Who’s Afraid of

Postmodernism?

Taking Derrida, Lyotard, and Foucault to Church

James K. A. Smith

Grand Rapids, Michigan

©2006 by James K. A. Smith

Published by Baker Academic

a division of Baker Publishing Group

P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287

www.bakeracademic.com

Printed in the United States of America

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Smith, James K. A., 1970–

Who’s afraid of postmodernism?: taking Derrida, Lyotard, and Foucault to church / James K. A. Smith.

p. cm.—(The church and postmodern culture)

Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.

ISBN 10: 0-8010-2918-X (pbk.)

ISBN 978-0-8010-2918-9 (pbk.)

1. Postmodernism—Religious aspects—Christianity. 2. Christianity—Philosophy. 3. Derrida, Jacques. 4. Lyotard, Jean François. 5. Foucault, Michel. I. Title. II. Series.

BR115.P74S66 2006

261.5′1—dc22 2005033865

Scripture quotations are from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

For Coleson,

whose dreams and visions of a fantastic world

encourage me to hope for a re-imagined church

Contents

Series Preface

Preface

1. Is the Devil from Paris? Postmodernism and the Church

2. Nothing outside the Text? Derrida, Deconstruction, and Scripture

3. Where Have All the Metanarratives Gone? Lyotard, Postmodernism, and the Christian Story

4. Power/Knowledge/Discipline: Foucault and the Possibilities of a Postmodern Church

5. Applied Radical Orthodoxy: A Proposal for the Emerging Church

Annotated Bibliography: Further Reading on Postmodernism and Christian Faith

Online Resources

Index

Series Preface

Current discussions in the church—from emergent “postmodern” congregations to mainline “missional” congregations—are increasingly grappling with philosophical and theoretical questions related to postmodernity. In fact, it could be argued that developments in postmodern theory (especially questions of “post-foundationalist” epistemologies) have contributed to the breakdown of former barriers between evangelical, mainline, and Catholic faith communities. Postliberalism—a related “effect” of postmodernism—has engendered a new, confessional ecumenism wherein we find nondenominational evangelical congregations, mainline Protestant churches, and Catholic parishes all wrestling with the challenges of postmodernism and drawing on the culture of postmodernity as an opportunity for rethinking the shape of our churches.

This context presents an exciting opportunity for contemporary philosophy and critical theory to “hit the ground,” so to speak, by allowing high-level work in postmodern theory to serve the church’s practice...