Postchristianity
Encyclopedia
Postchristianity is the decline of Christianity
, particularly in Europe
and Australia
, in the 20th century, considered in terms of postmodernism
. It may include personal world view
s, ideologies
, religious movements or societies
that are no longer rooted in the language and assumptions of Christianity, at least explicitly, though it had previously been in an environment of ubiquitous Christianity (i.e., Christendom
).
, but one that has, gradually over extended periods of time, assumed values, culture
, and worldview
s that are not necessarily Christian
(and further may not necessarily reflect any world religion's standpoint, or may represent a combination of either several religions or none). Generally, this can therefore mean the loss of Christianity's monopoly, if not its followers, in otherwise Christian societies. According to the 2005 Eurobarameter survey, the majority of Europeans (in general) hold some form of belief in a higher power, though relatively fewer point explicitly to the Christian God (as seen in the table).
In his 1961 The Death of God, the French
theologian Gabriel Vahanian
argued that modern secular culture in most of Western Civilization
had lost all sense of the sacred, lacked any sacramental meaning, and disdained any transcendental purpose or sense of providence, bringing him to the conclusion that for the modern mind, "God is dead
".
Other thinkers, namely Thomas J. J. Altizer
and William Hamilton of Emory University
, draw upon sources dating back to some of the aphorisms in Dietrich Bonhoeffer
's Letters and Papers from Prison, and bring this line of thought to public attention in a short-lived intellectual fad that occurred in the mid-to-late-1960s among some younger Protestant theologians and ministerial students. Conservative reaction on the right and social advocacy efforts on the left blunted its impact, however, and it quickly became forgotten in favor of more ethically-oriented movements such as Social Gospel
and feminist theologies
, within the Protestant mainline at least.
Some American Christians (primarily Protestants) also use this term to discuss evangelism
to unchurched
individuals who may have grown up in a non-Christian culture where such traditional Biblical references may be unfamiliar concepts. The argument goes that in previous generations in the United States, such concept and other artifacts of Christianese would have been common cultural knowledge and would not have needed to be taught to adult converts
to Christianity. In this sense, post-Christian is not a negative term, but is used to describe the special remediative care that would be needed to introduce new Christian
s to the nuances of Christian life and practice.
Some groups, mainly liberal or radical ones, even use the term "post-Christian" as a self-description, not regarding it as an epithet whatsoever. Dana McLean Greeley
, the first president of the Unitarian Universalist Association
, described Unitarian Universalism
as postchristian insofar as Christians no longer considered it Christian, while persons of other religions would likely describe it as Christian, at least historically. http://www.danielharper.org/blog/?page_id=463
Others, such as Philip Jenkins
in God's Continent, argue that Europe is post-Christian insofar that Christianity is explicitly asserted and that (under a strict definition) it has been so for over a century at least. Charles Taylor
, meanwhile, disputes the "God is Dead" thesis within the same context by arguing how the practice and very understanding of faith have changed long before the late 20th Century, along with secularism itself. In his A Secular Age, Taylor points out how being "free from Christendom" has allowed Christianity to endure and express itself in various ways, especially in Western society; he cites how otherwise secular ideas were, and continue to be, formed in light of some manner of faith. Perhaps in a similar manner to Jenkins, he stresses how "loss of faith" reflects simplistic notions on the nature of secularization, namely the idea of "subtraction." Thus, "post-Christian" is after a fashion, a product of Christianity itself.
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
, particularly in Europe
Christianity in Europe
Christianity is the largest religion in Europe. Christianity has been practiced in Europe since the 1st century, and a number of the Pauline Epistles were odireted at Christians living in Macedonia, as well as Rome.- Early history :...
and Australia
Christianity in Australia
Christianity is the largest religion listed by Australians in the national census. In the 2006 Census, 63.9% of Australians were listed as Christian. Australia has no official state religion and the Australian Constitution protects freedom of religion. The presence of Christianity in Australia...
, in the 20th century, considered in terms of postmodernism
Postmodernism
Postmodernism is a philosophical movement evolved in reaction to modernism, the tendency in contemporary culture to accept only objective truth and to be inherently suspicious towards a global cultural narrative or meta-narrative. Postmodernist thought is an intentional departure from the...
. It may include personal world view
World view
A comprehensive world view is the fundamental cognitive orientation of an individual or society encompassing the entirety of the individual or society's knowledge and point-of-view, including natural philosophy; fundamental, existential, and normative postulates; or themes, values, emotions, and...
s, ideologies
Ideology
An ideology is a set of ideas that constitutes one's goals, expectations, and actions. An ideology can be thought of as a comprehensive vision, as a way of looking at things , as in common sense and several philosophical tendencies , or a set of ideas proposed by the dominant class of a society to...
