Lebe, wie du, wenn du stirbst, Wünschen wirst, gelebt zu haben.

– Christian Fürchtegott Gellert, Vom Tode (1757)

To the honorable Garrett,

It’s a shame you’re not also a Tarantino enjoyer like myself. Whatever fair criticisms you may have, he is truly the master of dialogue. No one matches his style, which I really appreciate. Anyways, that is not really relevant. What is more relevant is the meat and potatoes of your letter. You describe my position well, and yes I do suppose that my admiration of postmodernism and Freud might be related. If not, at least correlated.

Sigmund Freud was very much focused on the psychological and scientific (sorry critics, he was a scientist). He did not really focus on art or the philosophical, or at least to not nearly as deep a level. You could describe him as proto-postmodern, but his world was one of the modern and even premodern. Therefore to me it feels a little bit presumptive to ascribe our modern day terms to a thinker who was famous around a hundred years ago.

He was a searcher of narratives and was trying to make sense of the world as he saw it. I would say that is in stark contrast to postmodern goals. All of his infamous work on psychoanalysis and sexuality was trying to find reasons for why people do what they do. Which to be fair is still how a lot of science is treated today. So much of modern psychology/science is also trying to explain the things which humanity does not have any idea about.

Given our contemporary principles I find that people are often walking around with blatant contradictions sitting firmly in their heads. For example, people will say “trust the science” or say that science/facts/math are the only things which are completely and totally true. However, these same people will assert that everything is meaningless and that people need to find their own truth. Alright then, so which is it? Is there truth or is there not truth? I do not believe it is feasible to only believe in truth when it is ‘easy’ or related to STEM topics (STEM means science, technology, engineering, and math for those of you working at Starbucks). It seems to me very contemporary and ‘current year’ to believe that two plus two equals four, but gender is a made up social construct. Granted, those who are also trying to throw out science and math are still in the minority.

To be fair, I can see how this logical fallacy is easily made. Growing up in a Western school system, I too once thought that STEM subjects were categorically one hundred percent true and provable, whereas anything related to arts, philosophy, and religion could not be proven. I now actually think the opposite is more true. I am much more willing to say that Jesus Christ is true, or rather that our Lord Jesus is in fact truth itself, much more than two plus two equalling four is true. This is not to say that STEM is not true, of course it is and I have a lot of faith in modern science, believe it or not. But rather our God and his Holy Word is so much more truth than we can possibly imagine.

One of my favorite ways of being provocative is by saying the following statement: The Bible is not true. I then will let my audience squirm and get really silent before then saying the next phrase: The Bible is truth. For any Christians reading this, hopefully the second statement gives a whole lot of relief. To be fair, the Bible is absolutely true, completely and entirely. The point I am trying to make, and that I slightly stole from Jordan B. Peterson, is that the Bible is not only true, but also the basis for truth itself.

The Bible being true can be seen in multiple ways. The modern Western world is entirely founded on Christian ideas and principles. Our laws, morals, traditions, and so much more come from the Biblical canon. For us as a society and culture the Bible is true. To say it in modern terms, the Bible is ‘our truth’. Naturally, it goes much deeper than that. If we believe that Jesus died on the cross two thousand years ago in Jerusalem, and that he was resurrected and rose from the dead, then we also have to believe what he told us. When tempted by Satan in the wilderness, He said “It is written” three times (Matthew 4:4, 4:7, and 4:10). Meaning that God the Father has already written the truth and His Word.

Not to mention John 1:1. Sidenote, I think that the first verse of John is deserving of a whole sermon series in and of itself. It is an absolute favorite of mine and it is incomprehensibly deep:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. – John 1:1 (ESV, KJV)

Here we see that the logos, the incarnate Word, was always with God the Father and is God. The Word, truth, and Jesus are all intertwined and cannot be separated. I could go into more detail about the countless ancient manuscripts we have of the Bible, its accurate predictions, and supporting artifacts, but that is not the point. As believers, the fact that our Messiah believed in the scriptures is more than enough proof for us to believe them. The facts and historical evidence being on our side is just a bonus.

