{"id":36460,"date":"2024-03-07T19:09:18","date_gmt":"2024-03-08T03:09:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=36460"},"modified":"2024-03-08T15:08:38","modified_gmt":"2024-03-08T23:08:38","slug":"a-return-to-the-supernaturalistic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/a-return-to-the-supernaturalistic\/","title":{"rendered":"A Return to the Supernaturalistic"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cTo the extent that reason is the standard, faith loses,\u00a0<\/span>To the extent that reason develops, science develops, <\/span>To the extent that science develops, supernaturalistic religious answers to be accepted on faith will be replaced with naturalistic scientific explanations that are rationally compelling.\u201d\u00a0 [1]<\/span><\/p>\n

Supernaturalistic religious responses in faith are the buzz. In conversations with church leaders, podcasts, and books, it is the supernatural, mysterious acts of God, that will be a primary catalyst for a generation of young Christ followers labeled as \u201cleavers\u201d to become \u201creturners\u201d.\u00a0 I love this because God doesn\u2019t fit in our boxes. . . His ways are higher than mine and I am okay with that (most of the time).\u00a0 Petrusek stated, \u201cAuthentic faith is not infrarational (contrary to reason) but rather suprarational, <\/span>transcending the rational, and not comprehended by reason alone.\u201d<\/span> [2] The ways of God are not necessarily rational, fitting within our modes of reason.\u00a0 His works are wonderful!!\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I love college-age students.\u00a0 There is so much going on in their lives. Generally, fresh high school grads through their 20s are in a stage of life where they are making BIG decisions, such as:\u00a0 What is my purpose in life?\u00a0 Do I want to get married?\u00a0 How will I earn a living?\u00a0 Do I attend college or trade school?\u00a0 Should I take a gap year?\u00a0 Where do I go from here?\u00a0 Who am I? \u00a0 Occasionally, I have the opportunity to meet with them for coffee.\u00a0 I respect their courage to ask questions about life, faith, and relationships.\u00a0 Often our moments together generate laughter as they get a kick out of showing me how to do various tasks with technology.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As I work with young adults, both in the context of serving together on ministry teams, providing vocational coaching, and supporting beginning teachers, glimpses of a similar narrative emerge when engaging in conversations about faith.\u00a0 The stories highlight areas of doubt (which is not all bad), disillusionment, deconstruction, discouragement, and others share stories of hope and renewed faith. Within their narratives, one can glean indications of hurt feelings, a reference to trauma, a reluctance to be vulnerable, a deficit in trust, and a sense of isolation.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A.J. Swoboda, in his book <\/span>After Doubt, <\/span><\/i>defines deconstruction as \u201c. . . the dismantling of anything that has been constructed.\u201d [3] The deconstruction of faith is a paradox where an individual rethinks or examines their belief system. Similar to a process of dissection, deconstruction can result in either rejection or reconstruction of such beliefs. <\/span>Sometimes the Christian will deconstruct all the way to atheism. While some find themselves rejecting faith, others experience reconstruction with renewed trust in God and greater humility as followers of Jesus. <\/span>\u00a0As I read about postmodern strategy from our text this week, I was disturbed to think that a person would enlist deconstruction as a weapon to skewer old-fashioned beliefs through relativistic arguments and annihilation of common sense. [4]<\/span><\/p>\n

