Friday, November 18th, 2005
This last week the Generations in Conversation course took a look at Tony Jones’ book, Postmodern Youth Ministry, published by Youth Specialties and Zondervan, 2001.
Exploring cultural shift, cultivating authentic community and creating holistic connections.
The first thing we noticed about the book was the layout. There’s more white space than most books - which gives the reader more scope for engaging with the text that’s there. We found ourselves engaging with bites, quotes and vignettes rather than attempting to read the chapter from start to end. There’s an element of randomness to the selection and placement of graphics. There’s a strong connection with the feel achieved by Douglas Coupland in his first edition of the novel, Generation X.
The second thing we noticed was the interactive nature of the book. Tony gave his manuscript to colleagues and included their responses in the end product.
Contributors were Rudy Carrasco (Urban Onramps & Harambee Ministries), Brad Cecil (Axxess), Mark Driscoll (Mars Hill, Seattle), Dan Kimball (Vintage Faith), Brian McLaren (Cedar Ridge), Sally Morgenthaler (Sacramentis), Doug Pagitt (Solomons Porch), Kara Powell (Fuller Theological Seminary), Leonard Sweet, Pete Ward (Kings College London) and Mike Yaconelli (died in October 2003).
Tony’s blogging over at Theoblogy and The Emergent Theological Conversation. He’s studying towards his doctorate in practical theology at Princeton Theological Seminary and is part time National Director of Emergent USA. He’s the author of three other books, Read. Think. Pray. Live., Soul Shaper, and The Sacred Way:Spiritual Practices for Everyday Life
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So what’s Tony saying about postmodernity and postmodernism? He says that Gen-Xers are the cusp generation in relation to postmodern values. The Millennials however are studying in an environment with ‘full-blown, no-holds-barred postmodern thought”. He points to the postmodern ethos being displayed in the work of song writers, television and movie producers and advertising executives. That made a lot of sense when we considered the nature of the television advertising we’d been looking at. The Three “We Like Music” ads and the XBox 360 “Jump In” ads seemed to flow from a postmodern approach to narrative rather than linear product obsession.
Tony gives an ‘incomplete in-progress’ list of values of emerging postmodern culture versus the values of the modern/Enlightenment era:
1. Experiential rather than Rational
2. Spiritual rather than Scientific
3. Pluralistic rather than Unanimity
4. Relative rather than Exclusive
5. Altruistic rather than Egocentric
6. Communal rather than Individualistic
7. Creative rather than Functional
8. Environmental rather than Industrial
9. Global rather than Local
10. Holistic rather than Comparmentalized/Dichotomized
11. Authentic rather than Relevant
In response we wondered how much we were seeing a ‘versus factor’. It seemed to us that there was more a shift of focus and emphasis. For all the focus on ‘communal’ we were seeing as much individualism as ever in the ways that people made decisions about their futures. We could see evidence of global and local going alongside each other. Perhaps we needed to factor in the approach taken by Leonard Sweet in which he combined global and local to make glocal. What would the other ten look like if we did the same?
We liked Kara Powell’s thought:
“It would indeed be terrifying to worship a God we could figure out. The enigmas, mysteries, and antinomies of God are what make him God. Without these, he would be just a very cool guy.”
Hmm. We had to find a decent dictionary (online) to find out what antinomies meant. It refers to several laws or constants that are held together even though they may seem to contradict each other.
However we noted that many young people we were dealing with did not fit into the fascination with mysticism, acceptance of ambiguity and comfort with diversity associated with postmodernism. One workshop participant talked about the hunger for concrete approaches to God, life and everything. In another post I’ll explore the connection we made between James Fowler’s stages of faith work and the emergence of postmodern values.
Tony finishes by saying that ‘Relational’ remains as a constant. He writes that “there is new room in our faith for experience, for mysticism, and for mystery. We can recover the story as the great conveyer of truth, and we can use it to great effect just as Jesus did. We can welcome people into a journey instead of getting them to assent to an oversimplified version of the gospel and recite a three-sentence prayer.”
True.
