Rex.Espiritu.net - a blog vox

I recently had a brief e-mail exchange with a brother in Christ with whom I have been friends in our adult lives as husbands and fathers for over sixteen (16) years. As Christians, both he and I have come from more conservative, evangelical, reformed backgrounds. Somewhere within the somewhat lengthy reply/ies in our conversation(s) over e-mail, the discussion touched upon the notion on my part of “everyone being on a journey…” and how [it is that] God would have us treat others [pastorally and graciously] as led by the Spirit of the Lord according to God’s Word.

After our last communication, I read the following quote attributed to German theologian Karl Barth in his seminal work(s) of Church Dogmatics which provides food for thought along a similar, if you will, eschatological vein–that is, in referring to the sense of “the now, and the not yet”, all of us are at the same time throughout our lives lived for God’s glory both 1) not yet now what we will be; and yet, also in a sense 2) now already what we are to become. Barth speaks to this in terms of referring to those who are called and as yet “uncalled“, and uses this line of thinking to lead us to consider “an openness towards others”.

April 26 — “… our calling to be Christians, as plainly shown in the New Testament in the figure of Peter, must take place again and again. No man who is called does not also have to see and understand himself as one who has still to be called and therefore as one who stands alongside and in solidarity with the uncalled. Is it not inevitable, then, that our self-understanding as Christians should constrain us on this side, together with our knowledge of the existence of Jesus Christ in its universal significance, to an openness towards others in which we reckon with the fact that they are what we ourselves still are even as Christians, namely, those who are not called but are still to be called?” — Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics IV,3,2 page 494

One might also relate this to [the ecclesiology in] Calvin’s writing(s) on the visible and the invisible church–that the practical application of our theological idea(s) of, in more contemporary terms, “who is in[side], and who is out[side]” of the church, the “called out ones” (EKKLESIA), could prove at times to be somewhat problematic. This is where one might begin to find one’s self approaching [if not already over] the edge of what critics of Barth’s theology regard to be [among/in concert with] universalist ideologies.

reformata, et semper reformanda
At this point in my own journey of faith and formulating/developing/reforming theology of/on ecclesiology, the bottom line for me here is praxis–the practicing of my faith. (As James tells us, faith without works is dead.) The practical outworking of my biblical understanding in how I perceive, or maybe more accurately, how I choose to perceive of others becomes paramount. In order to work out [the process of] my [own] salvation with fear and trembling, I might believe the Lord my God to be more concerned in the end about the practice of how I loved and continue to love others, how I believed in and continue to believe for the best in others, and how I prayed and continue to pray for the calling of others who are now and/or yet to be called in Christ. As the apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13, it matters more how and that we have love(d) well in, through, and for our Lord God Who is love (1 John). Paul prefaces his treatise on love with these words: “And now I will show you the most excellent way….” (1 Corinthians 12:31)

2 Corinthians 5:16 (NIV) So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 

As the praise songs go: “JESUS, You’re the Center of my joy…” ”Jesus, Be the Centre…”  How many times have I sung these lyrics in varied settings for several Christian services of worship at various venues….    I’m unable to recall exactly. 

What does it mean to have Christ be the center of one’s life?  How would I articulate such depth of meaning for Christ being the center of my very being?  How shall we then live with Christ as the center of our living together in Christ-centered community?  In what way does this affect my pastoral ministry and particularly our parenting of our own children as we are thrust into the calling and responsibility of raising them through their teenage years? 

The Navigators’ scripture verse memorization system from the Growing in Christ (Colossians 2:7) discipleship training series with topical references helps me remember a related Bible verse I committed to memory years ago: 

CHRIST THE CENTER

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God Who loved me and gave Himself for me.  –Galatians 2:20 (NIV)

The above wonderings ensued through reflection upon the following: 

