The term "postmodernism" is a new buzzword of our uncertain age. Concerning the Bible, modernism (basically, humanism) concludes that it is not a work of God, but of men trying to promote their particular religion. According to modernism, there is no such thing as heaven or hell, no miracles ever happened, and Jesus is not really what the Bible purports Him to be. This mindset has existed for many years now, but it appears that an even more aggressive worldview is taking over, called postmodernism. This worldview incorporates the modernistic tendencies, but takes things even further.

Postmodernism is a bit difficult to define. There is no particular standard that defines the philosophy. However, there are certain characteristics with which one should be acquainted. In fact, virtually all of us have already faced these attitudes in the world, whether we knew what to call it or not. They run rampant in politics (i.e., "political correctness"), and are making strong headway in religious circles. The two key words of postmodern philosophy are relativity and tolerance.

According to the postmodern worldview, there are no such things as absolutes. Truth is relative; everything is situational and subjective. It rejects authority in virtually all forms and is characterized by pluralism. All ideas, all actions, no matter how different from "ours," must be accepted. Tolerance for all is paramount.

This is the worldview that is becoming so prevalent; indeed, it already is. For a Christian to be effective in the world, he or she must know this. One should be able to see how such a worldview is antagonistic toward those who believe in the inspiration of the Bible. One who believes the Bible believes that truth is absolute, not relative (cf. John 17:17). He believes that tolerance does not include tolerating the sinful and perverse. He believes in an absolute standard by which all people will one day be judged, and to which all are accountable (John 12:48; Acts 17:30-31). He believes that the only way to salvation and heaven is Jesus (John 14:6). Therefore, the proverb is quite appropriate: "Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, but those who keep the law strive with them" (28:4).

To the postmodernist, one who thinks he is right is to be regarded as dangerous. Only the enlightened of the age can think that everyone is right, since truth is so relative and subjective. There is no right or wrong; truth is up to each person. Of course, everyone is right except the one who believes the Bible is right. The view is contradictory to the core! To say that we must tolerate everyone, then refuse to tolerate those who don’t kowtow to the movement, is sheer hypocrisy. Further, to argue that there are no absolutes is a self-contradictory position. If the argument is true, then the statement ("there are no absolutes") is false. If it is not true, then the position is false. It simply cannot work. Those who argue for relativity of all things are not relative when it comes to their foundational concepts.

What is even more alarming is how the philosophy is creeping in among the people of God, especially in the realm of biblical interpretation. Though people still claim belief in the Bible, there is more and more a tendency to interpret Bible passages in a very subjective way. We become less concerned with what the passage is intended to convey as it was written by the author, and more concerned with "what it means to me." This process results in the relativity of truth. Though we certainly want to know how the passages apply to us today, the meaning of those passages are fixed in their time. So if we want to know what a passage means, we must look at in its historical context. Only then can we properly make applications to our situation today. If we do not first understand the meaning, then how can we arrive at a proper application?

In the postmodern view, however, authority resides, not in the text, but within the reader himself. Some interpreters then go so far as to argue that inspiration does not refer to the process of how God communicated His will, but rather to one’s own clever way of interpreting a text. Though brethren still defend the "God-inspired" nature of the Bible, the tendency to interpret the text subjectively is there. We must be extremely careful.

To combat postmodernism, we must continue to affirm the inspiration and authority of the Bible itself (2 Tim. 3:16-17). The religious world is moving away from this all too much as it is; Christians must be on their guard and fight that good fight of faith. We must train up our children in the inspired word of God. If we fail in this, the next generation may take things even further. Modernism is giving way to the more encompassing Postmodernism. What will be next? When the Lord comes, will He find faith upon this earth?