Tags: Postmodernity, Theology, Tony Jones, Youth Ministry
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Wednesday, July 27th, 2005
Reading through Don Carson’s critique of the Emerging Church movement, I came across his concern about Brian McLaren’s interpretation of the prefix, “post”. McLaren interprets the prefix as meaning ‘flowing on from or coming after’, implying continuity as well as discontinuity. Carson says he doesn’t get it. “Post”, according to his dictionary, means ‘after in time, later, following’ as in postgraduate or postglacial, or after in space, behind, as in postaxial.
I believe McLaren’s interpretation is in tune with the dictionary definition. He’s taking a non-linear approach, allowing for the concept of emergence alongside abrupt switch of states. Moving beyond or past a phase or state does not necessarily mean being ‘anti’ that phase or state.
My argument is that ‘post’ can be used to describe ‘this and more’. For example I don’t fit inside the agreed perameters of ‘charismatic’ culture. Even though I value and have integrated spiritual gifts (a broad range) in my life, I wouldn’t easily fit in a charismatic church. It’s partly because of my engagement in critical engagement of Biblical texts and refusal to buy into the constant expectation of high power in worship. I now explore and express faith through a ‘post charismatic’ lense. I no longer fit inside the charismatic box, but I still value and retain much of the substance of what is in the box. The old categories and containers of meaning are no longer adequate. I am charismatic and much more.
At a conference a couple of years ago I explored the concept of ‘post’, giving participants the opportunity to add their subtleties to dictionary definitions. Here’s some of the definitions (Post A to Post E). Apologies for the exhaustive nature of the list!
Post Apocalyptic Science Fiction
Set in a world devastated by nuclear war or some other general disaster.
The time frame may be immediately after the catastrophe, focusing on the travails or psychology of survivors, or considerably later, often including the theme that the existence of pre-catastrophe civilization has been forgotten or mythologized.
Mad Max, Matrix, Animatrix, Waterworld.
“Too close for comfort”. “Discovering that I still am…” “I am, Thou art”.
Post Bellum
of or during the period after a war, esp. the American Civil War
[ETYMOLOGY: 19th Century: Latin post after + bellum war]
“When families have to start talking and loving again”.
“The noise bellringers make when they realise they have rung the wrong bell”.
Post Charismatic
Used to describe the experience of people who have ‘moved on’ from the charismatic movement. Also to describe subsequent ‘waves of the Holy Spirit’ as in the Vineyard movement.
Enthusiasm tamed by reality.
Post Christendom
“Evangelism in a post-Christendom context is faced with the task not just of persuading people that Christianity is true but of even gaining a hearing for something widely regarded as passé.” Alan Roxburgh.
The physical kingdom is dead. Long live the King!
Recognising that there are other paradigms that we can hear and learn as well as teach. Christianity that serves that subverts rather than dominate.
The end of what is only the beginning.
The end of assumed power over this throng! Truth – the beginning of wisdom.
Post Classical
Of, relating to, or being a time following a classical period, as in art or literature.
“At the end of a controlled or highly structured era and at the birth of a dynamic pre-trend era.”
“We no longer know the rules”
“At the end of highly patterned, ritualized, perfected structured way of being.
Post-coital
happening or existing after sexual intercourse
“What’s your name?” “Now that is what I call a personal question… why do you want to know?”
Post Colonial
Of, relating to, or being the time following the establishment of independence in a colony
(as in postcolonial economics)
I actually like “The way we were” – Barbara Streisand
Post Diem
after the appointed day
Missed it by that much
Post Diluvial
existing or occurring after the Flood
Post diluvian - a person or thing living after the Flood
Can you have a ‘living thing’?
Post Doctoral
of, relating to, or engaged in academic study beyond the level of a doctoral degree
“You wish, Duncan!”
Post Echo
A position of an echo send control after the main channel fader.
On layers played back before loud passages a magnetic tape gives a pre-echo, whereas on playback following the loud passage it gives a post-echo.
Silence
Post Embryonic
following the embryonic stage of development
Let’s break out! From gooeyness to gorgeous!
Post Entry
Prison
Post Evangelical
Movement initiated by book of same name by Dave Tomlinson.
A name for people who didn’t fit. In through the out door
Post Exilic
Of or relating to the period of Jewish history following the Babylonian captivity (after 586 b.c.)
Return from the dog house. When you are finally allowed back after upsetting the Ladies Fellowship
Post Existence
Do we believe in pre-existence? Getting closer every day!
Tags: Postmodernity
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