Postmodernism arose as a response to the modernist claims that truth is determined scientifically and that life is nothing but chemicals. It didn’t like the idea of universal truth whether it was scientific, religious, or philosophical. It bristled at the thought of science as the new sheriff in town, especially since they thought they had already demoted the previous religious and government law enforcement agencies to mere cultural safety nets designed to catch those who partied too hard. Postmodernism was also a bit peeved because science had reduced its cherished spirituality to isolated pieces of brain tissue and neurotransmitters. Unfortunately, postmodernism doesn’t propose any new ideas or solutions; it finds its power deconstructing old ones, basically becoming skepticism on steroids.
Postmodernism, however, encountered a problem as it wielded its wrecking ball of deconstruction; how could it hold the crumbling cultural structure together while simultaneously trying to destroy it? The answer was the flimsy duct tape of tolerance, a concept that appears quite friendly and inviting on the surface but is fraught with all sorts of difficulties.
Postmodernism claims that if we just invite every worldview to the cultural party we can all have a good time. However, once we arrive, it soon becomes evident that this party is just a disparate gathering of people, some running around with lampshades on their heads yelling, “Toga! Toga!” while others are attempting to quietly read poetry to each other in the corner of the room. One group wonders why the other is so stiff and serious, while the other wishes that the partiers would grow up and stop acting like unsupervised children.
Tolerance merely forces us together and tells us it’s better to hold our noses at the stench of our neighbors’ beliefs than engage them in serious discussion. Tolerance, if you carefully look at it, is selfish and disrespectful because it basically says to others, “I’m not going to do the hard work of understanding your view of the world. It’s easier for me to just ignore your deeply held beliefs. I’ll tolerate you, but I won’t embrace you because your ideas are a major distraction from the real work of me.”
While many people accept tolerance as a kinder, gentler way of behaving, they rarely think about the ramifications of such a philosophy. Tolerance allows everything except that which it considers intolerant to exist. Its own philosophy renders itself incapable of policing its adherents and finds itself inconveniently forced to turn to the government – which it dislikes, to make laws – it finds oppressive, to control behavior – it ironically finds quite intolerant. The very things that postmodernists abhor—authority, rules, and intolerance—are exactly the mechanisms they are forced to adopt in order to promote their agenda.
Postmodernism tries to give us the sense that it is inclusive, global, and capable of uniting us all, but what does the uniting? I would suggest that what binds it together is amusement. It brings the bearded lady, the rollercoaster, and the fortune-teller into town and gives us the freedom to use our tickets to see whatever attraction we want. The problem is that we get so distracted by all the attractions that we forget that every circus has an owner who determines what we’ll see and ride, collects the money, and signs the paychecks. The postmodern circus still needs to apply for a permit and submit to health and safety inspections. Strangely enough, this circus, which claims no supreme authority, is only safe for us to play in if some authority already exists to keep it in line. Every worldview, however vehemently it may deny it, has to acknowledge the man, someone who pulls the strings of their puppet philosophies. We need to break the manipulative worldview strings that control our every move and allow ourselves to once again dance to the tune of our Maker.
