Postmodernism is a philosophical life form that began, as most contemporary paradigms do, in the realm of academia. Due to the fact that postmodernism is, by definition, difficult to pin down, it's hard to say when exactly it all began. Many point to the 1970's as a time when large numbers of scholars (in fields such as philosophy, literature, psychology, and sociology) began to effectively deconstruct the modern paradigm.

Postmodernism in its most extreme phase, was an undercutting of everything- of meaning itself. One question led to another which led to another- until all that was left was the "worship of the question". Context was crowned the new king. Nothing held any value outside of its own context- and one context had absolutely no bearing on the next. Reality was like a set of co-existing planes that never ever interacted with each other; at least in theory.

Of course, when a "theory of everything" is constructed in academic circles it exists in a vacuum of sorts - because it holds weight only to the extent that a group of academics (who probably have a bloated sense of their own self-importance- certainly of their own analysis) say something is so- merely because they have convinced themselves, in the vacuum of their own thoughts- that it is so.

While a prevailing philosophy might begin in academic circles, its real test comes when it enters the discourse of "the real world". For it is there that the real fruit- or lack thereof, of any particular theory is brought to light. When a philosophy moves from the academy into the real world, it encounters a resistance it wasn't previously familiar with. For it is in the society at large that these ideas are given a form of social verification somewhat akin to the scientific method.

It often takes some time for these experiments to play themselves out. But eventually the results do come in. And for postmodernism- the results were not pretty. For it appears that while society flirted with this conceptual framework for a couple of decades or so, it is now on its last legs- so to speak.

Now, as some in western Christian circles first began to notice this demise of extreme postmodernism- there was much applause and many hearty slaps on the back- and a few "I told you so's" passed around; for it seemed that the "enemy", kind of like the old Soviet Union, imploded before it really got very far. In a way, postmodernism went "Frankenstein" on itself- and got swallowed up in the process.

To be honest there was a time where even I believed this to be true. However, now I see, as do others, that this analysis was rather short-sighted. Perhaps I, and others should have realized that, rather than die, what this lifeform (as I originally called it) would do is mutate- even - evolve- if you will; to become a more virulent strain of the original. Postmodernism, again by its very nature- isn't opposed to "going shifty on us". It can and does change colors to best suit its environment. It is the chameleon philosophy.

As a result, the postmodernism that is still gaining ground today is decidedly different than its "parent" paradigm. And because it is older, and more seasoned, the new postmodernism has had a chance to move beyond mere reactionism- which perhaps was what sealed the fate of first generation postmodernism from the very outset.

Many have noticed what I like to term the pendulum effect. Simply put, this refers to how an initial reaction may swing to the far opposite of a pole, but over time, subsequent swings will move more towards the center. I think this partly explains what's happened to postmodernism. The second round of the social experiment is decidedly less extreme than its predecessor.

So, now that that's clear, how does the new prodigy differ? Well, where old-school po-mo said there was no absolute truth, the new po-mo says, that question itself is somewhat a relic of the modern era. The new postmodernism is less concerned with "what"- if that means abstract understanding, and more concerned with "how". In other words, don't give me theory- make it work- (and here's that expression again) -in the "real world".

Postmodernism is a live theory. In other words, it's very much still evolving. Remember, in one sense all "post-modernism" refers to is just that- the period in Western history that follows the modern era. In that sense, the description is more one of "when", than of "what".

And so, taken with the fact that this has been perhaps the most difficult of paradigms to pin-down to begin with, its evolving nature makes the process even more difficult. No one has the "exclusive" rights to describing it in its entirety. In some ways we judge it, after the fact, kind of like the wind- by its effect on its surroundings.

Another way to think of it is like a river running down a mountainside and eventually into the ocean. The process by which the water gets to its final destination depends on the ground it encounters on the way. Ultimately, the river will choose the most direct path to the ocean. Postmodernism is kind of like this- treading forward- trying to find a path that makes the most sense based on a society's collective sense of what makes "sense"- in terms of ultimate reality.

If I were to offer some advice to Christians who are trying to walk out their mission with a postmodern sensibility, it would be to let go of the idea that one has to defend the kind of first generation postmodernism that certain factions of the Church are still railing against. For all intents and purposes, that beast is dead. We are beyond those times. Admitting that first generation postmodernism was a sham will make many a modern-sensitized Christian breathe a sigh of relief. And once they've taken time to breath easy- you'll have a more receptive audience to hear about your understanding of what the new landscape looks like.

In my mind, second generation postmodernism still has lessons to teach us. For one- it has much to teach us about the ways that our former understandings of the Gospel were so thoroughly enmeshed with the fabric of modernism. That is not to say that postmodernism has come along like a knight on a white horse to rescue us from the oppressive dragon of modernity; its just to say that postmodernism gives us one more perspective from which to see our own story; for the real fruit comes when we see more clearly as a result of seeing the same thing from different perspectives.

This fits in nicely with the idea that truth is not so much a monolithic entity as much as it is things -in tension. No doubt modernism had much to teach us about our faith- because it provided us with one more viewpoint. Now it's time to see what a postmodern sensibility can teach us about the Gospel of Jesus Christ- that simultaneously applies in and supersedes every human conception of reality. We would do well to remember that regardless of the age or the paradigm, as human beings, we still see "as through a glass darkly". And as such we should tread lightly, always with the cloak of humility abut our backs.