What is Purple like Polka?
Purple like Polka is a satire written by J. Matthan Brown which criticizes the popular “Christian” book Blue like Jazz and the Emergent Church. It has been circulated for use by college ministers and pastors as a resource to spur conversation and critical thinking about the EC and postmodernism. Purple like Polka also inspired the creation and naming of this blog. To read Purple like Polka click here.
Who is responsible for this blog?
This blog was created by J. Matthan Brown, Joel Borofsky, and Rollyvic Tira. For more information about these despised individuals please click here.
Is the use of satire wrong for a Christian?
Satire, when used correctly, can be a powerful tool. It is often difficult to spur people to think critically about a popular movement or belief; especially when the movement embraces postmodernism. Using satire to point out the flaws and absurdities of ideas and behaviors can be very positive and even educational. However, the Christian must be careful not to debase or devalue people while satirizing their ideas. There is nothing inherently wrong or sinful in satire but like anything it can be used for evil.
What is Postmodernism?
Postmodernism is a philosophical worldview and a cultural movement. While it’s hard to put forth a single all-encompassing definition of postmodernism, one can highlight some its distinguishing marks. (1) Postmodernism rejects the idea of absolute truth. According to postmodernism, truth is generated by the community and is completely subjective to the observer. Hence, postmodernism leads to religious pluralism and inclusivity. No one point of view is truer or holds any greater value than anyone else’s. (2) Postmodernism rejects the idea of dichotomous thinking. In other words, it rejects distinctions such as good/evil, right/wrong, true/false, etc. In consequence, postmodern ethics entail a form of moral relativism in which there is really no such thing as right or wrong; only social, cultural, ethnical, mores exist; meaning and value come from the individual or the community. (3) Postmodernism is existential; that is, it places great emphasis on subjective experience and emotion.
What is Deconstruction?
Deconstruction is the critical evaluation of a text or event by looking at its internal workings, cultural surroundings, bias of the author, author’s intent, and reader’s reaction to the text. This translates into someone acknowledging the bias of the author, the interpreter (when the text has been interpreted), and the reader’s own bias. This means that the text is always fractured, always inconsistent, always contradictory, and the job of the reader is to accept these errors.
The fiercest of spiritual battles is engaged in the mind and in the heart of man. The challenges to our Christian faith are very subtle by the entertainment industry – the movie industry, music industry, television, print media, philosophy, and false religion. Being a cultured, educated group of people, being a civilized society, the fiercest of spiritual battle is engaged in the mind and the heart, this is where the battle is being waged. Let us immunize ourselves with the truth of God’s Word. May God help us to understand the issues involved in this. This is modern-day cybernetic spiritual battle that we need to engage in. (Ephesians 6:10-18) Thank you so much for your articles. Keep it up!
Great work, and keep it up! “Purple like Polka” serves well in cheering up my heart while we’re immersing deeper and deeper into sad times. In Germany, the emergent train is just picking up speed, the church leaders are chasing it and hailing the postmodernist approach to engaging culture, and things are becoming the same now on this side of the Atlantic Ocean, too.