[They’re] always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth (2 Timothy 3:7, NASB). That last phrase is so very telling; always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. That is a perfect description of the times in which we live, number one, but think about it this way; that is also a perfect of the course of secular human philosophy. If you study the history of philosophy, here’s what you’ll see; philosophy as a discipline, is a long history—it’s a long series of attempts, by unbelieving men, to define truth apart from God. And every philosophical system in the history of humanity—that has tried to explain truth without reference to God—has failed; every one of them…

And, for perhaps the first time ever in human history, the dominant idea that is driving the thinking of secular minds today is the idea that, if truth exists somewhere, we cannot know it for sure; we just can’t know what the truth is—nobody can know for sure what the truth is…and our entire society is beginning to embrace the idea that truth really doesn’t matter much anyway… The new phase of in the history of human thought has been labeled postmodernism, and it is a classic example of the very thing the Apostle Paul is describing when he writes to Timothy in that text I read [2 Timothy 3:7]. Postmodern philosophers are always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

And that is practically the very way any committed postmodernist would describe his own way of thinking… [I]f modernism was evil, and if modernism is dead, shouldn’t we be glad for whatever way of thinking takes the place of modernism; and that’s how a lot of people in the church today think. And as a result, postmodernism is quickly moving into churches and taking over… Two years ago in November [2004] Christianity Today featured a cover article titled “The Emergent Mystique”; it was about this movement called the emerging church, and it describes how postmodernism is affecting the church.

And this is the latest fashion in cultural relevance; it’s beyond the seeker sensitive churches, it’s beyond what they were doing at Willow Creek, and Saddleback, 10 years ago. This goes beyond this, it’s an attempt to be culturally relevant to the next generation, to the postmodern generation. And if you never heard that expression, the emerging church, you will hear it… The emerging church is simply the nickname for a movement that’s trying to blend Christianity with postmodernism; that’s the whole agenda of the movement. Now I want to be as clear, and as brutally honest with you as possible, right from the get-go. I don’t want you to have any misunderstanding about where I stand.

I am convinced that postmodernism is inherently incompatible with biblical Christianity; and in fact, the most essential elements of post modernism are hostile to the fundamental truth claims of Scripture. And for that reason, I would argue that a postmodern mindset involves some positively sinful ways of thinking. Now if you do any reading on church growth philosophy, or if you just try to stay abreast of…what is popular in the evangelical world, you may already realize it, there are a number of pastors and church leaders out there who are sending the message that they think the church needs to adapt to postmodernism—to embrace postmodernism—and to absorb postmodern style and language in order to reach a postmodern generation.

And I am convinced that the error in that approach is no different from the error, 150 years ago, of those people who tried to devise a modernist brand of Christianity in order to reach the modern world, it’s the same kind of mentality. The heart of biblical, and Christian, truth will be destroyed in the process… Remember, modernism was inherently anti-Christian, anti-supernatural—it represented the wholesale rejection of some vital biblical truths—and why, even though lots of people tried—and they tried for years—it proved totally impossible to blend biblical Christianity with modernism. [It] couldn’t be done; nobody ever did it, there were many churches; and many denominations that tried, and all of them died. They went liberal, and died.

And the evangelical leaders, who are our spiritual forefathers—men like Spurgeon, and J. Gresham Machen, and B. B. Warfield—they were a handful of leaders, in the church, who saw clearly from the outset that modernism was incompatible with biblical truth. And they devoted their lives to fighting the modernist trend. But in exactly the same way, postmodernists are doing the same thing with Christianity today. The postmodernist’s way of looking at the world is, fundamentally, anti-Christian. And, if anything, I would say postmodernism is worse than modernism was. (A Beginner’s Guide to Postmodernism from here)

Phil Johnson

See also:

THE NIGHTMARE BEGINNING FOR MAINSTREAM EVANGELICALISM

THE EMERGING CHURCH AGENDA AND DOUG PAGITT

EMERGING WRONG VIEW OF THE BIBLE

NEO-ORTHODOXY: AN EMERGENT OVERVIEW

THE EMERGING CHURCH SOWING ITS NEO-ORTHODOX CONFUSION ON SCRIPTURE

JOHN MACARTHUR: EXISTENTIAL NEO-ORTHODOXY DENIES SOLA SCRIPTURA

DON’T BE FOOLED BY THOSE WHO ONLY SAY THEY LOVE SCRIPTURE