Postmodernism 101: A First Course for the Curious Christian - Softcover

Heath White

Softcover

ISBN 10: 158743153X ISBN 13: 9781587431531

Publisher: Brazos Press, 2006

Synopsis

Finally, here's a book about postmodernism that you don't need a philosophy degree to understand.

In "Postmodernism 101: A First Course for the Curious Christian," Heath White offers a brief and accessible introduction to the ideas of postmodernism and its relationship to Christianity. White paints the historical and philosophical background underlying postmodernism in understandable, but not oversimplified, language. He then describes what postmodernism means to our view of self, language, thought, the search for knowledge, and culture.

White invites Christians who otherwise might have avoided postmodern theorizing into this important dialogue with questions for further thought after each chapter and suggestions for future reading. This book is ideal for students as well as curious pastors and lay readers.

About this title

About the Author

Heath White (Ph.D., Georgetown University) is a philosophy professor at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

From the Back Cover

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Reviews

Starred Review. While not among the first titles to present a Christian perspective on postmodern thought, this is among the best. White, who teaches philosophy at the University of North Carolina, offers an astute and highly readable analysis that demystifies without oversimplifying. As he escorts readers through characteristic postmodern perspectives on authority, the self, language, morality and history, White undertakes "to address these concerns with postmodernism in a faithful and loving way rather than a smug or defensive or panic-stricken one." The resulting discussion is well balanced between appreciation and criticism, or in White's terms, between conservatives who "get vertigo" when confronted by postmodern irony and "embracers" who adopt a "mix-and-match mentality" that fails to recognize the wider meaning of their choices. Unlike some of his fellow evangelicals, White does not view postmodernism principally as a threat; however, he is profoundly skeptical about the prospects of achieving "community without authority" or "seeking human freedom by eliminating constraints, whether the constraints are political, social, intellectual, or moral." Instead of engaging postmodernism as an opponent, White invites readers to consider how postmodernism might present "an opportunity to rethink both the presentation and the content of the good news about Christ." (July)
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Edition details

• Publisher: Brazos Press
• Publication date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 158743153X
• ISBN 13: 9781587431531
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 176