, religious movements or societies
Society
A society, or a human society, is a group of people related to each other through persistent relations, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or virtual territory, subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations...
that are no longer rooted in the language and assumptions of Christianity, at least explicitly, though it had previously been in an environment of ubiquitous Christianity (i.e., Christendom
Christendom
Christendom, or the Christian world, has several meanings. In a cultural sense it refers to the worldwide community of Christians, adherents of Christianity...
).
History
Thus defined, a post-Christian world is one where Christianity is no longer the dominant civil religionCivil religion
The intended meaning of the term civil religion often varies according to whether one is a sociologist of religion or a professional political commentator...
, but one that has, gradually over extended periods of time, assumed values, culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
, and worldview
World view
A comprehensive world view is the fundamental cognitive orientation of an individual or society encompassing the entirety of the individual or society's knowledge and point-of-view, including natural philosophy; fundamental, existential, and normative postulates; or themes, values, emotions, and...
s that are not necessarily Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
(and further may not necessarily reflect any world religion's standpoint, or may represent a combination of either several religions or none). Generally, this can therefore mean the loss of Christianity's monopoly, if not its followers, in otherwise Christian societies. According to the 2005 Eurobarameter survey, the majority of Europeans (in general) hold some form of belief in a higher power, though relatively fewer point explicitly to the Christian God (as seen in the table).
In his 1961 The Death of God, the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
theologian Gabriel Vahanian
Gabriel Vahanian
Gabriel Vahanian is a French-born Protestant Christian theologian who is most remembered for his pioneering work in the theology of the "death of God" movement within academic circles in the 1960s, and who taught for some 26 years in the U.S.-Life:...
argued that modern secular culture in most of Western Civilization
Western culture
Western culture, sometimes equated with Western civilization or European civilization, refers to cultures of European origin and is used very broadly to refer to a heritage of social norms, ethical values, traditional customs, religious beliefs, political systems, and specific artifacts and...
had lost all sense of the sacred, lacked any sacramental meaning, and disdained any transcendental purpose or sense of providence, bringing him to the conclusion that for the modern mind, "God is dead
God is dead
"God is dead" is a widely-quoted statement by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. It first appears in The Gay Science , in sections 108 , 125 , and for a third time in section 343...
".
Other thinkers, namely Thomas J. J. Altizer
Thomas J. J. Altizer
Thomas Jonathan Jackson Altizer is a radical theologian who incorporated Friedrich Nietzsche's conception of the "death of God" into his teachings.- Education :...
and William Hamilton of Emory University
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...
, draw upon sources dating back to some of the aphorisms in Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German Lutheran pastor, theologian and martyr. He was a participant in the German resistance movement against Nazism and a founding member of the Confessing Church. He was involved in plans by members of the Abwehr to assassinate Adolf Hitler...
's Letters and Papers from Prison, and bring this line of thought to public attention in a short-lived intellectual fad that occurred in the mid-to-late-1960s among some younger Protestant theologians and ministerial students. Conservative reaction on the right and social advocacy efforts on the left blunted its impact, however, and it quickly became forgotten in favor of more ethically-oriented movements such as Social Gospel
Social Gospel
The Social Gospel movement is a Protestant Christian intellectual movement that was most prominent in the early 20th century United States and Canada...
and feminist theologies
Feminist theology
Feminist theology is a movement found in several religions, including Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, and New Thought, to reconsider the traditions, practices, scriptures, and theologies of those religions from a feminist perspective...
, within the Protestant mainline at least.
Some American Christians (primarily Protestants) also use this term to discuss evangelism
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
to unchurched
Unchurched
"Unchurched" means, in the broad sense, people who are not connected with a church. In research on religious participation, it refers more specifically to people who do not attend worship services...
individuals who may have grown up in a non-Christian culture where such traditional Biblical references may be unfamiliar concepts. The argument goes that in previous generations in the United States, such concept and other artifacts of Christianese would have been common cultural knowledge and would not have needed to be taught to adult converts
Religious conversion
Religious conversion is the adoption of a new religion that differs from the convert's previous religion. Changing from one denomination to another within the same religion is usually described as reaffiliation rather than conversion.People convert to a different religion for various reasons,...
to Christianity. In this sense, post-Christian is not a negative term, but is used to describe the special remediative care that would be needed to introduce new Christian
New Christian
New Christian was a term used to refer to Iberian Jews and Muslims who converted to Roman Catholicism, and their known baptized descendants. The term was introduced by the Old Christians of Iberia who wanted to distinguish themselves from the conversos...
s to the nuances of Christian life and practice.
