Postmodernism and the need for story and promise: how Robert Jenson's theology addresses some postmodern challenges to faith

Modernity’s belief that we live in a narratable world (a world with a story) and its confidence in progress (a world with a promise), are terminated by postmodernism’s insights. This is how the American Lutheran theologian Robert Jenson understands the impact of postmodernism. If this is true, it p...

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Main Author: A. H. Verhoef
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of the Free State 2012-06-01
Series:Acta Theologica
Online Access:https://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/at/article/view/2433
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author A. H. Verhoef
author_facet A. H. Verhoef
author_sort A. H. Verhoef
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description Modernity’s belief that we live in a narratable world (a world with a story) and its confidence in progress (a world with a promise), are terminated by postmodernism’s insights. This is how the American Lutheran theologian Robert Jenson understands the impact of postmodernism. If this is true, it poses great challenges for the Christian faith to be communicated and accepted within this context. This article assesses how Jenson’s theology attempts to address postmodernism’s need for a new story and promise. It concludes that Jenson’s theology, as a Trinitarian theology, forms a coherent answer to these challenges because it is a narrative and eschatological theology. This article indicates, amongst other things the importance of Jenson’s understanding in his theology of the relation between God and time. The significance of Jenson’s approach is that it, firstly, understands the church as a narratable world, with a visible promise, and that it, secondly, follows a  characteristically postmodern methodology in addressing these challenges.
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spelling doaj-art-30418344530f472fb9bf41619632ad142025-02-11T10:01:48ZengUniversity of the Free StateActa Theologica1015-87582309-90892012-06-0132110.38140/at.v32i1.2433Postmodernism and the need for story and promise: how Robert Jenson's theology addresses some postmodern challenges to faithA. H. Verhoef0North-West University, South Africa Modernity’s belief that we live in a narratable world (a world with a story) and its confidence in progress (a world with a promise), are terminated by postmodernism’s insights. This is how the American Lutheran theologian Robert Jenson understands the impact of postmodernism. If this is true, it poses great challenges for the Christian faith to be communicated and accepted within this context. This article assesses how Jenson’s theology attempts to address postmodernism’s need for a new story and promise. It concludes that Jenson’s theology, as a Trinitarian theology, forms a coherent answer to these challenges because it is a narrative and eschatological theology. This article indicates, amongst other things the importance of Jenson’s understanding in his theology of the relation between God and time. The significance of Jenson’s approach is that it, firstly, understands the church as a narratable world, with a visible promise, and that it, secondly, follows a  characteristically postmodern methodology in addressing these challenges. https://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/at/article/view/2433
spellingShingle A. H. Verhoef
Postmodernism and the need for story and promise: how Robert Jenson's theology addresses some postmodern challenges to faith
Acta Theologica
title Postmodernism and the need for story and promise: how Robert Jenson's theology addresses some postmodern challenges to faith
title_full Postmodernism and the need for story and promise: how Robert Jenson's theology addresses some postmodern challenges to faith
title_fullStr Postmodernism and the need for story and promise: how Robert Jenson's theology addresses some postmodern challenges to faith
title_full_unstemmed Postmodernism and the need for story and promise: how Robert Jenson's theology addresses some postmodern challenges to faith
title_short Postmodernism and the need for story and promise: how Robert Jenson's theology addresses some postmodern challenges to faith
title_sort postmodernism and the need for story and promise how robert jenson s theology addresses some postmodern challenges to faith
url https://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/at/article/view/2433
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