College Faith

#55: Engaging Postmodernism On Your Campus (Or In Your Church)

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In this edition we are discussing a very prevalent philosophy on university campuses today (as well as in many churches): Postmodernism. My guest is Dr. Scott Smith, Professor of Christian Apologetics at Biola University’s Talbot School of Theology. Scott has written quite a few articles and well-received books on this topic and often speaks on postmodernism and its implications in churches, at conferences, and on podcasts like this one.

 

In this podcast we discuss:

  • What postmodernism is, and how it developed out of modernity
  • Why the theory of nominalism (the belief that there is no reality beyond the words we use for things) is the foundation of postmodernism
  • Why Scott is so interested in this issue as a Christian
  • Examples of where students will encounter postmodern thought
  • Concerns about the rise in “expressive individualism”
  • What we can learn from postmodern thought
  • What we must reject in postmodern thought
  • A practical suggestion for how to converse with someone who embraces postmodernism

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    Resources mentioned during our conversation:

    • Scott Smith, Truth and the New Kind of Christian: The Emerging Effects of Postmodernism in the Church
    • Scott Smith, Authentically Emergent: In Search of a Truly Progressive Christianity
    • Scott Smith, Exposing the Roots of Constructivism: Nominalism and the Ontology of Knowledge
    • Carl R. Trueman, The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self: Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism, and the Road to Sexual Revolution
    • Carl R. Trueman, Strange New World: How Thinkers and Activists Redefined Identity and Sparked the Sexual Revolution
    • Douglas Groothuis, Truth Decay: Defending Christianity Against the Challenges of Postmodernism
    • Scott Smith’s Website:
      • The Dangers of Nominalism
      • Making Sense of Morality: Problems with Naturalism
      • Podcast discussing Scott’s book Exposing the Roots of Constructivism
        • ...more
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        College FaithBy Stan W. Wallace
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