Existentialism and Postmodernism

Existentialism and postmodernism are not the same thing, but there are some very strong connections between them. Chuck brought up existentialism as we were discussing postmodernism, and off it went. Two things that strike me as important in both are the values placed on 'authenticity' and 'passion'. The church in Kierkegaard's time had lost it's passion because it didn't really have a reason to believe anymore. The postmodern church, or 'emergent church' as it is called, is very interested in authenticity and passion, too. The issue is perhaps a little different now than in Kierkegaard's time, but the emergent church fights against strict, doctrinal belief systems that demand unquestioning allegiance. They view the traditional church as something that people tend to conform to outwardly without any change of heart.

That's all well and good, to a point. There is nothing wrong with trying to be 'authentic' and 'passionate' about your faith. You should be. The problem with existentialism and postmodernism is that their respective adherents think they have found the solution when they haven't. Neither one provides a good foundation on which build faith. You can't evangelize the world be saying, "take a leap into the absurd with me!" And you can't take away doctrinal truth without sliding away from the truth on a slippery slope.

Therefore, I have a proposition for anyone with existentialist or postmodern tendencies. Get yourself a good, strong dose of George MacDonald. He lived at roughly the same time as Kierkegaard, and dealt with some of the same issues, but with a more healthy response. The environment he lived in was a little different, but there were many similarities. MacDonald lived in Presbyterian, Calvinist Scotland. He reacted to the cold, mechanical, impersonal church as well. It was more of a demand for unquestioning, doctrinal purity that affected the church there. It didn't matter so much what was in your heart, as long as you said and did the right things, and didn't rock the boat. In the Lutheran Church in Denmark it was more a result of a full, frontal assault from modernism. (a huge generalization, I admit)

But MacDonald's solution was much different from Kierkegaard's. He wanted a faith that was both personal and authentic, but was still consistent with sound doctrine. I'm afraid I can't really describe it to you, at least not quickly. In my next post I'll give an example from MacDonald to try to explain how he balances all these issues. Better yet, read some MacDonald for yourself!

For now, suffice it to say, MacDonald had a large impact on later Christian writers such as Chesterton and CS Lewis. Lewis said of MacDonald, "I know hardly any other writer who seems to be closer, or more continually close, to the Spirit of Christ Himself!" MacDonald has many different styles of writing. He wrote many novels, some theology, some fantasy. His Unspoken Sermons are supposed to be very good. I've only read one of his novels myself, but it was very good. It had a lot to do with living the Christian life and how to discern God's will. That's what I will try to summarize in my next post.