Now Garrett, I can see you sitting at your desk asking yourself (while snapping in agreement): Wow Nathan, you are so smart and clever. But what does this have to do with Postmodernism? Well Garrett, thanks for asking. Let me tell you; it makes postmodernism quirky and fun for the believer, whereas for the unbeliever, postmodernism and relativism is dangerous and depressing.

If your foundation is in Christ and your entire worldview is Bibliocentric, then wacky nonlinear movies and books with vague endings can be something artsy and fun to speculate on. When the audience is given the option to think for themselves, it allows for creativity and endless speculation at the watercooler on Monday morning. For me, I really like postmodernism because I do not have to take it too seriously. I can watch Tenet by Christopher Nolan, be confused, come up with wild ideas, and then go home.

However, for the unbeliever the paradigm shifts completely. For the unbeliever, life is meaningless and pointless. You try your best to find ‘your truth’, but in the end it is all arbitrary. You may try to rationalize it by pursuing pleasure or doing whatever ‘makes you happy’, but why? People will always let you down, you will never be rich enough, and happiness is overrated. If postmodern art represents the psyche and the beliefs of its creator, then that is a truly terrifying thing.

I sort of feel like someone extolling the benefits and joys of alcohol. Of course in moderation and in the company of other responsible drinkers, alcohol can be a great and even a good thing. On the other hand, alcohol addiction is no joke and I would not like to see anyone stumble as a result of my positive opinion of it. Hopefully this helps you understand the seriousness of which I take postmodernism and its sister relativism.

Let me jump around a bit now. Back at the beginning of this year we both wrote a few articles related to the beautiful mysteries that appear in this world and in our lives. To be honest, I still do not completely know what a ‘pooka’ is, but I am willing to take your word on it. We do live in a mythological and chaotic world. Events happen that we cannot explain, we get feelings that are so irrational, but feel true.

Walking through a forest or a park (city life at its finest) may be a mundane action on paper, but that misses the whole point. Life is random. There may not be anything lurking in the bushes, or maybe there is a troll who wants to steal our gold. So many coincidences happen in our lives, and these coincidences have a touch of the divine to them. Life is beautiful, random, and a chaotic mess. So often, our stories on extraordinary events end up being our highlights. In theory, people want stability and order. Certainly when it comes to feeding a family or affording to live, stability is critical. But when you’re on vacation or in an old library, the last thing we want is stability. Within a few stable walls, we want a wild and natural garden. Because that is the optimal life, isn’t it? Chaos within order. Too much order will kill you out of boredom, but too much chaos will just kill you violently and in many pieces.

So here’s my final pitch in a nutshell: If the Holy Spirit dwells within you, go and enjoy some postmodernism. It stimulates the brain and will get you thinking. Who knows, you may even create something beautiful in the process. However, if you don’t have any purpose in your life, you may consider reading the Gospels first, Taratino can always come later.

I won’t lie, I am an absolute sucker for an ambiguous ending. Given what I have written above, I think you will probably be able to find my answer to your question. I am not going to spell it out too plainly though, because this whole article was an attempt at answering. Plus, that would be two easy. All that out of the way, now it is my turn. I wonder how much chaos Christians actually need. Though I am a little embarrassed to admit it, as I get older and supposedly grow more mature, I find myself relating more and more to the Pharisees in the Bible. This is not something I want to be true, but it is true nonetheless. It then always impresses me how Jesus speaks so well regarding legalism, which is a trap I think many of us can fall into. For me, postmodernism is a chance to escape and remind myself that we are saved by grace, faith, and love in Christ Jesus. Not by facts, rules, and commands. I wonder if most Christians wouldn’t benefit from some more chaos. How to get the balance right, that’s the real question.

An sich,

Nate Martin