Christianity and Postmodernism?

[GreyRabbit]

Hello!! I don’t know if this goes here, and I apologize if it doesn’t, but I’m in need of some help asap!!

Does anyone know good material–books, online, etc–on this subject? In a sense, I’m having to write a paper somewhere along the lines of “Where do Christians (Catholics maybe?) stand (fit) in Postmodern culture (or lifestyle, or whatever)?”

PLEEEEEEAAAASEEE!!! If you have any suggestions, please say them!! Thank you very much!!!

And if you don’t, that’s okay; I wouldn’t mind hearing your views if you don’t mind writing what they are! Xp

~Grey

 

[feargalmac]

For a start, maybe you should read PASCENDI DOMINICI GREGIS which is Pope Pius X’s Encyclical on the Doctrine of the Modernists, available on the Vatican’s website. See how relevant much of what he wrote still is after 100 years.

Hope this helps. My own view is that Postmodern culture doesn’t want us to fit in anywhere!!

 

[Zahmir]

If you are really heavy into philosophy, I recommend reading Alasdair McIntyre’s “After Virtue.”

If not, I recommend reading really anything by Cardinal Ratzinger, both before and after he was elected to be Pope.

All of his encyclicals are in some way or another directly addressing some concern of postmodernism, even if he doesn’t say so explicitly. Even if this isn’t the route you choose to go, I STRONGLY recommend getting a book which records his conversations with Peter Seewald, entitled “God and the World: A Conversation with Peter Seewald.”

Pope Benedict converted Peter Seewald over the course of their conversations, so you know it’s a powerful message.

 

[GreyRabbit]

Er…at the risk of sounding stupid, who’s Peter Seewald? The name does seem familiar, but I can’t place him. ^^;;

Thanks to you both!

 

[FightingFat]

If I were writing this essay, the two documents I would most want at my fingertips would be the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, Gaudium et Spes vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_cons_19651207_gaudium-et-spes_en.html which was written precisely to address your question-- where does the Church fit into the modern world, and Pope John Paul II’s encyclical on the relationship between faith and reason; Fides et Ratio vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_15101998_fides-et-ratio_en.html which looks at modern philosophical and scientific ideas in the light of the faith of the Church.