In the Old Testament, we read about Job. Through a series of hardships, including the tragic loss of his entire estate, Job was recorded to be a blameless, righteous man who honored God.\u00a0 Reading through the twists and turns in Job\u2019s faith can point an individual to the most basic tenet of faith, a simple reliance upon God in both attitude and action.\u00a0 Within Job\u2019s journey one reads about Job\u2019s ability to trust, yield and hope.\u00a0 Old Testament scholar and theologian Walter Brueggemann in his work, <\/span>Finally Comes the Poet, <\/span><\/i>shares reflections on Job\u2019s triumph through deconstruction, \u201c<\/span>Faith if it is to survive knowingly and honestly, must live in an unjust world. . . Job learns that while the world may not be to his liking, the world will hold at its center because it is God’s world. The world does not rest in Job’s virtue. In the end Job is released for yielding and submission, for trust and praise, and finally he is released for freedom to live.\u201d [5]\u00a0 Job\u2019s actions and reactions through the cycles of faith model for followers of Jesus that even the most blameless and upright human, as identified in scripture, experienced times of construction, deconstruction and reconstruction.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This week I read the book <\/span>Explaining Postmodernism: Skepticism and Socialism from Rousseau to Foucault<\/span><\/i> by Author and Professor Stephen R. C. Hicks.\u00a0 The author delves into the origins, development, and implications of postmodernism seeking to uncover the philosophical roots and implications of postmodern thought. It provides readers with insights into the intellectual history and controversies surrounding this movement. Hicks places postmodernism in its historical context, tracing its roots back to the Enlightenment period and the philosophical ideas of figures such as Immanuel Kant and Jean-Jacques Rousseau.<\/span><\/p>\n

The philosophies of life proposed by Descartes, Rousseau, and the Romantics have influenced current cultural ideologies. Cultural relativism is one such ideology that is expressed in contemporary phrases such as \u201cyou do you\u201d or \u201cyour truth is your truth.\u201d Cultural relativism is the idea that<\/span> all beliefs, customs, and ethics are relative to the individual within the person’s social context. While this is one example, <\/span>cultural ideologies have seeped their way into the church, affecting the cycles of faith formation in Christians. Contemporary voices, like Stephen Hicks, have identified how these influences have affected thought and current philosophical frameworks.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

All of this feels like a downward spiral and can be very discouraging, but I found appreciated the reminder from Jenny Dooley, a wise cohort companion, \u201c<\/span>Hope isn\u2019t found in any political party or socio-economic system. It is found in Jesus<\/span>.\u201d [6]\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How might a person journey through deconstruction and emerge on the other side, more holy, and wholly integrated through the power of the Spirit?\u00a0 <\/span>Deconstruction is not the end, but might just be the return to the supernaturalistic.<\/span><\/p>\n

[1]\u00a0 <\/span>Stephen R. C. Hicks, <\/span>Explaining Postmodernism: Skeptical and Socialism from Rousseau to\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Foucault, Expanded Edition, <\/span><\/i>(Redland Bay, QLD: Conner Curt Publishing, 2011), <\/span>26.<\/span><\/p>\n

[2]\u00a0 <\/span>Matthew R. Petrusek, <\/span>Evangelization and Ideology: How to Understand and Respond to the\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Political Culture<\/span><\/i> (Park Ridge, IL: Word on Fire Institute, 2023).<\/span><\/p>\n

[3]\u00a0 A.J. Swoboda. <\/span>After Doubt.<\/span><\/i> (Grand Rapids, MI:\u00a0 Brazos Press, 2021), 7.<\/span><\/p>\n

[4]\u00a0 <\/span>Stephen R. C. Hicks, <\/span>Explaining Postmodernism: Skeptical and Socialism from Rousseau to\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Foucault, Expanded Edition, <\/span><\/i>(Redland Bay, QLD: Conner Curt Publishing, 2011), <\/span>188.<\/span><\/p>\n

[5]\u00a0 Walter Bruegemann. <\/span>Finally Comes the Poet\u202f: Daring Speech for Proclamation\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0(Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1989), 62.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

[6]\u00a0 Jenny Dooley. <\/span>\u00a0Postmodernism:\u00a0 The Cancellation of Hope, <\/span><\/i>accessed March 7, 2024<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/postmodernism-the-cancellation-of-hope\/<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cTo the extent that reason is the standard, faith loses,\u00a0To the extent that reason develops, science develops, To the extent that science develops, supernaturalistic religious answers to be accepted on faith will be replaced with naturalistic scientific explanations that are rationally compelling.\u201d\u00a0 [1] Supernaturalistic religious responses in faith are the buzz. In conversations with church […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":168,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2310],"tags":[2489,1764],"class_list":["post-36460","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-doctor-of-leadership-3","tag-dlgp02","tag-hicks","cohort-dlgp02"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36460","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/168"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36460"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36460\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36523,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36460\/revisions\/36523"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36460"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36460"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36460"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}