Metamodern Christianity | 3. Metamodern Christianity is Transhistorical

Metamodern Spirituality - A podcast by Brendan Graham Dempsey

To get beyond the enduring impasse of the "science vs. religion" debate, let's give science its due—and then leave it in the dust! There's no need to affirm the historical basis of the Christian story to relate to the Christ of faith. If we can accept that the Gospels are prehistorical materials, we can get beyond the classic hangups and begin to see how "it's all made up" AND "it's all real!" are both true simultaneously. Here I frame the current debates around history and religion in light of the "pre/trans fallacy" so well described by integral theory. This framing, I think, helps position us to appreciate what a truly metamodern Christianity can look like. By accepting the historical Jesus account, we are freed to embrace the Christ of faith and tradition—not in spite of the facts, but because we have transcended them.


0:00 Introduction

2:01 Moving Beyond History

4:20 The Pre/Trans Fallacy

8:31 "Trans-" Demonstrates Capacity and Transformation

13:56 The Gospels and the History of History

21:05 Christianity and the Fallacy of Origins

24:38 Transcending the Claims History Makes on Us

39:11 Cultural Metamodernism and the Transhistorical

46:41 Owning Deconstruction without Equivocation

54:41 The Growth Edge of Christianity

56:31 Conclusion

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