February 25 — “It turns out when you look at the structure of teenagers’ lives, and their schedules, religion fits in a very small piece of all that.  It’s actually amazing to me that religion has any effect in teenagers’ lives.  Part of the structure, too, is that what really matters to teenagers is their socially significant relationships.  If teenagers have socially significant relationships that cross at church, that cross with other families of believers, then that helps out a lot.  But many teenagers have their socially significant relationships almost exclusively through school; even if they have friends at church, the youth group is a satellite out there on the fringe of their life, rather than at the center.” — Christian Smith, in “What American Teenagers Believe: A Conversation with Christian Smith, Interview by Michael Cromartie” 

http://www.pcusa.org/pastorselders/dailyquote.htm#february5

Pastoral Perspective — On New Beginnings: a Fresh Start, a Filling Passion

As I have been meditating and reflecting upon the lectionary passages for this sermon series toward the end of these summer months (2007), I have also at the same time been enjoying my own renewed personal daily devotions.  This has been particularly so for me while becoming reacquainted with the classic devotional work of Oswald Chambers’ My Utmost for His Highest.  During one of my morning readings, a startling question resonated anew with my current experience:  Are you fresh for everything?  Oswald Chambers continues “Do we feel fresh this very moment or are we stale…?  Freshness is not the result of [our] obedience; it comes from the Holy Spirit.” 

Among the attributes of God for which I have recent renewed appreciation is the Lord’s steadfast, ever enduring, never failing loving-kindness.  The Hebrew word, HESED encompasses a larger sense of meaning regarding this quality which God alone has toward God’s people.  Through thick and thin, come what may, no matter what situations we may encounter, regardless of whatever circumstances we might find ourselves in, as the Word of God tells us, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  He will never leave us nor forsake us.  That is One Truth that would indeed continually set us forever free.  In the final analysis, as children of the Lord we can stand firm and rest assured of God’s faithfulness to us in the sure promise and hope that does not disappoint—that Emmanuel, the Spirit of Christ Jesus our Lord God is ever with us.  And not only is God with us, but God is for us.  We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love God, who have been called according to God’s purpose.  And if God is for us, the apostle Paul wrote, who can be against us? 

In and through our journey of life, we will have trials and difficulties for sure.  But we are empowered by the very Holy Spirit of God to forge ahead over any obstacles, press on forward in faith through trying times and rise above anything that would seek to hinder us in our prayers.  No weapon formed against us shall prosper.  Nothing will thwart or deter God’s higher purpose(s) for us as God’s own people in this world. 

As Jesus said, in this world we will have trouble.  But take heart, our Lord says to us, for He has overcome the world.  He Who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.  God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble.  In time of need, we can come boldly before the throne of grace, knowing God hears and answers our prayers.  With the compassion of the Christ on the cross, the Lord is gracious to give us renewed opportunities to begin again.  His mercies are new every morning, providing us with another chance for a fresh start, and imparting unto us a filling passion for Him and His powerful presence in our lives.  He wants over and over again for us to fix our eyes on Him, the author and completer of our faith.  As Moses told the people of
Israel to gaze upon the serpent on the pole, we will find healing and salvation in looking to Jesus alone.  Peter could only keep above the water, walking toward the Lord, when he kept his eyes on Him. 

 Again, Oswald Chambers writes: “Being born again from above is an enduring, perpetual, and eternal beginning.  It provides a freshness all the time in thinking, talking, and living— a continual surprise of the life of God.  …Being born of the Spirit means much more than we usually think.  It gives us new vision and keeps us absolutely fresh for everything through the never-ending supply of the life of God.”   

Are you drawing your life from any source other than God Himself?  If you are depending on something else as your source of freshness and strength, you will not realize when His power is gone.[1]   

Words from a song of praise based on Asaph’s Psalm, comes to mind…  Whom have I in heaven, but You, O Lord?  There is nothing on earth I desire besides You.  My heart and my flesh, many times they fail.  But there is One Truth that always will prevail.  God is the strength of my heart.  God is the strength of my heart.  God is the strength of my heart, and my portion forever and ever.[2]    May this be so for each and every one of us in the Lord God Who is ever with us and for us.   In the Spirit of Christ, Pastor Rex

[1] http://www.rbc.org/utmost/index.php?day=20&month=01

[2] Words and Music by Eugene Greco © 1989 Integrity’s Hosanna! Music

Pastoral Perspective — On Watching, Waiting, Ready to be Surprised…   

Our feet are standing within your gate…     Psalm 122:2

The one bureaucratic constant in our world involves the universal activity of waiting.  I’ve often thought about how so many people flock to Disney World for their holiday vacations only to spend hours upon hours waiting in line after line after line, listening to the same old song that never ends of “It’s a small world after all, it’s a small world after all, it’s a small world after all…. It’s a small, small, world.” 

