A Short Definition of Postmodernism

When I tell people that I am working to try to understand the debate going on in the church today about modernism and postmodernism they usually ask, “What exactly is postmodernism?”  And when they do I find myself at a loss for words—not because I don't know about postmodernism, but because I don't know how to take all that I have read and thought and distill that down into a definition that they will understand and won't take a five-hour long discussion.  So, I have endeavored to write this short definition of postmodernism for the uninitiated.

Postmodernism is a response to, and a reaction against modernism.  Modernism is the mental framework people in the West have used for hundreds of years to think about things, evaluate things, and decide things.  For instance Moderns believe that, if we are willing, we can raise ourselves above the immediate situation in which we are embroiled to see things rationally and objectively.  Through the use of reason it is possible to be an unimpassioned objective observer.  And thinking about things in this way is the most desirable way to be and the surest way to come to know the

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About Us

Rob Devens pictureGrowthclass.org is the brain child of Rob Devens.  Rob has been working in churches and in the ministry of Christian spiritual growth for the last 28 years. In January, 2009, he left his position of Pastor of Adult Spiritual Growth at First Free Church of La Crosse, Wisconsin (after being there 16 years) to allow his wife to  pursue her career.  Claudia had been following Rob around the country for the last 28 years, so he figured it was time for him to follow Claudia!  Claudia took a position as an assistant professor at Oregon Institute of Technology—which required a move to Oregon.  For two and a half years, Rob remained connected to First Free and administrated their adult growth classes from a distance.  This opportunity helped Rob to recognize that if he can use the internet tools available to impact a ministry 2000 miles away, those same tools can be used to impact any church anywhere.  Rob became convinced that God wanted him to take the “know how” that he had gained from 28 years of ministry and use it to help churches have effective education ministries.

And so growthclass.org was born. The purpose of growthclass.org is to help churches design and implement a Christian spiritual growth strategy for adults. In addition, in order to help give some guidance and help, Rob began writing a blog, Books and Curriculum where he reviews Christian books and spritual growth curriculum.

Rob has a Master of Christian Studies from New College Berkeley (Berkeley, CA) and a Master of Divinity from Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary (Fresno, CA), and is ordained through the Evangelical Free Church of America.  Rob has authored a number of articles and a devotional web site, BeholdHim.Org which contains guided readings for Holy Week and Advent.