Postmodernism is more than an academic fad or a passing cultural mood. It represents a deeply influential worldview that has radically shaped Western thought, politics, art, literature, education, and even the church. For the Christian thinker, understanding postmodernism is not optional—it is essential. To engage culture, proclaim truth, and defend the faith in today’s climate, believers must understand what postmodernism is, where it came from, what it believes, and how it opposes and distorts the truth of Christianity.
A Brief History of Worldviews Before Postmodernism
To understand postmodernism, one must first understand the intellectual movements it reacted against. The three major worldview eras that preceded it are:
- Premodernism (up to ~1600 AD): This era was characterized by a belief in the supernatural, objective truth, and divine revelation. In the West, this usually meant the worldview of historic Christianity. Truth was seen as rooted in God’s character and revealed through Scripture and natural law.
- Modernism (1600s–1900s): The Enlightenment gave birth to modernism. Thinkers like Descartes, Locke, and Newton championed reason, science, and empirical evidence as the primary sources of knowledge. Truth was still viewed as objective, but it was now discovered through human reason rather than divine revelation.
- Late Modernism (1800s–1900s): With thinkers like Darwin, Marx, Freud, and Nietzsche, late modernism began to erode confidence in reason, religion, and moral absolutes. Nihilism and relativism crept in. Yet, many still held to the possibility of discovering truth, even if it was no longer grounded in God.
It was within this late-modern disillusionment that postmodernism was born.
The Rise of Postmodernism: Key Thinkers and Principles
Postmodernism emerged in the mid-20th century in Europe, particularly France, as a skeptical reaction against Enlightenment rationalism, objective truth claims, and overarching narratives (called “metanarratives”). It developed first in literature, art, and architecture before influencing philosophy, ethics, and theology.
Major Postmodern Philosophers:
- Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900) – While technically a precursor, Nietzsche laid the foundation with his assertion that “God is dead” and that objective truth is a fiction. He championed perspectivism: that all truth is interpreted through individual or cultural lenses.
- Michel Foucault (1926–1984) – Foucault rejected the idea of universal truths and focused instead on how knowledge is used as a tool of power. He saw institutions like the church, schools, and prisons as oppressive power structures. His theories laid groundwork for contemporary gender ideology, particularly the view that identity is socially constructed.
- Jacques Derrida (1930–2004) – Famous for “deconstruction,” Derrida taught that language does not convey objective meaning but is always open to multiple interpretations. Every text undermines its own claims.
- Jean-François Lyotard (1924–1998) – In The Postmodern Condition, Lyotard defined postmodernism as “incredulity toward metanarratives.” He meant that people no longer believe in grand explanations like Christianity, Marxism, or science.
- Richard Rorty (1931–2007) – An American pragmatist who abandoned the idea of objective truth in favor of what works within a given community’s vocabulary.
Defining the Postmodern Worldview
Postmodernism is notoriously difficult to define, because it resists all efforts at definition—yet this is part of its ethos. Nonetheless, certain principles emerge:
- Relativism – Truth is not absolute. What is “true” depends on cultural, historical, or personal context.
- Subjectivism – Meaning is determined by the individual or social group.
- Skepticism toward reason – Rationality is no longer a universally trusted tool for arriving at truth.
- Rejection of metanarratives – No overarching story (like Christianity or progress through science) is believed to be universally valid.
- Power dynamics – Truth claims are seen as tools used to control or dominate others.
Gender Ideology and Postmodernism
One of the clearest and most troubling applications of postmodern thought is found in contemporary gender ideology. According to the Christian worldview, gender is a binary, fixed reality rooted in God’s design and grounded in biology: “male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27). Postmodernism shatters this foundation by teaching that gender is a social construct, not a biological or theological fact.
Postmodernism encourages individuals to self-identify—to define their own reality apart from biological markers or God’s created order. Michel Foucault’s influence is particularly relevant here. His ideas of sexuality and power reframe traditional gender categories as oppressive constructs invented by institutions like the family, church, and state to maintain control. In this view, the very concept of “man” and “woman” is not a God-given identity, but a product of language, power, and history.
This leads to a cascade of radical claims:
- That gender exists on a spectrum.
- That individuals can choose or change their gender identity at will.
- That pronouns must conform not to biology but to personal preference.
- That biological sex itself is oppressive or arbitrary.
By applying deconstruction to human identity, postmodernism unravels the categories of male and female, turning them into fluid expressions of personal choice. Objective truth and biological science are subordinated to individual perception. Even children are now being encouraged to question their gender before they fully understand the concept of adulthood.
This ideology is not merely academic—it is being codified into law, taught in schools, and enforced through workplace and university policies. To oppose it is to risk being labeled “hateful” or “phobic,” despite offering a view rooted in love, truth, and the dignity of God’s design.
Christianity vs. Postmodernism: A Clash of Worldviews
Christianity and postmodernism are fundamentally at odds:
| Area | Christianity | Postmodernism |
|---|---|---|
| Truth | Objective, revealed by God | Relative, constructed by cultures or individuals |
| Morality | Rooted in God’s character | Subject to social consensus or individual feelings |
| Human Nature | Created in God’s image, fallen | Socially constructed, malleable |
| Meaning | Found in God’s redemptive story | Meaning is self-assigned and fluid |
| Gender | Created and fixed by God | Self-chosen and fluid |
| Language | Capable of conveying truth | Inherently unstable and open to deconstruction |
How Christianity Critiques Postmodernism
Christianity raises several strong critiques against postmodernism:
- Self-refuting logic – To say “there is no absolute truth” is itself an absolute claim. Postmodernism saws off the branch on which it sits.
