Five Philosophies

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Five Philosophies

"How to Bring Back Young Adults Who Have Left the Faith", an article by Whitney Hopler, Crosswalk.com Contributing Writer, posted by www.crosswalk.com, Tuesday, May 17, 2011.

Interesting article that classifies people into five philosophies, depending upon how they incorporate faith and ethics:

  • Postmoderns
  • Recoilers
  • Moderns
  • Neopagans
  • Rebels

I'm not completely sure this list is comprehensive, but it is definitely thought-provoking.

I reject manipulative tactics that attempt to sell Christianity to different markets, or put a spin on the Gospel in order to proselytize to different mindsets. This article does not try to do that.

Instead, this article is aimed at trying to help us understand other people, with compassion and humility. I can easily put myself into at least one of these categories, and the descriptions help me see a bit more of life from perspectives that I've not experienced.

Christianity, genuine love and trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, is not a club, not a religion, not a even a lifestyle. It's a radical change in a person's heart accomplished by God's Spirit, working through Scripture, circumstance, and other people.

I've got little interest in trying to sell Christianity, but I do have enormous interest in glorifying God by allowing Him to make my heart and mind humble and wise.

Part of that glory involves understanding where other people might be spiritually. And this article helps to do that.

Read the entire article here...

Here's a quick description of each of the five categories of philosophy mentioned in the article:

Postmoderns think that moral absolutes are dangerous, because those absolute beliefs may be forced on other people.

Recoilers are people who have left Christianity because of the emotional pain they’ve endured and associated with God somehow.

Moderns search for truth through scientific investigation rather than spiritual revelation.

While neo-pagans correctly sense the sacredness of creation, they end up worshipping the creation rather than the Creator that it reflects.

Rebels are people who leave Christianity because they find sinful pursuits more appealing than following the faith’s moral standards.

What do you think? Do you see yourself falling into one or more of these categories? Does the whole idea of generalizing or classifying people offend you? Does this article help you see life from a different perspective?

Image courtesy of Orlando Pinto

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