Some groups, mainly liberal or radical ones, even use the term "post-Christian" as a self-description, not regarding it as an epithet whatsoever. Dana McLean Greeley
Dana McLean Greeley
Dana McLean Greeley was a Unitarian minister, the last president of the American Unitarian Association and, upon its merger with the Universalist Church in America, was the founding president of the Unitarian Universalist Association.Greeley received a Bachelor of Sacred Theology degree from...
, the first president of the Unitarian Universalist Association
Unitarian Universalist Association
Unitarian Universalist Association , in full the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations in North America, is a liberal religious association of Unitarian Universalist congregations formed by the consolidation in 1961 of the American Unitarian Association and the Universalist Church of...
, described Unitarian Universalism
Unitarian Universalism
Unitarian Universalism is a religion characterized by support for a "free and responsible search for truth and meaning". Unitarian Universalists do not share a creed; rather, they are unified by their shared search for spiritual growth and by the understanding that an individual's theology is a...
as postchristian insofar as Christians no longer considered it Christian, while persons of other religions would likely describe it as Christian, at least historically. http://www.danielharper.org/blog/?page_id=463
Others, such as Philip Jenkins
Philip Jenkins
Philip Jenkins is as of 2010 the Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of Humanities at Pennsylvania State University . He was Professor and a Distinguished Professor of History and Religious studies at the same institution; and also assistant, associate and then full professor of Criminal Justice and...
in God's Continent, argue that Europe is post-Christian insofar that Christianity is explicitly asserted and that (under a strict definition) it has been so for over a century at least. Charles Taylor
Charles Taylor
Charles McArthur Ghankay Taylor was the 22nd President of Liberia, serving from 2 August 1997 until his resignation on 11 August 2003....
, meanwhile, disputes the "God is Dead" thesis within the same context by arguing how the practice and very understanding of faith have changed long before the late 20th Century, along with secularism itself. In his A Secular Age, Taylor points out how being "free from Christendom" has allowed Christianity to endure and express itself in various ways, especially in Western society; he cites how otherwise secular ideas were, and continue to be, formed in light of some manner of faith. Perhaps in a similar manner to Jenkins, he stresses how "loss of faith" reflects simplistic notions on the nature of secularization, namely the idea of "subtraction." Thus, "post-Christian" is after a fashion, a product of Christianity itself.
See also
- ApatheismApatheismApatheism , also known as pragmatic atheism or as practical atheism, is acting with apathy, disregard, or lack of interest towards belief or lack of belief in a deity. Apatheism describes the manner of acting towards a belief or lack of a belief in a deity; so applies to both theism and atheism...
- Christian atheism
- Christian existentialismChristian existentialismChristian existentialism describes a group of writings that take a philosophically existentialist approach to Christian theology. The school of thought is often traced back to the work of the Danish philosopher and theologian considered the father of existentialism, Søren Kierkegaard...
- PostmodernismPostmodernismPostmodernism is a philosophical movement evolved in reaction to modernism, the tendency in contemporary culture to accept only objective truth and to be inherently suspicious towards a global cultural narrative or meta-narrative. Postmodernist thought is an intentional departure from the...
- Postmodern ChristianityPostmodern ChristianityPostmodern Christianity is an outlook of Christianity that is closely associated with the body of writings known as postmodern philosophy. Although it is a relatively recent development in the Christian religion, some Christian postmodernists assert that their style of thought has an affinity with...
- Postmodern ReformationPostmodern ReformationThe Postmodern Reformation is a movement presently taking place throughout Western culture in which Christianity is experiencing a dramatic cultural shift away from institutionally centralized Christian practice closely related to primary Christendom values which have undergirded Roman Catholic,...
- Post-theismPost-theismPost-theism is a variant of nontheism that proposes to have not so much rejected theism as rendered it obsolete, that God belongs to a stage of human development now past. Within nontheism, post-theism can be contrasted with antitheism...
- Unitarian UniversalismUnitarian UniversalismUnitarian Universalism is a religion characterized by support for a "free and responsible search for truth and meaning". Unitarian Universalists do not share a creed; rather, they are unified by their shared search for spiritual growth and by the understanding that an individual's theology is a...