The Evidential Error of Postmodern Christianity

Christianity Today has posted a brief article here entitled Obscene Bible comments reflect failure of church. The article speaks of a particular Bible placed on display in Glasgow inviting those who have been marginalized by faulty interpretations of the Bible to "write your way back into it."

Of course, giving a postmodern a pen and asking him to adjust the Bible to his liking is akin to giving a thief a thousand dollars and telling him to deliver what he doesn't want to the local orphanage. We ought not be surprised at the decision he makes. The visitors took the pen and wrote in the Bible, "I don't want a fascist God," among other phrases that I will not repeat.

As surprising as this may be to some, even more surprising is the reaction of Eddie Arthur, the Executive Director of Wycliffe Bible Translators. Taking an opportunity to respond to the actions of those who defaced the word of God, Arthur says, "Sadly, it is a failure of the wider Christian church to adequately live and demonstrate the message of God's reconciliation which is the issue."

Arthur's error is in misplacing the blame. Is the reason people deface the word of God really the fault of believers, or is it simply evidence that people without the Lord Jesus Christ feel no need to reverence the Bible beyond some historical document that is now irrelevant to culture? Authur's problem is that ultimately, he pandered to the whims of postmodern culture. The Bible was defaced because there are people without Christ, and people without Christ have no regard for the revelation of Christ. The implication is that the people of Christ should be offended when people desecrate His word. Jesus fully expected to be desecrated, and even told us He would be, and we in turn.

Arthur's statement reveals a mentality of "if we do it right, they will like us." The idea that "if the church can join hands with the culture then the culture will accept us" is naive in regard to culture and ignorant in regard to Scripture. Postmodern Christianity is simply an invitation for those who feel marginalized to write their own scripture. We ought not be surprised when culture rejects the word of God. We should be surprised when Christians ignore the word of God.