This course, from an evangelical perspective, introduces students to the religious and cultural backgrounds of postmodern Western culture, focusing on the influences of nontheism, secularism, and pluralism as a foundation for theological thinking. The course presents postmodern theology theologically, engaging both its intellectual diversity and contemporary challenges. It equips students to articulate an evangelical theology that faithfully represents God's redemptive design in and through secularized Western contexts, introducing classical, modern, and contemporary evangelical theological methods in postmodern theology and key trends in evangelical thought today.
By taking this course, students develop the ability to craft evangelical theological discourses informed by postmodern nontheistic and secular backgrounds and contemporary realities. This enables them to resist theological approaches that overlook the philosophical and cultural dimensions of Western secularism. With discourses rooted in these backgrounds, students can identify effective evangelical responses to postmodern contexts and gain initial skills to produce impactful, gospel-centered actions for today’s secularized societies.
This course is essential because evangelical theological thinking grounded in postmodern Western culture offers a pathway for deeper, positive, and lasting gospel impact in secularized societies. It addresses the shortcomings of past theologizing that often ignored the complexities of nontheism and secular pluralism, striving to proclaim the truth of Christ in dialogue with postmodern thought while remaining faithful to evangelical convictions.
Rooted in an evangelical perspective, the course introduces students to postmodern cultural backgrounds while highlighting the authority of Scripture and its relevance to secular and nontheistic contexts. It emphasizes Scripture’s use of history, culture, and present realities to proclaim God’s truth, grounding the course in a biblical framework. The aim is to reveal God’s redemptive work through the gospel, engaging postmodern contributions and contexts.
By focusing on postmodern Western peoples and their cultural experiences, this course fulfills the evangelical missional purpose of advancing the Great Commission in secularized contexts. It equips students to understand and participate in God’s redemptive mission through the proclamation of the gospel in postmodern settings.
The course is deeply engaged with the particularities of postmodern Western culture, especially its nontheistic and secular dimensions. It emphasizes evangelical theological conversations that respect postmodern pluralism while articulating the uniqueness of Christ. Students explore theological thinking in non-postmodern evangelical contexts, distinguishing these from postmodern evangelical approaches.
From a postmodern evangelical perspective, students gain insights into how secular culture shapes theological thinking and recognize the importance of engaging nontheistic and pluralistic beliefs in theological dialogue. They learn that understanding cultural contexts is vital for effective gospel communication. Positive and negative examples of evangelical engagement with postmodern culture will help students assess the role of culture and philosophy in theology.
The course aims to equip students to address postmodern cultural and intellectual issues with evangelical theological clarity, enabling them to respond effectively to challenges posed by nontheism, secularism, and pluralism. Students develop competency in crafting gospel-centered responses to contemporary postmodern contexts.
Students are guided to reflect on past, present, and future (simulated) postmodern cultural experiences through an evangelical lens. Those in ministry roles select one theological topic, such as engaging a specific aspect of secular or nontheistic thought, and experiment with applying evangelical principles to a postmodern context or life experience.
