An Introduction to Christian Nihilism
A Spirituality of Light and Shadow
“In space, no one can hear you scream.”
That tagline from the movie Alien captures the existential despair of postmodern life so well.
It echoes horrifically—and yet beautifully—the sense of isolation and emptiness of it all.
The modern, traditional, institutional church may proclaim loudly from its prized pulpit that "God is undeniably in control of everything, and God is in every moment (no matter how bad) making sure that tomorrow will be better."
Let the modernist-minded congregants respond with a loud, "Amen!"
And, let those who grew up in postmodern culture respond in their own way, too.
"Bullshit!"
Now, you can listen to the article if you prefer. Enjoy!
The postmodern condition
That preaching doesn't reflect the lived experience of postmoderns.
It doesn’t reflect their lived experience growing up in a time when World War III loomed just around the corner.
It doesn't reflect their lived experience as latchkey children.
It doesn't reflect their lived experience of promise after promise for a better tomorrow being consistently broken.
Generation X is the first generation to truly be a postmodern generation, and our worldview is very different from the modern one.
Unlike those with a modern worldview, we choose the red pill.
If the modern world is one of enlightenment, the postmodern world is one of shadow.
If the modern hero is the great builder who constructs a better future, the postmodern hero is the nihilist who pulls back the curtain and reveals that the modern construct is a self-enriching, power-grabbing lie.
Enter the sadness, the ennui, the despair.
Enter the deep, deep darkness.
It is this darkness in which the postmodern native—the nihilist—lives, and moves, and has their being.
Today's nihilist
Nihilism has meant many things over the last couple of centuries. Today, it primarily refers to the sense of existential meaninglessness of it all.
The nihilist looks at those who claim to see absolute Truth and laughs. If ever there were such a thing, our perceptions of it are so warped that it has no bearing on our lives, and (for all intents and purposes) it is effectively non-existent.
The nihilist does not feel threatened by the idea that there is no absolute Truth out there. Quite the contrary, they embrace it as they proclaim, “All truth is relative”.
The nihilist looks at the universe and sees it isn’t going toward any inherent Great and Glorious End. The myth of progress is a scam not worth buying into.
Absolute Truth (with a capital "T") and inherent Meaning (with a capital "M") are dead.
The nihilist does not mourn the demise of ultimate Truth and Meaning. The nihilist dances on their graves.
Absolute Truth was a lie created by others in power to shackle us and prevent us from being free. It chained us to their agenda. It kept us from reaching our full creative potential.
With the demise of ultimate Truth & Meaning came liberation.
We are now free to create our own truth to live by, to become who we want to become, and (for better or worse) to forge our own futures.
I am a nihilist
This nihilism is part of my personal higher-level narrative. In other words, when I step out of myself and reflect upon my own reflections, this is what I see.
Even if, by chance, there is somehow an ultimate Meaning to it all, that is something I will never, ever be able to know for sure.
One thing I do know for sure is this…
Having deconstructed and emptied myself of the old, it's time to exercise my newfound freedom and reconstruct and refill with something new…
Something of my choosing…
A personal story that I can live by.
Postmodern culture is experiencing a meaning crisis.
Why have we lost sight of Meaning?
Is there any hope of getting it back?
Better yet, is the loss of Meaning really a bad thing?
If you long for a path forward, Drinking from an Empty Glass: Living Out of a Meaningless Spirituality is the book you’re looking for.
I am also a Christian
I realize that what I'm about to say may sound contrary to what I just said. But it isn't. Nihilism says there is no Grand Narrative, no absolute Truth, no Meaning inherent in it all.
What I'm about to talk about is my personal narrative. I recognize that it is my perspective, my interpretation of my experience. It may or may not reflect ultimate reality. And I accept, as I have said before, it could all be a delusion.
That being said…
I am a Christian.
I believe that the story of Jesus reveals to us the heart of God.
Through the stories of Jesus' ministry and crucifixion, I discover that God is Love. And, not just any kind of love but an other-centered, justice-oriented, and self-giving Love.
In seminary, I learned about the Missio Dei, or the "Mission of God". This is a term used to describe what God is doing in the world.
