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Postmodernism presents a challenge to the Christian view of epistemology. What are some practical ways you, as a Christian educator, can respond to this challenge?
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Postmodernism has unknowingly polluted the minds of many students and teachers in the education system. Whenever possible we ALWAYS use the Biblical reference to determine universal right and wrong. We also engage in discussions about how the God versus the World changes our perceptions.
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The Post Modern World is challenging the youth of today to ignore what they experience as real and develop an idea of what is real for themselves. I believe this process of thought is causing people to create their own reality out of misconceptions and lies. God’s word tells us that the heart is deceitful and wicked, but the Word of God is truth. In order to combat lies, in my classroom we recite truth. We memorize and recite scripture, we sing scripture, we apply scripture in our weekly assignments, fictional stories, science experiments, history lessons, and math assignments. We express our God given creativity in our art projects and illustrations. Always giving God the praise and thanksgiving for what He has given to us to learn and enjoy.
We look at the difference between absolute truth and wavering ideals of what individual “truth” actually means. We experiment with perception of situations, characters in stories, or even the sprouting of beans. Collecting data, taking polls, and valuing everyone’s unique input and observations, but always, always the litmus test is “how does this line up with the Word”? What does God have to say about the outcome of this experiment? What does God have to say about the way that character behaved or the decision they made in the story? Just because your bean got moldy and didn’t sprout, doesn’t mean that beans can’t sprout……. look at the 17 beans that did sprout, look at all of the data, all of the information and make a sound decision based on the facts, not taking one human opinion as absolute truth.
The Bible was written over many many years by many different people, some that never even saw each other or talked to each other. Some died many years before others were born, yet, Gods message is the same. The truth was revealed to many different people in many different places at many different times and yet, they say the same things. Christians are not taking one humans word as absolute truth. Christians take the collective inspired Word of God as absolute Truth. This is where the Post Modern World agenda of creating “little gods” that create their own reality is so dangerous.
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Responding to this challenge by lovingly live out God’s truths, quoting God’s truths, and loving people as they are without compromising about what you believe is the way to go. Someone close to me told me a few years ago that they were bi-sexual and an atheist. He had grown up in church. I hold them that I still loved him but I didn’t agree with him. He knows what I believe. I was surprised by my reaction. He expected there to be anger and an argument. Because I responded in a loving way, he will talk to me/confide in me. Hopefully, I will be about to help bring him back to God. My next door neighbors are liberal. They think churches are full of hypocrites. Their 14 year old daughter is lesbian. They know we are Christians, and have commented on how we are different that other Christians that they know. We don’t treat them any differently, and we are building a relationship with that family. We can talk about our different opinions’ without getting insulted or hurt. Hopefully as my family and I live out the “Christ-life”, we will be about to plant seeds.
