What’s in a name?
April 4, 2008 by David
More than once, friends of mine have wondered about the name I chose for this blog: Postmortemism. Yeah, at first glance it might seem…morbid sounding. I felt it was clear enough with the verse from Romans tacked up below it, but perhaps some more explanation might be helpful. Hopefully this makes everything clear.
There are a few factors that led to me choosing this name:
- It is a misnomer. The idea of “postmodernism” is popular in Christian and secular circles right now. “Postmortemism” looks like it, but it’s not it. Essentially, I think postmortemism is opposite postmodernism. Which leads to my second point…
- The idea I had about postmortemism contrasts sharply with postmodernism. Postmodernism seems to be obsessed with relating things to one’s self. “That doesn’t work for me“, “Perhaps that’s your truth, but…”, and “I feel like God is saying…” etc. I don’t like that kind of thinking. Not only do I not like it, it’s just a quick way to rationalize something. Is something automatically true because you’re thinking it, you’re feeling it, or it seems right to you? No. So find a better justification.
- It encapsulates one of the main ways Jesus and Paul characterized the Christian life: dying to the self-centered life in order to know and love Jesus. Thus, the “post-mortemism” exists in regularly avoiding selfishness and living for Jesus instead.
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It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him;
If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us;
If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.
2 Timothy 2:11-13
