I recently left a comment on another blog that I tend not to read blogs written by younger women. There are exceptions, to be sure, but most of my blog reading is comprised of women who are closer to my own age, give or take several years.
A lot of it has to do with the writing style and focus. You know. Everything is messy. If there is one word that has become overused, I think it is messy. Everything is messy. The Christian life is messy. Messiness abounds. I think it is also related to the wallowing in sin that I wrote about before, but that’s a post for another day.
Jen Hatmaker and Postmodern Thinking
I came across an interesting post entitled Letting Go (archived link) based on a talk given at a MOPS convention. In the talk, Jen Hatmaker outlines the differences between modern and postmodern thinking. I don’t feel comfortable copying the lists and posting them here since they are lengthy, so you’ll have to click over and read them in the post. If you don’t read the lists and the premise of her talk, the rest of this probably won’t make sense.
I think the majority of the people who read this blog are in their thirties, forties, and fifties. I think the vast majority would lean more toward the modern list than the postmodern list. Not entirely, but to a great degree. Even though I clearly identify more with the modern list than the postmodern, it isn’t 100%. The twentysomethings who read here, I suspect, are not as postmodern as their peers. I just don’t think postmodern young adults would relate to how I write and that’s fine.
Modern or Postmodern?
Which leads me to my questions.
Where do you see yourself fitting?
Those of you who have children still at home… Do you see what Hatmaker is talking about in your own children?
I’m wondering how much the pull of the postmodern for youth today is peer driven and if homeschooling has an impact on that. How much of it is media driven?
It isn’t like children wake up and realize they want to be postmodern. That thinking is coming from somewhere. The thoughts are being planted. Where is it coming from? Where is it impacting your family? Are you driving it? Or are you fighting it yourself? Have you reluctantly capitulated?
The Fake Authenticity and Falseness Of Postmodernism
It is interesting that the postmodern is supposed to be all about the authentic (another word I’ve wearied of) and yet I find so much of the postmodern trappings to come across as anything but authentic. I find them really unappealing in so many ways. So Hatmaker’s belief that we as adults with a foot in both the modern and postmodern worlds need to more fully embrace the postmodern for the sake of our children… I don’t know. I guess I’m just not there.
I think it is because there is so much about the postmodern that seems unbiblical to me and so I have no interest in embracing it. But maybe it is because I am so thoroughly modern that I choose not to move past my own views.
It’s interesting being an older parent. I’m 45 with a 5 year old. I cannot even imagine the world that Caroline will have to live in. I can’t even say I’m really excited for her. Truth be told, I actually feel sorry for her at times. I don’t look at her future world with anticipation. Maybe I’m completely wrong, but the future doesn’t look rosy to me as an American, as a Christian, or as a member of the world community.
Is God at work? Absolutely! Is God at work in her life? Yes. But I’m not really excited about the future for her (or me, for that matter). I honestly don’t see postmodernism leading to good things. I know there are people who do, but I’m not one of them.
How are you preparing your children to live in this postmodern world? How are you preparing them to live for Christ in a postmodern world? Do you feel excited for them? Apprehensive? Do you find yourself embracing postmodernism for the sake of your children?
I’d seriously like to hear what people think about this topic.
UPDATE: Don’t miss the excellent conversations in the comments below.
If you want to read a postmodern take on the North Carolina vote yesterday, see this post and discussion. You’ll have to copy and paste the link and remove the two spaces after rachel and in front of the .com. I’m not trying to pick a fight with this blogger which is why I’m not putting in an actual hyperlink.
I think it is an interesting example of some of what we’ve been discussing here, especially her comment about the “over 40” folks. About half way through the comments a woman named Sherry pointed out the tension between truth and love and the younger generation’s willingness to capitulate the truth. I thought it was an interesting point.
http://rachel heldevans. com/win-culture-war-lose-generation-amendment-one-north-carolina
Living in NC today has been hard and I’ve had so many hate-filled words slung at me because I voted FOR the Amendment. I’m a traditionalist.
