Customer Reviews

Truth Decay: Defending Christianity Against the Challenges of Postmodernism

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Groothuis has done a good job in this book of profiling postmodernism and discrediting it in light of its devastating theories on truth and living. In the process, he does a good job of affirming the reality of universal truth and showing how Christianity's worldview best honors absolute truth in comparison to other worldviews, most notably postmodernism.

This book is an attempt to touch on various aspects of the postmodernist issue. Groothuis spends a good deal of time deconstructing the postmodernist objection to universal truth and its embrace of 'cultural truths', along with the worldview's inability to provide any basis for the many presuppositions it makes. He also analyzes the massive internal inconsistencies prevalent throughout postmodern thought and eloquently demonstrates that many adherents to postmodernism tend to be first in line to fail the litmus tests of their own worldview. He also analyzes the issue of whether language can express truths beyond itself, which is a common assertion among prominent postmodernists. Groothuis also spends a chapter looking at the dangerous apologetics that some prominent Christians have developed which resemble postmodernist thinking. In many of these areas, Groothuis's analysis is thorough and excellent, with an emphasis on heavy quotation from those he is critiquing.

Although somewhat minor, I must also say that I thought the cover of the paperback was outstanding. The cover depicts a barren landscape, almost a wasteland. This illustration is very applicable to the postmodern worldview. After reading this book, I think quite a few readers will rightly conclude that postmodernism is an extremely depressing and hopeless way of thinking about the world and its inhabitants. In many ways, the impression I got from Groothuis's book is that postmodernism is really on a quest to devalue almost everything under the guise that we don't really know anything. Groothuis's quote from Dorothy Sayers about halfway through the book is one of the best quotes I've ever heard about the futility of the postmodernist outlook on life and truth. Utterly devastating.

I debated whether to give the book 4 or 5 stars. I opted for 5, but I will note a couple of regrets I have about the book that do not diminish the overall rating but are regrets nonetheless. First, Groothuis's analysis of postmodernism appears pretty confined to the atheistic/agnostic wing of postmodernism. And while I certainly appreciated his appraisal in this area, I think Groothuis would have really hit a homerun if he had also taken some time to analyze the spiritual postmodernism that is rampant as well. In many ways, the spirituality aspect of postmodernism is more important than the non-spiritual aspect. New Age spirituality draws heavily from postmodernism and this phenomenon is more prevalent than atheistic postmodernism, at least in America. But this is an area that Groothuis does not explore. Lastly, Groothuis's defense of egalitarianism against the charge of postmodernism is highly subjective in a way that the rest of the book is not. Groothuis and his wife are well known advocates of egalitarianism, and this advocacy is clearly prominent in this section. This would have been okay had Groothuis's analysis of this issue been as honest as the rest of the book. But whereas Groothuis quotes extensively from postmodernists throughout the rest of the book, he does not quote at all from the traditionalist school within Christianity while trying to advance the school of egalitarianism. Ultimately, Groothuis does not present a fair depiction of the traditionalist school of thought (he goes so far as to summarize that traditionalism, in his opinion, is based on prejudices that are outdated, which is ad hominem and inaccurate), and this is regretable since such an approach tends to resemble postmodernism in its superficiality.

But given that these two points are minor enough that the book still stands on its own as a solid critique of postmodernism, I give the book 5 stars and recommend it to anyone who is struggling with the meaning of truth, whether truth can be authoritative and universal, and what this means to daily living.

Everyone who is interested in a Christian approach to postmodernism with applications for theology must read this book. Groothuis is the first author to provide a useful overview of postmodernism from a Christian perspective while at the same time dealing substantively with theological issues. What we have here is a nuanced evangelicalism that sees evangelical theology's recognition of the objective and propositional nature of revelatory truth in scripture, not as a sad side effect of an Enlightenment Modernist ethos, but as a traditional, indeed pre-modern viewpoint that has viability in the contemporary context. While Groothuis is not naive about the way much evangelical evidentialism has relied too heavily on Modernist categories, he manages to avoid the broad strokes painted by authors like Grenz and McGrath, who at times seem to think that the very concept of scriptural infallibility itself is an Enlightenment construct, rather than the premodern notion that it is.

