postmodern

Postmodern can mean a lot of things and I am not going to try to give it a definitive definition (but that would be a good joke) nor am I going to meet everyone's expectations about someone who identifies with the term. I don't need to be a post-modern to think in most of these ways.


I find that one of the things that functioning in a postmodern context allows me to do is to value tensions. I can celebrate grace as thoroughly as Luther and tremble in the Presence of holy God. I can rely on grace alone and take seriously the biblical commands and personal responsibilities for life, faithfulness, and  holiness. I can experience God like Isaiah in his "woe is me, for I am ruined!" vision and like Paul who can describe "a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, 'Abba! Father!'.” My experience of each of these poles heightens my experience of the other. Perhaps ironically, it is my faith in a meta-narrative of The Story of God that allows this perspective.


“Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts,
The whole earth is full of His glory.”
 ⁴ And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. ⁵ Then I said,
   “Woe is me, for I am ruined!
Because I am a man of unclean lips,
And I live among a people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.” ⁶ Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. ⁷ He touched my mouth with it and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.” Isaiah 6:3-7 NASB


...if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. ¹⁴ For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. ¹⁵ For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” ¹⁶ The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. Romans 8:13b-16 NASB