While the world may not be inherently moving toward becoming a better place, I can choose to participate in the Divine Spirit of life-giving love and work toward making the world a better place. When I do this, I am choosing to participate in the Mission of God.
The invitation to participate in this Divine Mission (as I prefer to call it) is not contingent upon location, genetic makeup, or social status. It is not even contingent upon religious affiliation. (So, no, it's not just for Christians.) Anyone and everyone is invited to participate as I do, only in their own way.
Indeed, we all become agents of this Divine Mission when we follow in Jesus' way and…
Speak for those who have been silenced
Embrace those who have been rejected
Protect victims of violence and abuse
Bring hope to those who live in despair
Feed the hungry
Heal the broken
The call to participate in the Divine Mission is the core of my Christian story.
My personal Christian story is certainly a story worth living for me. It fuels me with purpose and empowers me to live a meaningful life.
My hope is that my participation in this personal story will somehow truly make this world a better place to live in.
Yes, I hope to have an effect on the lives of others in a way that liberates them, invigorates them, and empowers them to become the very best possible version of themselves.
Nihilist + Christian
“Meaningless! Meaningless!”
says the Teacher.
“Utterly meaningless!
Everything is meaningless.” (Eccl. 1.2; NIV)
That is quite possibly my absolute favorite passage in the Bible. It gives voice to the nihilistic spirit of our age. And, it does so within the framework of my Christian spirituality.
Bringing together the narrative of the nihilist and the narrative of the Christian opens up new possibilities for me.
My nihilistic narrative says there is no ultimate Meaning in life. And if there is, there's no way I can know it, so it doesn't matter.
This recognition prevents me from claiming unique access to ultimate Truth. It prevents me from using my “ultimate Truth” as a weapon to bend others to my will. It reminds me of a theological truth: If there is an ultimate Truth out there, only God has access to it, and it is not meant for mortals. To try to acquire it and wield it would be the same as trying to become God.
In other words, my nihilism prevents me from attempting to usurp the very throne of God.
After all, all truths are relative and have fallen short of the glory of (non-existent) ultimate Truth.
So, when I talk about my Christian story, I talk about it as my personal truth. However, because it is my story of ultimacy, it functions in my life as if it were an absolute Truth., even though it is still a relative truth.
My story of ultimacy is all about Divine Love. I believe very strongly that dwelling in Divine Love, witnessing to Divine Love, and inviting others to share in Divine Love is the greatest calling possible for me.
Now, keep in mind that this is my story. It gives my life meaning and purpose. It fuels me as I strive to embrace what I call my "Destiny" and become my ideal self.
It does not have to be your story or anyone else's story. You and everyone else are encouraged to find your own story of ultimacy to live by. But if, by chance, my story helps you as you create your own story of ultimacy, I would feel incredibly honored.
The power of having a personal sense of ultimacy
While everything may indeed be meaningless, I have a powerful sense off meaning.
While there may be no absolute Truth by which to measure right and wrong, I have a strong sense of personal truth that guides me.
While the universe may not be inherently going toward some Glorious End, I have a sense of direction in my life that orients me and keeps me from getting lost.
My Christian Nihilism offers me a relative-absolute that empowers me to live vitally every single day of my life.
In my next article, I'm going to take some time and talk about how my Christian-Nihilist spirituality frames everything I do in my primary business. (And if you don’t already know what that is, you’ll find out next week.)
Peace, Bo
www.evolvingchristianfaith.net
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There’s a lot of good stuff here. I guess for me, denying that Gd is some sort of absolute truth or meaning doesn’t require nihilism, just a different view of Gd.
I love what you say about a spirituality that’s helpful to humanity; I’m often guilty of taking my spiritual warm fuzzies and running off home with them, instead of doing another human some good.
Thank you, Bo! I find this essay fascinating. I would also consider myself a postmodernist, but in more of the critical realist strain--there is a truth that we can approach asymptotically, through unending dialectic, garnering truths perspectivally along the way. This, I believe, is how God experiences us, all of us, compassionately and dynamically. So I accept your Feuerbachian epistemological position, but I take it in a progressive direction--as perhaps you do as well, in practice. And we both base our resulting (unstable) position in agape, which makes us theological kindred in the end. Godspeed you and your work.