This book is the first to reply to Stanley Grenz and Alister McGrath in a way that does not fall prey to naive ultra-foundationalism (rather to more of a "modest foundationalism" like that of Alvin Plantinga) but at the same time does not run tail-tucked from pomo fads that evangelical theologians seem to be more scared of than anyone else (as Alan Jacobs rightly noted in his recent article in Atlantic Monthly). Unlike Grenz and McGrath (and their popular counterpart Chuck Smith, Jr.), Groothuis achieves a balance: he recognizes the importance of understanding the postmodern condition and even learning from it, without selling out to it.

One only hopes that Groothuis's next project will be his own book along the lines of Grenz's Renewing the Center, in which Groothuis will offer a more extensive version of the chapter that deals with the approaches of Grenz, McGrath, et al., and show that there is a credible way to be an evangelical in the postmodern era without scrapping the last 250 years of evangelical theological wisdom.

Even if one is sympathetic to Groothuis's broad concern, one can't help but be disappointed with this text. This book is a bad regurgitation of other bad and reductive non-readings of `pomo'. Groothuis depends way too highly on secondary (and sometimes tertiary) sources. It escapes me how a former reviewer could call this work `scholarly.' I suppose if one considers Logic 101 tinged with the usual fundamentalist `defender of the Faith' rhetoric and aura (which hovers over every page), then this could be called `scholarly.'

The big problem I found is that even when Groothuis offers defensible criticisms, his alternatives end up being just as problematic as the positions he criticizes. For all his advocacy for a correspondence theory of truth, his tone betrays a penchant for certainty and formal coherence. He falls into the problem of the relation between thought and `reality,' representation to presentation, the role of language, and so forth. No doubt God comes to save the day with all these problems, yet on the very justificatory terms Groothuis advocates for, God escapes the measure of correspondence and becomes its condition of possibility. In other words, God becomes a structural metaphysical function which `saves' Groothuis's truth from the skeptic. The problem, however, is that Groothuis wants truth to be absolute, universal, and accessible to all, yet he is dependent on a moment (i.e. faith) which, by definition, retains a trace of contingency or `objective' undecidability.

Groothuis's more ethical concerns are where I am more sympathetic, but again, here his polemics and non-reading of the people he criticizes drowned out whatever constructive points he offers. Groothuis practices the same type of irresponsible reflection that some of the `pomo' Evangelical's do: uncriticality. Here, philosophy and reflection - whether Modern or postmodern - becomes a means to simply confirm and justify a complacent status quo, rather than challenging and transforming the status quo. The challenge presented in this book is for a nostalgic return to the good old days of Christendom.

Jesus did not come to `save' our metaphysical systems, but to redeem us and this world. That redemption is not contingent upon accurate representations as Groothuis seems to think. It is madness to the Greek (i.e. the logician) and a stumbling block to the Legalist (i.e. moralistic hypocrites). The task is not to make the faith less crazy or more socially repressive. As James tells us, the measure of `true' faith - and here I will grant a type of reference - is that we `attend to the widow and orphan.' Kerygma without service is dead, a worse lie than any humanism. Perhaps if we began `proving' our faith, that is, manifesting its truth in radical service and justice - we could actually demonstrate the truth to which we testify. I guess it is much easier to `defend the faith' with bad arguments which only convince the already convinced, than to `live the faith': serve the people no one gives a hoot about. After all, in the latter case one cannot fancy oneself a hero in quite the same way.

Excellent treatise on the errors of postmodern thinking and rationale in the church. Highest recommendation for anyone who wants to know that truth still exists and is not a manufactured reflection of our culture!