Have you ever thought why in the world do we wait?  We wait in line at the grocery, department stores, airports, the bank, the motor vehicle or social security office, the hair stylist, and many other places we may frequently find ourselves in.  In a culture that promotes instant gratification, those who are in Christ are challenged with having to exercise the fruit of the Spirit that is patience while witnessing various ways of waiting.  As one might pray, “Lord, I need patience, and I need it right now!” 

I recently read that throughout their lifetime the average American will spend some astronomical number of hours waiting: waiting in line, waiting at stop lights, in traffic, waiting in the so aptly named “waiting room.”  It’s the same old story each year as Advent begins and we head towards Christmastime.  You stand in line to buy that perfect gift for a friend or relative.  You sit at stop lights anxiously fidgeting to get home while the days get shorter.  You slouch on the couch or chair in the waiting room at the doctor’s office with bronchitis or some other respiratory affliction yet again this year.  You sit staring at the screen for the great www.World_Wide_Wait.com 

As I reminisce on past seasons of Advent, I think, “Where did they go?”  My how December seems to just fly by us in the busyness of the season…  As Kelly Rand reflects in her daily devotion for Advent, “The time between lighting the candle of hope on the first Sunday of Advent and singing ‘Silent Night’ on Christmas Eve has been spent waiting, but not for God.”  She continues writing:   

In this busy season, it is so difficult to think of waiting as anything more than a waste of time and preparing as anything more than energy spent, yet it is in this season that the calendar of our faith calls us to rethink the meaning of the word “waiting.” 

Our journey through Advent does not allow us to stand idly, arms crossed, toes tapping impatiently.  Rather, it calls us into meditation and preparation to receive Christ into our lives and into this world once again.  For me, this Advent presents an opportunity to tear the pages out of my “same old story,” and begin anew.  Maybe I will turn off the radio in my car more often and listen to the silence instead.  Maybe I will seek to simplify my Christmas purchasing by being more mindful of those not given the luxury of a lavish holiday.  Above all else, though, I hope to pursue this Advent as a season of the church.[1] 

 As a fellow pastor, seminary colleague, and dear brother in Christ, K.O. Noonoo puts it another way:   

We all wait.  Some of us are waiting for a phone call from a long lost relative.  Others are waiting for that perfect person to come along; that soul mate with whom you would share your life.  Perhaps, you are waiting for a child who has strayed from everything you taught him or her.  You are waiting for a knock at your door. 

We wait in anticipation for the in-breaking of the glory of God into our present reality.  We wait on our tiptoes, watching for glimpses of God’s eventual rule over all creation in our present situations. 

Are you waiting with expectancy?  The in-breaking of God’s glory may be as glorious as the birth of a child.  It may be as quiet as the resolution of a conflict between friends, or the restoration of peace and tranquility where there is strife.  It may be the healing of the sick or a renewed sense of hope and comfort among those who grieve.  It may be a smile in the face of a child or a loving rebuke from a trustworthy friend. 

Are you watching for the in-breaking of God’s glory?  Are you ready to be surprised? 

Teach us to wait in new ways this Advent season.  Prepare us to receive Your grace and respond with love and grace.           

In Christ,

Pastor Rex

[1] http://www.episcopalchurch.org/documents/2007_Advent_Guide.pdf

[1] http://www.episcopalchurch.org/documents/2007_Advent_Guide.pdf

Rev. Rex Espiritu

Pastoral Perspective — On Transformation and Peace in the Midst of Rapid Discontinuity  (–August 2007)

Lately, I’ve been thinking about the notion(s) of change and the nature of transitions in the journey of life and faith.  As I grow older in experiencing the beginnings of the adult years of the so-called mid-life, now along with the need for regulated prescription medicines, I seem to be finding a certain contention and connection between two distinct desires within me. 

Two yearnings of my own human spirit are appearing to surface in the distance above the sea’s waves.  Vying for my attention like a hydra emerging out of a swirling whirlpool with its tentacles reaching up from the depths of a vast ocean as my vessel of transport traverses the torrent and navigates through the nautical event horizon of a massive gravitational black hole’s abyss where and when there is no escape…. 

