I think, that I observe, in the Christian community in general, that we realize very little of Christ’s love for us. I think I am correct in noting that a prominent Christian author, from Britain, says that the Church in America is fixated on sin and forgiveness. I think he is right. What would change if we could meditate on His love for us, above all other doctrines and issues? I think we focus on the Isaiah picture: falling on our faces before a Holy God, paralyzed because we know our uncleanness. Or maybe we picture other people falling on their faces. Instead, knowing that Christ has completely paid for our sin problem, we need to feed ourselves with the words of people who have understood His love for us, better than we/I have understood it.

So, as one form of remedy for this, I would like to recommend a book that I found. While looking for books by Rob Bell, I found this one, by James Stuart Bell, printed in the U. S. in 2005. The title is; From the Library of C. S. Lewis, Selections from Writers Who Influenced His Spiritual Journey. In this book, there are many writings about God’s Love. If you find yourself identifying with me in wanting to pursue a better understanding of God’s love, may we be, together, His church, “spiritually delighted” .

I find the more I get to know about the postmodern realm of thinking, when it comes to Christians it is still a life of faith that is demonstrated, a common element of all ages. Other world views are maintained by people who have put their faith in the conceptions they have been exposed to. Christians can recognize that non-Christians can logically have the faith they do, because of their understanding of their experiences. So, the only thing that makes us different from anyone else, is that we believe God gave us a gift of knowledge and experience that has brought us to faith in Jesus Christ. Is it even possible to talk about truth without all these words: knowledge, experience, belief, and faith?

At the same time, “postmodernism” raises a series of questions that need to be addressed, predominantly as relates to the notion of epistemology (how we know). Just as “postmodernism” may be a con man’s shell game, so one could argue that modernism was a blind man’s crutch. In our effort to find certitude, we decided to practice a sort of pseudo-intellectualism that results in the illusion of certainty without actually offering much beyond false security. The problem with such crutches is that they don’t provide sight to the blind, only a fake leg to stand on.

Ironically enough, this grand narrative is the same kind of one that the ancients practiced. Remember in Rome all the Gods (narratives) were allowed as long as they were willing to pinch incense to Caesar. Also remember that the Christians were executed because they insisted that Jesus is Lord. How different is that from confessing that Jesus is above all the competing narratives? Rome was postmodern and the Gospel triumphed over it.

In short, postmodernism is a con mans shell game. Those who have labeled it hyper-modernism are closer to the truth then those who see it as somehow the opposite of modernism.

Here’s how I think about it: We live in a realm that is surrounded by a huge privacy fence. There are knotholes in the fence, and when we peek through the knotholes, we get a glimpse into another world. One guy looks through the fence and says, “That place is completely peopled with clowns – curly red hair, big shoes, and all.” Someone else says, “Nope… All I can see are girls dancing around in sparkly skirts, so that’s the kind of person that lives over there.” Another person is sure that the other realm isn’t populated by people at all, but by stately, marching horses that seem to know exactly where they’re going, and what they’re doing. What no on understands is that there is a huge parade going on in the other world. And each person can only see a little piece of the parade through their knothole. That’s like us with truth. It looks different from various cultures perspectives at various times in history. It’s not that we can’t see something for real. It’s that we don’t see the whole thing, and we can’t see it from every angle. So what someone else sees might be just as valid as what I see. However, there is still an over-arching truth. There are clowns. There are dancing girls. There are horses. It is a parade.