You want Truth? Not sure there is such a thing? Are you willing to engage all your reasoning faculties and use the simplicity of Logic? Then this book is for you, and all who wonder where and what Truth might be. Truth clearly exists and is neither subjective nor fictitious. You have only to follow Groothuis's detailed explanation to see the light (and the light of Christ will outshine all other).

Dr. Groothuis, though perhaps somewhat unknown to many presently, certainly will be remembered as one of the 21st centuries best apologists. His insights into the non-christian philosophies and worldviews are incomparable and extremely helpful. His warnings against the effects of television are convicting and true. All in all, a great book.

The author covers the erosion of truth in our culture very thoroughly, but it can get a bit dry and repetitive at times. It's full of good examples of truth decay that is going on all around us today.

Postmodernism is like termites, many times eating away the precious structure without much knowledge of the decay taking place. Such is the case outlined by Christian apologist Groothuis in this book.

Modernism has been replaced by postmodernism and the author shows the logical inconsistency of this worldview and truly the untenable position of living its logic out to conclusion.

For some readers who already like this reviewer have now read more works on postmodernism sections of the book on this will only be rehash, but well done it must be said.

What was of great value was Groothuis then reacting to this with what apologetic Christians need to take to help stop these truth termites. He has many good things to consider here, e.g. "presenting the Christian vision as the most cogent explanation for a whole range of facts in accordance with the essential tenets of logic and critieria for evidence that are required for all critical thinking."

He concludes with two excellent chapters, one of "True Beauty" in the arts being redeemed and stripped of its postmoderism, and TV being a significant postmodern termite.

To be read and pondered. Check out also J.W. Montgomery's phenominal work: "Tractatus Logico-Theologicus" Os Guiness's "Time for Truth" Nancy Pearcey's "Total Truth" and Gene Veith's "Postmodern Times."

Groothuis is part of a Christian movement that recognizes the serious flaws in th postmodern trend, and seeks to remedy them with rationalthinking and appeals to reason.

This book starts with a basic profile of permodern, modern, and postmodern schools of thought, which is helpful to readers who haven't spent a lot of time studying them. He does so in a way that concisely but accurately captures the essence of each, and then demonstrates the problems with postmodernism and related relativism and pluralism.

Especially interesting to me is a point he makes about art - often considered, even by many absolutists, as a subjective arena of thought. Groothuis makes the point that since art is both reflective of worldview and influential on many peoples' worldviews, it really isn't entirely subjective, either. After sampling some of the tripe that passas for art in modern culture, I must agree with him. There is a reason God finds certain things beautiful, and as we strive to be like Him, we endeavor to emulate His appreciation for true beauty and disdain for what is objectively hideous.

Every student of philosophy and its implications on modern thought would do well to have 'Truth Decay'.

Groothuis does an excellent job in debunking "postmodern" evangelical theological forays while concurrently defending and explicating historic Christianity. Acknowledging Francis Schaeffer and Carl F.H. Henry as paradigmatic influences in his own life, Groothuis is not ashamed to be identified (in our present "innovative" melieu) with such stalwarks that many in the christian academy would probably consider "passe".
His trenchant and insuperable criticisms of the logical fallacies, inconsistancies, and pedantic hubris of Stanley Grenz, William Willimon, Philip Kenneson, J.Richard Middleton, Brian Walsh, Lesslie Newbigin, and Nancey Murphy is sure to route this cadre back to their proverbial "drawing board".His reminder that they naively conscript atheist postmodern theoriticians into their cause additionally exposes them as victims of a "guilded" plausabilty crisis and a "loss of nerve" for the cause of Christ.
Douglas Groothuis valiantly and convincingly restates the True Truth that is Christianity and "Truth Decay" demands a reading from all of those that would be faithful in our time in "contending for the faith once for all delievered to the saints"!
Maybe a few of the aforementioned interlocutors could get Groothuis to provide autographed copies; that is if their not afraid of having their "virtual" subverted by Gods actual reality.