Reading her blog entry just now makes me sick on a few levels. It’s just more proof-positive that church in America is becoming an ala carte Christianity. Pick what you like, throw out what you don’t and by all means let’s make sure everyone is HAPPY and feels good. What if a grown man wants to take a child bride? Is that okay…as long as he’s happy and it’s all about LOVE, right?
I can’t even talk about it. I’ve been dealing with the culture war in NC all day. Exhausted.
I noticed that she closed the comments as there were more people pushing back at what she had written.
I thought about writing a post entitled “How to Wage a Culture War and Lose a Generation – Revisited”, but am not sure I want the backlash. My point would be that the postmoderns will happily drive the older generation or two out of the church. There were comments to that effect in the discussion. I don’t have time to skim through almost 500 comments again, but people specifically said that it will take a generation or two dying out before the homophobia will be gone.
So if you hold to a standard of truth that you believe before God is biblical… They look forward to the day when you will be dead so they won’t have to deal with you any longer. That’s the reality. If you don’t believe me, read the comments yourself.
I have just got to say that although it’s been over a year since you wrote this article, that I have found it very interesting and could so relate to so many of the things you have mentioned. So for starters, let me tell you that I am a 52 year old mother of six kids ranging from 15 years to 29 years.
Here are some of my observations of all these terms used in Christian Circles and Churches. I can’t even keep up with half of them. Post Modern, Relevant, Authentic, and the list goes on. I read the article you spoke up and yes, it had some interesting points. I would just like to share a few things from what I’ve learned from being a mom of four 20 something’s and two teens.
We have been in all types of churches. When we started attending our current church almost eight years ago, our three oldest asked us if we would mind if they tried some other Churches on Wed. nights as they had some programs geared more toward their ages. Our church really does not have many twenty something’s. We told them we were all for it. Go for it!
They did. They really tried. They couldn’t take it! They know the Real Deal!! One of our son’s said to us when he comes home one night from one of them, “They don’t even start the Bible Study until 9:30 p.m.” Praise Music was the first TWO HOURS!! He say’s ” Don’t they have to get up and go to work in the morning”? They knew some of these people and they loved them. They wanted the meat of the Word.
As I said before, we were in a few different churches when our kids were younger. The first church we went to for 17 years and left after about one year of a new pastor. The music was changing pretty radically and they were literally starting to dance on Sunday Mornings. I am not just talking about a little praise here. It was all feel good and look good. We spent a few years trying a few others and ended up at our present one. Kind of a record now for us…LOL!
It is a Fundamental Baptist Church. Thing’s are not Perfect there by any means but our Pastor has a true love for the Word of God and the People. We don’t have the same personal beliefs that many of them have in regards to never wearing pants but they know it and I’m not embarrassed to wear them. For the last five years, the three younger kids and I have been helping and teaching in the summer VBS and it has been great!
There are some in the church who are set in their legalistic ways and my adult kids see it and often see the hypocrisy in the things that are said and done. I want my kids to have a love for the church and the body of believers. We talk a lot!! We don’t have roast pastor for lunch on Sunday afternoons. It is tough at times. They are in a college and career Sunday School class that is all about modernism and relating and all those terms. Some of them are about to leave it.
Where do we go? What do we do? I guess what I’m trying to say here is sometimes you just have to keep on walking in faith. Now, I don’t believe that means sitting in some church that is all feel good and weird. We have gotten out of those. By the Grace of God, we have kids that have survived some major crap in one of the last churches we were in!!
Keep living your life for the Lord and as your children grow up-They WILL KNOW THE DIFFERENCE! Stay true to what you know is true and right and keep reaching out to the lost with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It Will make a difference!!
I posted these links in another comment section on my site, but I also want to put them here since they are directly related to Jen Hatmaker. This post is almost exactly 10 years old and this is where Jen ended up.
You’ll have to click over to Gab read and watch the embedded videos.
https://gab.com/wokepreacherclips/posts/108210969843614279
https://gab.com/wokepreacherclips/posts/108215123455071159
This is the other post that overlaps a bit in terms of content.
https://sallieborrink.com/why-are-high-profile-christians-bending-the-knee-and-embracing-the-false-woke-gospel-sallie-video/