OR download PDF version of sample pages: Truth & the New Kind of Christian Excerpts

Staff Review: Many Christians today are concerned about reaching the so-called postmodern generation. Most contend that it is therefore important to study the postmodern trend in order to accomplish that task. However, a small but vocal portion of the evangelical world is calling for the church to not just understand postmodernism but embrace it. In Truth and the New Kind of Christian, R. Scott Smith contends that such a move is not only unnecessary, but potentially dangerous to the orthodox Christian faith.

Smith begins with an overview of the often-confusing world of postmodernism, exploring its secular academic roots, its influence in Christian theology, and finally its expression in a growing movement of churches. He then explores the call to a postmodern Christianity by critiquing the writings of philosophers (Stanley Hauerwas and Brad Kallenberg) and theologians (Stanley Grenz and John Franke) who have sounded that call, as well as the teachings and praxis of Emergent Church leaders (Brian McLaren and Tony Jones) who seek to implement it. His tone is charitable throughout, treating Jones and McLaren as brothers in Christ who (thankfully in his view) do not always push their postmodern presuppositions to their logical conclusions. He commends much that is good and needed in their critiques of modern evangelicalism. Nevertheless, Smith strongly rejects their conclusion that a turn to postmodernism is the church's salvation from its problems. In particular, he criticizes the assumption by all of those named above that the "modern" church is captive to a Cartesian foundationalism requiring absolute certainty, what McLaren calls "bombproof" knowledge. Smith counters that such absolute proof has been neither sought after nor required by the vast majority of the church throughout history.

Rejecting the claim of postmodern Christians that we are inextricably trapped within the confines of our own language, Smith concludes his book with an argument that it is possible to claim real knowledge of truth without requiring absolute certainty. He concludes that the rejection of such knowledge is deadly to orthodox faith. Regrettably, the author fails at this point to engage with critiques such as that offered by Cornelius Van Til, pointing to the real conflict between Christianity and secular modernity: the latter's claim to knowledge through autonomous human reason. Van Til's genius says to modernity and postmodernity, "A pox on both your houses." The only basis for any knowledge is the revelation of the God of the Bible.

What then of the very valid concerns about the health of the church voiced by postmodern Christian leaders? According to R. Scott Smith, "if we don't fall into the mistaken trap that we must have certainty to have knowledge...; if we practice grace and lovingkindness together with truth; if we provide safe places for people to share their souls deeply and thereby connect with one another; if we provide deeply satisfying theological teaching, which engages the intellect and the whole person; and if we really seek to live out the faith in deeply authentic ways, as Jesus' disciples did; then it does not seem...that we need to adopt a postmodern way of being a Christian in order to resolve the problems McLaren and Jones see in the church" (p. 133). Both Smith and this reviewer have observed many churches today seeking to do all those things without feeling any need to become "postmodern." -Mark Traphagen, Westminster Bookstore Staff, January 2006.