A Primer on Postmodernism
By Stanley J. Grentz
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
ISBN: 0-8028-0684-6
Copyright, 1996.
Hovel Audio ISBN: 1-59644-292-1
Copyright, 2005.
This is probably the most thorough and academically accurate book on Postmodernism that I have read to date. It is not the simplest or easiest to understand, but it does a good job of giving a good definition and explanation of Postmodernism and its origins.
Grentz explains well that Postmodernism is less of a philosophy and more of a mood or ethos. It is largely a reaction against modernism, or an anti-movement, rather than a movement. He does a very decent job of explaining the Modernistic worldview and the backlash against it in recent years.
The chapters include:
- Star Trek and the Postmodernism Generation
- The Postmodern Ethos
- The Postmodern World View
- The Rise of the Modern World
- The Prelude to Postmodernism
- The Philosophers of Postmodernism
- The Gospel and the Postmodern Context
The goal of the author doesn’t seem to be to defend or vilify Postmodernity, but rather to help people to know what in world this nebulous term means, and what the implications are to our everyday life. In that goal, I would Grentz is quite successful. Again, this is for a more advanced reader. Someone who wants a simpler version might want to see if they can find The Death of Truth, by Dennis McCallum from Xenos Christian Fellowship in Ohio (published by Bethany House).
204 pages. On a scale of 1-5, I’d give this a 4.0 overall.