Okay, so maybe it’s not quite as graphic as all that, but it sometimes feels like that at times and moments such as this like today when my wife and I are celebrating our twentieth (20^th) wedding anniversary.  Where did the time go?  Where have we gone on in our lives lived out attempting to be faithful to ourselves, to each other, and to one another intimately in and ultimately to the One Who has held us together through thick and thin? 

Last week, our family attended an annual extended family reunion of the Espiritu-Velasco clan as one cousin’s spouse sang accompanied with full chorus and orchestra at the new Millennium Park in downtown Chicago.  We blessed another cousin’s congregation at New Hope Church in Alsip as we remembered and honored together our ancestors in faith through the generations in a service of praise and worship with choral and instrumental ensembles.  This week and next we are spending a working vacation out of state in the town where my wife Melissa spent her childhood years growing up in an inner-city neighborhood.  We are helping her parents move out of the house they have called home for nearly half a century and transition into assisted living in these latter years of their lives. 

Two decades of our own married life, and six children later, there has been over all those years as the saying goes, a lot of water gone under the bridge as it were.  Much has changed, and yet as recently as yesterday, some things appear not to have changed all that much since we began.  The same issues may surface over time and again as lifelong journeys exhibit our continual need for God’s grace and mercy. 

At this juncture, two things I find myself grasping for are a need for continuing personal renewal and transformation, enjoined with a heartfelt wish for the nostalgic simplicity of the way things used to be.  Do I really want a new iPod or an amazing iPhone to “complete” or “perfect” my life further, or wouldn’t it be nicer to just be on an island paradise where the only blackberry was a naturally occurring fruit indigenous to the native habitat?  I want the freshness of new life and a sense of adventure while at the same time coupled with a youthful experience of uncomplicated sameness in the way we once were.  Can this be possible?  Are we able to achieve this sort of coincident collusion of calm un-complication and circumstantial contingency in our life together of faith in Christ? 

As you might guess at this point in my essay, I am appropriating the conversation in dialogue regarding my own life’s journey and beginning to apply it in analogy with the journey of our congregation.  I am continually discerning in prayer our journey of faith together as one in which there is a deep desire and dire need for change to be effected in our joint transformation for the sake of the gospel reaching out to others in Christ, and also a yearning for the simply peaceful calm of gracious practice grounded in tradition from the rich heritage we have as a people and family of faith. 

Can we do it?  Are we able to accomplish great and wonderfully new things for the advancement of God’s kingdom and the cause of Christ while at the same time celebrate together the goodness of the Lord’s enduring loving kindness among us through generations before us?  Can we welcome in the new while continuing to treasure the old?  I saw, heard, experienced, and witnessed this very thing at a joint morning of worship led by the youth praise band at Summerfest at which the old hymns were sung together with fresh and new vitality among young and old alike.  I believe and know we can do all things through Christ Who gives us strength. 

For the Spirit of God’s exciting and renewing missional ministry through and among us in the One Who is the same yesterday, today, and forever—with you, I continue

In Christ’s Service,

                                 Pastor Rex

The following rewritten piece was submitted for publication in this past weekend’s edition of the local newspaper. The Courier-Times Saturday, June 30, 2007 issue under their “Faith“ column in the “Neighbors” section published it as part of their ongoing invitation to the Henry County Ministerial Association in New Castle, Indiana to provide Christian Perspectives for the community at large.

Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God commanded you,
so that your days may be long and that it may go well with you
in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
�Deuteronomy 5:16

This verse from the Decalogue in Scripture has undoubtedly been referred to in children’s meditations on Mothers’ and Fathers’ Days through the months of May and June. It is the first among the second section of the Ten Commandments that deal with our relationships with one another as human beings in the family of God. As I have reflected on this in the past, I thought it appropriate to remember once again as we celebrate and continue enjoying our freedom on the national holiday of Independence Day for this upcoming Fourth of July.

As we would remember those from among our own who are serving abroad in places of war and conflict today in the service of their country, I am reminded once again of the second world war that came not long after “the war [that was] to end all wars� in which my father and grandfathers fought in the Asian-Pacific theater. After living and driving for now almost two and a half years on Indiana State Road 38 which is also named the Bataan Memorial Highway, it is fitting for me to continue to remember the legacy of God’s blessing through generations before me. This is also particularly so as our town recently observed Memorial Day weekend at the end of last month when our nation set aside a day in memory of those who have served to defend others for the cause of freedom. As such, it is good for us to be continually reminded of the priceless cost of the liberty we enjoy in such a nation under God’s sovereign grace.

