby would
say in his book Thinking about Christian Apologetics; after all, if one rejects truth, one must also
reject the notions that views contrary to your own are wrong.16 Christianity is the worldview that
will make the most sense. The evidence becomes a no brainer for anyone searching for a religion
to follow. Defending the faith is only going to be more and more tricky as future generations
come up. We must be able to defend our faith and do it well. We must do it in a sense that people
will listen and be open to hearing us. Love is a great approach, we must respond in love above all
else. Postmodernism is an empty basket that will not help you, but Christianity strives to help
those in need and show them the truth.
Bibliography
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Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press.
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Century Edition. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press.
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