Later this week Taylor University College will be hosting Dr. Merold Westphal, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Fordham University, New York. On Thursday night (Thursday 27 October 2005 – 7:30 pm) Dr. Westphal will be presenting a free public lecture entitled, “Religious Uses of Secular Postmodernism: Toward a Postmodern Christian Faith.” This lecture will take a closer look at this perceived threat and uncover how many aspects of secular postmodernism are actually useful in proclaiming the Christian faith.
Dr. Westphal has written much on the relationship between postmodernism (broadly defined) and the Christian faith. While many Christians see postmodernism as a threat to the faith, Westphal (rightly) sees in postmodernism many ideas that are compatible with the Christian faith. Moreover, it isn’t as if philosophical modernity has been a friend to the faith, with its emphasis on the autonomy of the human knower and epistomological certitude. In contrast, postmodernism reminds us of the limits of human knowledge and human sinfulness. In some ways, postmodernism’s unintended commentary is on the doctrine of the fall.
Some of Westphal’s works include:
- Overcoming Onto-Theology: Toward a Postmodern Christian Faith. Fordham University Press, 2001. Buy from Amazon.ca | Buy from Amazon.com
- Postmodern Philosophy and Christian Thought. Indiana University Press, 1999. Buy from Amazon.ca | Buy from Amazon.com
- Transcendence and Self-Transcendence: On God and the Soul. Indiana University Press, 2004. Buy from Amazon.ca | Buy from Amazon.com
I will be posting an MP3 of the talk on Taylor’s Public Lecture website.