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CHAPTER 6
CONCLUSION
Postmodernism poses a great
challenge to Christianity. The tenents of postmodern thought undermine the
gospel and the authority of Scripture by denying the existence of, or at least
the ability to know, objective and absolute truth. Postmodernism makes the
individual the author of his or her own “truth.” Postmodernism is intellectual
anarchy and, if left unchallenged, will lead to neo-barbarism. An orderly,
just, logical, and humane society is impossible when depraved humanity is permitted
to create their own reality.
People cannot survive long
without truth. Many people realize the vanity of postmodern beliefs, but do not
know where to turn for truth. The church may have its greatest opportunity to
share the gospel than it ever has since the era of the early church. The
Greco-Roman culture of the early church was quite similar to that of
postmodernism and the church thrived during that time.
However, if the church does not
engage in polemics to define the truth within its own ranks, then it will lose
the current window of opportunity to bring the gospel to the lost. Failure to
recover the authority of Scripture will result in the culture’s increased
confusion, despair, and disintegration. Society will long for order more than
truth and may turn to any source of authority to bring order. This situation
could very well be setting the stage for the end-times scenario taught in the
Bible. This scenario includes a world ruler (the antichrist) who will lead the
world into a global government, economy, and religion.
In any case, the church still
has a biblical mandate to contend for the truth of the gospel and uphold the
authority of the Scriptures. As the professing church continues on its path to
apostasy, those who are discerning must draw the line and separate from
apostates in order to be faithful to God. Those who choose to be faithful to
God will face great opposition and derision by those who desire unity over
truth. However, no Christian unity can exist apart from truth. The only unity
that the current ecumenical movement has is its unity in disloyalty to truth.
Though those who adhere to truth
will be scorned they are in good company. The Old Testaments prophets, the
apostles, and even Jesus himself were all persecuted by those who rejected the
truth. But Jesus prayed for his people in John 17. He prayed, “I have given
them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world.
I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should
keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the
world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the
world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify
myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.”[1]
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