See chapter two of my paper "The Church's Need for Polemics in the Postmodern World" for an introduction to postmodernism.
• Universalism - all will be saved regardless of belief in Christ.
• Annihilationism - no literal hell, but the lost cease to exist.
• Mysticism - continuing extra-biblical revelation.
• Revivalism (sign & wonders).
• Consumerism - attending a church that meets one's "felt needs;" also, the Church Growth Movement which seeks to meet people's "felt needs" for the sake of growth.
• Ecumenism - uniting all professing Christians under the banner of love & unity.
• Syncretism - merging of various religions.
• Humanitarianism - Social justice or charity work without evangelism.
• Activism - Using the church for political activism or changing the culture.
• Subjectivism - Ethical and theological convictions are replaced with opinions and preferences.
• Relativism - Truth and morals are different for each person.
• Pluralism - Celebrating diversity rather than insisting on conformity to biblical truth.
• Pragmatism - "How to" sermons and books rather than expository of doctrinal; biblical, absolute truth is irrelevant, it's true if it works - same as consumerism.
Is postmodernism over–already? No, not quite. A conference on "After Postmodernism" was recently held at the University of Chicago where 93 people, mostly philosophers with some anthropologists, sociologists, and others, gathered to discuss "how to move beyond the poor alternatives seemingly posed by postmodernism: either some system of stated truth, or no kind of truth at all" (www.focusing.org/conferencereport.html). The motto of After Postmodernism is, "We keep the critique of modernity, but we move beyond the mere arbitrariness that postmodernism proclaims. We question all stated foundations, but this doesn't mean ‘just anything goes'." One of the new ideas of After Postmodernism is a new kind of truth and objectivity. "Instead of mere pluralism we can create ‘complexes of multiple truths' involving a demanding and sophisticated steering of scientific research with multiple applications and resonance to local contexts." In other words, different truths, with different applications to different local contexts– as long as you have the stamp of scientific research. Perhaps this is better than postmodernism, but still far from reality.
• From 70 people groups at the tower of Babel we have today 24,000 people groups.
• 30-45% have no chance to hear about Jesus.
• Half the world is reached or within reach. The other half is out of reach.
• The world that is out of reach is made up of tribals, hindus, Chinese, Muslims, & Buddhists.
• The largest group that is unreached but within reach is the post-Christian secular.
• THUMBS? Tribals, Hindus, Chinese?, Muslims, Buddhists, Secular.
• In the Mid-East - 1 missionary for every 1 million people.
• In North Africa - 1 missionary for every 2 million people.
• In India - 1 missionary for every 3 million people.
• According to Rev. 5:9, every people group will be reached. "...out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation..."
• 135,000 conversions recorded every day.
• There are 600 evangelical churches for every unreached people group.
• Christianity is growing 3 times faster than the world population.
• 70% of all world evangelization has been done in the last 200 years.
• People groups that once received missionaries now send missionaries.
Many sources are reporting the trend of declining interest in missions among North American evangelical Christians. Ironically, this trend appears at the same time that we have the greatest opportunity and finances for missions. There are many reasons. Two of them are related to postmodernism influencing the church.
(1) The triumph of a self-centered lifestyle.
(2) Uncertainty and irrelevance of biblical doctrine.
One reason for this is consumerism. Christians have allowed postmodern thought to influence them. Absolute truth no longer exists. There is no absolute authority. People no longer believe in something because it's true but because they like it. Self is now the center of consciousness. People now make choices based on what brings the most personal satisfaction. They want to know what's in it for them. They pick a church that has what they want, not the one that is necessarily biblical.
One observer noted, "By concentrating day and night on your feelings, potentials, needs, wants, and desires and by learning to assert them more freely, you do not become a freer, more spontaneous, more creative self: you become a narrower, more self-centered, more isolated one. You do not grow, you shrink."
For more on consumerism, see chapter four of my paper The Church's Need for Polemics in the Postmodern World."
We must reassert biblical doctrine. Theology is the foundation of world missions. Without biblical theology, without thinking and living biblically, there is no motivation or basis for missions. We must re-emphasize the essential Christian doctrines beginning with theology proper, the doctrine of God. The doctrine of God is the foundation of all doctrines. Christianity today is so man-centered that God is almost forgotten. John Piper wrote, "Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn't. Worship is ultimate– not missions...because God is ultimate– not man. When people from all nations are before the throne, missions ends. Missions is a temporary necessity, but worship is eternal." The Bible gives us a glimpse of what we'll be doing for eternity. In Rev. 5:9 we read, "And they sang a new song, saying: "You are worthy...For You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation...."
From the doctrine of God, we must also re-emphasize the other great doctrines of the faith, especially the doctrines of hell and the exclusivity of the gospel. These are the doctrines that will make postmoderns enraged and resist you. However, these are also the doctrines that provide the basis for missions. These doctrines and many others are being doubted and disbelieved, not just outside the church but even within the church. The gospel itself is undermined today by ecumenical movements such as ECT (Evangelical and Catholics Together). This is no time for slackness or wimpiness in our beliefs and in our preaching. We must do what Jude said in his epistle, "...contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints." And this is nothing new. The church has always faced false doctrines and false teachers. We faced them yesterday, we face them today, and we will face them tomorrow. May the Lord find us faithful stewards of His truth.
• Know, believe, and live biblical doctrine regardless of the trends.
• Ask yourself, "What is God doing today?" and "What am I doing about it?"
• Emphasize ministry opportunities.
• Emphasize a clear conviction that the local church has the primary responsibility for world evangelism.
• Emphasize targeting the world's least reached populations, without minimizing the importance of work in North America, Europe, and South America.
• Partnership with missions agencies and national churches - synergism. Emphasize the church's role in screening and training of missionary candidates. Emphasize involvement in the placement process, care, counsel, and accountability of missionaries.
• Maintain two way communication with missionaries. "Good communication with missionaries may be the single most significant support item in helping lower preventable attrition."
• Keep the missionaries' prayer needs before the church.
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