Johnston, Graham MacPherson. Preaching to a Postmodern World: A Guide To Reaching Twenty-First Century Listeners. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2001. Kindle Electronic Edition.
Summary
Preaching to a Postmodern World: A Guide to Reaching Twenty-first Century Listeners authored by Graham Johnston was written to help preachers present their message in a relevant way to a modern audience. While many books have been written on the subject from a philosophical standpoint or a practical standpoint, Johnston aims to provide reasons for the need of modern communication to a modern audience coupled with practical ways to achieve the desired communication. Johnston strives to provide help to the modern preacher in understanding the modern ways of thinking that his audience might be employing. Johnston describes postmodern thinking when he writes, “Today post modernity says: All you can believe is what’s in your own heart, count in intuition and faith, give up on the idea of truth, have an experience instead.” This way of thinking is what Johnston thinks the modern audience is bringing to the sermon. Therefore, the modern preacher must understand how to communicate to the modern audience in a way in which they will understand.
Johnston begins his work by explaining where the modern audience is in their thinking in his first chapter, “Toto, We’re Not in Kansas Anymore”. In the chapter he speaks concerning differing world views that exist in the pews, opportunities that exists in the unprecedented, and to help modern preachers realize that what worked in the past may not work today. He also talks about the burdens of practicing the principles of communicating to postmodern thinkers. Johnston writes, “After all, God’s truth transcends culture; for God’s truth to penetrate today’s culture we have only to find ways to bridge the biblical and the postmodern worlds – to speak meaningfully to people where they are.”
Next, Johnston works to assist in understanding the postmodern thinker. He begins by explaining the differences between the modern thinkers and the postmodern thinkers. He explains that postmodern thinkers are a reaction to modernist thinkers in that they reject objective truth, they are skeptics, and the suspicious of authority. Johnston accurately describes the postmodern viewpoint when he says, “In fact, to many postmodern folks the church represents one of the largest and most self-serving institutions in the history of the world.” Furthermore, he says that post moderns live in the “missing persons era”, they blur morality, and are searching for the transcendent. He remarks about the media flurry that exists in the post modern’s world, the “knowing smirk”, the quest for community, and addressed the idea of post moderns living in the material world.
Then, Johnston speaks about the rules for engaging post moderns. He says that a speaker should not engage the audience at the expense of the message. He explains “the tension remains in knowing what’s culturally expendable and what’s biblically nonnegotiable.” He reminds modern speakers that communication is two people interacting with each other and that takes time. He encourages his readers that want to engage a modern audience to take risks with their audience and to address subjects that are relevant to a modern audience.
Also, Johnston tells his readers to challenge their listeners. He offers four suggestions to his readers. He tells them to become relational with their message and communication. He tells them to tune into the secular. He urges them to be more apologetic and to encourage accountability.
Then, Johnston brings to light obstacles to the modern speaker. He reminds them that in many cases they will be preaching the biblically illiterate. He reminds them not to take the exclusiveness of Christ lightly as the postmodern do not like exclusive worldviews. He says that one way to deal with this obstacle is through showing the steadfastness of Jesus’ disciples in the light of the persecutions that they faced. Another obstacle for the modern preacher will be the tendency of the audience to say “whatever” and dismiss the arguments. The modern preacher will also need to deal with resistance to the master plan as postmodern are naturally suspicious of authority and objective truth. Finally, in this chapter he deals with the “ultimate hot potato” which for the postmodernist is the subject of hell.
Next, Johnston describes some inroads that the preacher can have with his postmodern audience. One inroad for the communicator is that spirituality is hot for post moderns. In addition, post moderns love community. Furthermore, post moderns want to feel connected to their environment, to creation, and the world around them. Post moderns do not just care that things work, but they ask the “why” questions and are inquisitive about the information they are engaging.
Finally, Johnston addresses the practical as he speaks about “practices for engagement.” He tells communicator to use a dialogical approach when speaking to post moderns. He says that speakers should use inductive preaching rather than deductive preaching. He says that effective communication is helped by using storytelling, audiovisuals, drama, art, and humor. He reminds his readers that good speakers are good listeners. Finally, he tells speakers to refine their delivery to make it crisp and clear. He gives a test for the clarity of a speaker’s communication, “If you can’t identify what you’re saying in one, clear sentence, it means that you probably aren’t clear yourself.”
Conclusions
It would seem as if many books have been written on post moderns, their worldview, and how to communicate with them. One may be unsure if Johnston brings anything new to the perspective that other authors have not previously contributed. His work is well done and helpful for those that have not read Gene Veith’s work Postmodern Times or even Andy Stanley’s Communicating for Change. However, for this reviewer, it felt as if it had all been said before by other authors and communicators. Perhaps if anything, Johnston combines some of the ideas discussed by other authors and communicators into his work. The book could be helpful to pastors and communicators that are unfamiliar with post moderns and their way of thinking, but will be of limited help to those that are already versed in the postmodern.
