Michael W. Goheen and Craig G. Bartholomew are authors of the book Living at the Crossroads: An Introduction to Christian Worldview.
They suggest that we (Christians) live in the crossroads of the Christian story and the Western Story. What is the Western Story? It has two parts: modernism and postmodernism. In summary, here is what Goheen and Bartholomew write about the Western Story of modernism:
During the Pagan period of history (a.k.a. “Classical” – 6th century BC – 5th century AD) a story developed in the culture apart from the gospel. The Greeks (early 6th century) believed that the world was best understood not through myth or religion but by explaining a rational order in the world through observation and reason. For example, Thales proposed that earthquakes were not caused by Poseidon but by turbulence of water on which land floats. Anaximenes argued that rainbows not caused by Iris but consequence of sun on dense air. Aristotle believed there was an unchanging truth that would transcend human culture and it could be found through observation of the world.
Along came Plato, who argued that the world is comprised of visible/material and invisible/spiritual. The visible world is the world of chairs, marriages, and acts of justice. The invisible world is the world of universal ideas of marriage or justice which transcend culture. Plato believed that humans were comprised of a visible body and an invisible soul. At death the soul joins the invisible/spiritual world of universal ideas. Plato’s ideas were devloped in 205-270 AD by Plotinus into neo-Platonism. Neo-Platonism argued that there is a basic division between a good spiritual world and an evil material world. In addition, human beings are made of an inferior material body and a superior rational soul. Further, bodily life in this material world is inferior to the spiritual life. Finally, human life has an otherworldly, spiritual orientation.
In summary, the Pagan period of history resulted in a story where reason, not religion, best explains the world/life; and a story characterized by dualism—a sharp distinction between material and spiritual.
– more to follow –