- Moral confusion – Without objective morality, injustice becomes a meaningless term. Who decides what’s right or wrong?
- Loss of meaning and purpose – Denying ultimate truth and divine purpose leads to despair, nihilism, or hedonism.
- Deconstruction of language – If language cannot convey truth, then Scripture is meaningless. Yet even postmodernists must use language to make truth claims.
- Assault on creation order – By rejecting male and female distinctions, postmodernism rebels against the most basic realities of God’s created design.
How Postmodernism Critiques Christianity
Postmodern thinkers often criticize Christianity as:
- Authoritarian – Accused of using doctrines to control people.
- Exclusive – Viewed as arrogant for claiming one path to truth.
- Colonialist – Associated with Western imperialism and oppression.
- Inflexible – Disliked for its moral absolutes in a relativistic age.
- Binary and oppressive – Rejected for upholding gender roles and heterosexual norms.
Answering Postmodernism’s Criticism of Christianity
These criticisms do not hold up under scrutiny:
- Truth is not oppression – To proclaim truth (e.g., that Jesus is Lord) is not domination, but liberation. Error enslaves; truth sets free (John 8:32).
- Exclusivity is not arrogance – All worldviews make exclusive claims. Christianity’s exclusivity is grounded not in pride but in the uniqueness of Christ’s atoning work.
- History is complex – While Christians have sinned, the Gospel has also led to the abolition of slavery, elevation of women, and care for the poor. Christianity must be judged by Christ, not by its hypocrites.
- Moral clarity is not tyranny – Objective morality is a safeguard against the real tyranny of subjective, ever-shifting ethics.
- Gender distinctions are not oppression – The biblical view of gender affirms equal worth with different roles, reflecting the complementary nature of God’s image in man and woman.
The Impact of Postmodernism on the Church
Professing Christianity has not been immune to postmodern influence:
- The Emergent Church Movement embraced postmodern themes, questioning traditional doctrines, downplaying sin, and emphasizing “conversation” over proclamation.
- Deconstructionism within evangelicalism has led many young believers to abandon orthodoxy under the guise of “authenticity.”
- Moral relativism has seeped into Christian views on sexuality, truth, and authority.
- Gender confusion has infiltrated even mainline denominations, leading to acceptance of same-sex marriage, transgender clergy, and the rejection of biblical gender roles.
- Subjectivism in worship elevates experience over sound doctrine.
While some attempted to contextualize the Gospel for postmodern ears, many instead compromised it.
The Decline and Evolution of Postmodernism
Postmodernism peaked in the 1990s and early 2000s. Since then, some cultural commentators argue we are in a post-postmodern or metamodern phase—still skeptical of truth but longing for meaning, justice, and coherence.
This “woke” evolution reintroduces a kind of moral certainty, but grounded not in God or natural law, but in identity politics and cultural grievance. In this way, postmodernism gave rise to—and mutated into—Neo-Marxism.
Postmodernism’s Influence on Neo-Marxism
While classical Marxism focused on economics and class struggle, postmodern Neo-Marxism shifted the battleground to culture and identity. Thinkers like Herbert Marcuse (Frankfurt School) merged Marxist conflict theory with postmodern power analysis.
Today’s Critical Theory, Critical Race Theory, and Gender Theory all owe much to postmodernism:
- Truth as power – Truth is viewed as a construct imposed by dominant groups.
- Identity as lens – Race, gender, and sexuality are the primary lenses for interpreting experience.
- Deconstruction of norms – Traditional values (family, biology, religion) are dismantled as oppressive systems.
- Gender fluidity as revolution – Destroying the binary of male and female becomes an act of ideological defiance against “cisheteronormativity,” Christianity, and Western tradition.
Thus, postmodernism helped lay the intellectual groundwork for the woke revolution, and gender ideology is one of its most visible results.
Why Christians Must Understand Postmodernism
Christians cannot afford to ignore postmodernism. It shapes:
- How our children are taught
- How laws are made
- How sermons are received
- How truth is questioned
- How gender and identity are defined
If we do not recognize the worldview assumptions of our age, we will find ourselves swimming with the tide rather than standing against it. Postmodernism, even in decline, still infects education, entertainment, and politics.
As Francis Schaeffer warned, “If we do not speak to the worldview of our age, we are not preaching the Gospel to this generation.”
Conclusion
Postmodernism was born out of disillusionment with modernism, but in discarding objective truth and divine authority, it replaced light with shadow. Christianity stands as the only worldview capable of answering postmodernism’s hunger for meaning without surrendering truth. The church must hold fast to the revealed Word, proclaim Christ boldly, and expose the lies that enslave minds under the guise of freedom. Postmodernism has passed its peak, but its residue remains—and the faithful must be prepared.
Robert Sparkman
rob@christiannnewsjunkie.com
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