My Dad, Mariano G. Espiritu, who survived the Bataan Death March, is honored to have served during World War II under U.S. General Jonathan Wainwright, who commanded American and Filipino forces in the last days of Corregidor and Bataan in 1942. I am planning soon to visit the WWII Memorial in our nation’s capital where my father’s name is one of many honorably listed for their service among what Tom Brokaw of NBC News wrote of and referred to as the greatest generation.

Over 65 years ago, General Wainright took over the desperate defense of the Philippines in March 1942 after General Douglas MacArthur’s departure. Many Filipinos and Americans likely recall General MacArthur saying, “I shall return,â€? as he was leaving the islands of the Philippines for Australia. Despite General Wainwright’s efforts in evacuating as many troops as possible to Corregidor, a small but heavily fortified island in Manila Bay, 12,000 American and 63,000 Filipino troops were trapped at Bataan on the island of Luzon. Lacking food, supplies, and support, Corregidor’s 15,000 American and Filipino defenders kept up a stubborn resistance against massive assaults by Japan’s combined armed forces.

Finally, on May 6, General Wainwright surrendered his exhausted and starving forces. Most of the Americans and Filipinos captured by the Japanese perished because of maltreatment.<!–[if !supportFootnotes]–>[1]<!–[endif]–> My grandfather who served in the resistance against the Japanese invasion suffered torture and death as a prisoner of war. To this day, I am told of stories in which my grandmother received thanks from former guerilla soldiers in gratitude for my grandfather having concealed the names of those under his command. Their lives had been spared because of my grandfather’s sacrifice.

By God’s grace, my father was saved when a mother and her children were feigning grieving over his body under water in a ditch by the roadside where the Japanese soldiers’ bullets missed him as he was left for dead, breathing through a bamboo shoot. Were it not for the sovereign hand of Almighty God upon my father’s life, I would never have even been born and as such, I would not be able to be here serving as a pastor in New Castle, Indiana today.

As we observe the holiday celebrating our nation’s independence this week, I pray along with others in our community together for those who are serving us today while also remembering with thanksgiving and gratitude others before them who have served and sacrificed much for the preservation of the priceless gift we have to be able to worship the Lord freely in this land that we have been given, that our days may be long and that it may go well with us in the land that the Lord our God is giving us. May it be so as we celebrate under the One Who truly sets us free indeed.

http://www.historychannel.com/speeches/archive/speech_504.html

At a recent meeting of an ad hoc committee formed for the specific purpose of interviewing a potential candidate for a staff position, one of the members appeared not to participate in the process as much as I had expected or experienced in previous times, at least verbally/orally. Upon speaking with them afterward, I learned that they had felt led to intentionally exercise the discipline of silence in certain venues for a season [of ministry], toward listening well in the course of our deliberations. I thought the following quotes from this month’s Company of Pastors/Order of Elders web site appropo in relation….

May 6 � Violence is a form of excess. But loquacity is a form of excess too, one that risks doing violence to the very experiences it struggles to make sense of. This is why our language must be measured and tempered, rather than used to fill silences, or speak that which the sufferer cannot speak. And this is why we should learn the value of silence, seeing it not as a sign of indifference or resignation, but of respect…silence as a deliberate choice. � Michael Jackson, “The Prose of Suffering and the Practice of Silence,� Spiritus

http://pcusa.org/pastorselders/dailyquote#may6

May 7 � Speech builds the village; silence regenerates the world. � Michael Jackson, “The Prose of Suffering and the Practice of Silence,� Spiritus

http://pcusa.org/pastorselders/dailyquote#may7

May 15 � If our life is poured out in useless words, we will never hear anything in the depths of our hearts, where Christ lives and speaks in silence. We will never be anything, and in the end, when the time comes for us to declare who and what we are, we shall be found speechless at the moment of the crucial decision: for we shall have said everything and exhausted ourselves in speech before we had anything to say. � Thomas Merton, No Man is an Island.

