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Postmodernism must be confronted, not accommodated. We must challenge its false presuppositions, lovingly explaining that there is truth and that it is knowable.

In order to reach today's culture, seminarians, pastors, and laity, not unlike foreign missionaries, must learn to translate for today's postmoderns. For example, if we say, "The truth shall make you free," it means one thing to us—truth, that is Christ, makes us free from sin and death. But to the postmodern ear, it means "my preference" will make me free—to do whatever I want. Without translation, this becomes an invitation to cheap grace in the extreme.

That conference speaker was wrong. We dare not embrace postmodernism. The gospel is not a matter of soothing feelings or rewarding experiences (although it may produce both). It is the Truth that postmodernists can stake their lives on.

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In 1997, Leadership Journal, a Christianity Today sister publication, analyzed "The Riddle of Our Postmodern CultureWhat is postmodernism? Should we even care?"

Previous Christianity Today articles on the postmodern debate include:

The Virtue of UnoriginalityThe old kind of Christian is the best hope for church renewal. (April 4, 2002)

The Anti-ModernsSix postmodern Christians discuss the possibilities and limits of postmodernism. (Nov. 13, 2000)

What Exactly Is Postmodernism?The often-maligned movement is today's academic Rorschach blot. (Nov. 13, 2000)

Urbanites: More Justice, Less EpistemologyThe emerging urban class is targeting capitalism and Christianity—often for good reason. (Nov. 13, 2000)

Scientists: Just Leave Us AloneNot all the academy is so taken with postmodernism. (Nov. 13, 2000)

The Sky Isn't FallingThe only remaining "ism" is postmodernism. And it is a formalized expression of despair. (Jan. 11, 1999)

Poster Boy for PostmodernismStrohmeyer told police he strangled the little girl by twisting her neck the way he had seen in movies. (Nov. 16, 1998)

Abraham Kuyper: A Man for This SeasonThe surprisingly relevant advice of a Dutch statesman for engaging postmodern culture. (Oct. 5, 1998)

The Oxford ProphetLewis predicted a time when those who want to remold human nature "will be armed with the powers of an omnicompetent state. (June 15, 1998).

A Theology to Die ForTheologians are not freelance scholars of religion, but trustees of the deposit of faith. (Feb. 9, 1998)

The New TheologiansCreating a theological symphony. (Feb. 8, 1998)

A Cultural Literacy PrimerTen resources Christians need for understanding today's world. (April 28, 1997)

Recent Charles Colson columns for Christianity Today include:

Post-Truth SocietyThe recent trend of lying is no accident. (March 4, 2002)

Drawing the Battle LinesWe need to be informed and discerning about the Islamic worldview. (Jan. 9, 2002)

Wake-up CallIf September 11 was a divine warning, it's God's people who are being warned. (Nov. 5, 2001)

The New TyrannyBiotechnology threatens to turn humanity into raw material. (Oct. 5, 2001)

Merchants of CoolWe should be angry that the media hawks violence and that parents allow it. (June 6, 2001)

Slouching into SlothThe XFL is but the latest sign of the coarsening of our culture. (Apr. 17, 2001)

Checks and (out of) BalanceMoral truth is in jeopardy when the courts enter the business of making law. (Feb. 27, 2001)

Pander PoliticsPoll-driven elections turn voters into self-seeking consumers.(Jan. 3, 2001)

Neighborhood OutpostChanging a culture takes more than politics. (Nov.8, 2000)

MAD No MoreIn this post-Cold War era, it's time to rethink our nation's defensive strategy. (Sept. 27, 2000)

Salad-Bar ChristianityToo many believers pick and choose their own truths. (Aug. 8, 2000)

A Healthy 'Cult'A lively response by one unusual audience shows how God's power transforms culture. (June 12, 2000)

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April 22 2002, Vol. 46, No. 5