Contemporary Theology

Definition

Postmodern theology denotes that branch of contemporary Christian thought which appropriates postmodernism’s theoretical assumptions and critical methodologies to articulate varying theological perspectives within the frameworks of liberal and orthodox theologies.

Summary

Western culture has been in the grip of a postmodern movement and mood since the 1960s. Today, it influences disciplines as diverse as mathematics and literature. This article surveys the impact of postmodernism on the field of theology in three sections. The first consists of a broad overview of philosophical and theological postmodernism. The next division explores some of the common features of postmodern theology vis-à-vis five biblical doctrines: Scripture, God, human beings, Christ, and the Church. The final section offers a succinct reflection on postmodern theology.

Postmodern Theology

An Essay By

Glendon Thompson

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An Article By

Tim Keller

In the past, many of our neighbors could understand traditional Christian preaching even when they responded with disagreement or indifference. During the last 15 years, however, our message is increasingly met with dumbfounded incomprehension or outrage. Until a generation ago in the United States, most adults had similar moral intuitions whether they were born-again believers, churchgoers, nominal Christians, or nonbelievers. That has changed. Many have characterized the change over the last generation as “the postmodern turn.” The “modern” era, we are often told, was characterized by confidence in rationality and science and the pursuit of a grand social order that...