I recently listened to a stellar podcast my boyfriend sent me about post-Christian culture. This program titled, "This Cultural Moment" is a series that seeks to not only answer this question, but also address society's current view of Christianity. In this article, I'll be referring to their first podcast.
John and Mark, the narrators, observe seeing a high prevalence of post-Christianity in cities like Melbourne, Portland, Manhattan, San Francisco and Atlanta. It is a new way of thinking, which actually is not entirely new. In fact, the point made that when you look at Western culture particularly with movements like the Enlightenment and other social paradigms; this idea of post-Christianity is not foreign at all.
When asked in this current day-in-age, there are many who believe this culture is one, which has rejected Christianity or has "moved beyond it and has no vestiges of Christianity left today". In actuality, it is just the opposite. Christianity is still there, however like the podcast says, "There are people who are just missing it". John does a really great job capturing this by following up with a quote from Julian Barnes which says, "I don't believe in God, but I miss him".
It is in this moment that the question is posed of what determines pre-Christian and post-Christian cultures and which era are we currently in?
This pre-Christian culture, which is "deeply driven by spiritual forces", is one of many gods and religions. It is a world full of superstitions, taboos and rituals. In short, "it's the Roman Empire before the Gospel of Jesus, the paganism…it's the barbarians in the north Ancient European neo-pagan, Wiccan". A society, which has no prior or current knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Moving on from the pre-Christian cultures are what we call second and third-cultures, which introduces the idea of a monotheistic God and "rejects the ancient paganism and moves into a more justice-based sense of faith and often has a sacred book it works out of". This second-culture often deals with faiths such as Judaism and Islam, as well as some aspects of Christianity. In addition, the third-culture defines itself against the second-culture. In a sense, it is "deconstructing and moving on with the project of Christianity, but without Christ".
Note: This idea of a third-culture is equivalent to that of the post-Christian culture.
This idea of 'deconstruction' is actually a great symbol of modern-society. It is a notion that is seen across the spectrum (theologically, politically, socioeconomically, etc.…). There is really 'deconstruction' everywhere you look. Which is not necessarily a bad thing, but at the same time really can be. Simply stated, it strips all meaning.
What is so interesting about this is how the narrators mention Galatians and the world after the ascension. In the book of Galatians, Paul writes about controversy between peoples (Jews and the Gentiles), as well as the push for unity between the groups. To dig a little bit deeper, after Christ there are the two religious groups that are of importance within the idea of Christianity-culture. The Jews are God's chosen people and the Gentile-Christians are the ones who confess that Jesus is Lord. So already, there is a shift in the world where a 'desacralizing' or deconstruction occurs.
This brings us back to the idea of "a Kingdom without a King". In short, there is this underlying and raw "want and need for the Kingdom of God". We long for the attributes of this utopia, which include justice, peace and equality. This really brings our discussion full circle with the idea of a post-Christian culture, because there is so much backlash for Christ being Christ and fulfilling his role as so. To simplify, we want the characteristics of the Kingdom, but without the governing and love of a King.
And that is where most of the world is at right now. Mark mentions how "post-Christianity is the Christian project attempted to be continued". It's the criticism of ourselves and western culture. When we're without Christ, it's a self-hating mechanism. Rather than belonging "under his authority, it's rebellion against his authority". At the heart of post-Christianity is injustice. There is no way of achieving an idea or vision of utopia with the secularization of Christ. It just isn't possible.