http://pcusa.org/pastorselders/dailyquote#may15

May 21 � Speak only when your words improve the silence. � Quaker saying

http://pcusa.org/pastorselders/dailyquote#may21

The first question and answer of the Westminster Catechism tells us that the primary purpose of humanity is to glorify God and enjoy God forever. With that reminder, I am posting the following link which I came across containing some interesting perspectives regarding the “worship wars” along with highlights listed below….

http://www.ChurchExecutive.com/Page.cfm/PageID/8921

In an article on ChurchExecutive.com entitled, “Reevaluate your purpose to win the worship wars” by Jeff May, a case is made for a single service of praise exemplifying the unity of a congregation in the body of Christ gathered for worship together. Following are pertinent [modified] excerpts of particular points from this thought-provoking piece:

…worship has become a war within the church. This group wants contemporary; that group wants traditional; and the peacekeepers of the church rally for a “blendedâ€? worship style. With all of the options out there, it still seems like no one is completely satisfied with the style of the music, regardless of the efforts to satisfy all musical tastes. …I believe that it is [instead] possible for a church to reach a place of understanding and acceptance where believers can worship together in unity.

• Worship is defined by the heart and not the musical style. It is important to remember that worship is the heart’s response to God and is expressed in many ways. Ultimately, we worship God through the way we live our lives. The corporate worship setting is only one small part of our worship expression. In an imperfect world, sometimes we have to set aside personal preferences and let our passionate love for Christ be the uniting force that fuels our worship, and not our musical preferences. There is absolutely no way to please everyone. But one thing that all believers should have in common is their passionate love for Christ and desire to express that love to Him through corporate worship.

• Fight the urge to compartmentalize styles into service times. It seems like most every church that I drive by has a sign that says “Come to our 8 am traditional service, 9:30 am contemporary service, and our 10:45 am blended service.â€? [The majority of American churches appear to be following this model.] The problem with that is that it creates separate congregations who are not defined by their love for Christ nor a mission of the church. Instead, they are defined by their musical preferences. This is not a picture of the irresistible church that Christ has called us to be; it is divided and fragmented.

• [Worship the Lord as a people united in a missional purpose.] Every year, hundreds of thousands of people gather at Times Square in New York City to celebrate New Year’s Eve. They have one purpose in mind: to have a good time. The people gathered don’t care if Rascal Flats is singing a country song or Mariah Carey is singing a pop hit. They’re going to have a good time regardless of who is singing. If the church is more passionate about musical preferences than it is about reaching the world, then there is something terribly wrong.

• Expose your congregation to a wide range of musical styles. Teach your congregation the value of appreciating all styles of music. Good music is good music, regardless of its style. If the church can capture the spirit of excellence that it had in the earlier centuries of its history, I believe that it will have an even greater voice in the world. Everyone has a musical preference. However, the vast majority of people are willing to listen to other styles of music if it is done well. Exposing them to different styles of music will keep them out of their rut and teach them that there is more than one way to express our worship.
  Because we live in an imperfect world, it won’t be until we are in Heaven that all believers will worship together without regard to musical preferences. At that time, we will be so awestruck by God’s greatness, that we won’t care what the style is. We will just want to worship God for His goodness and awesome nature. Until then, we can do everything in our power to bring believers back to the true heart of worship.

Jeff May is the overseer of the worship and creative arts team at Phoenix First Assembly, Phoenix, AZ. 

The article referenced here is located at http://www.churchexecutive.com/PagePrint.cfm/PageID/8921

I thought of my/our eldest child upon reading ahead on this one among Niebuhr’s theological sayings….

May 17 � Humor is a prelude to faith, and laughter is the beginning of prayer. � Reinhold Niebuhr

http://www.pcusa.org/pastorselders/dailyquote#may17

http://www.pcusa.org/pastorselders/dailyquote#apr8

April 8 � “It is safest to grasp the concept of the postmodern as an attempt to think the present historically in an age that has forgotten how to think historically in the first place.� � Fredric Jameson, Postmodernism, or, The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism.

I’ve been reading this above quote a number of times and I think I’m beginning to understand better…. Looking this up further with a Google search or two to see what I can find to shed further light, here’s one interesting excerpt….

http://www.christianhubert.com/hypertext/postmodernism.html

Is there a postmodern period? (1973 - ?) For Frederic Jameson, postmodernism is “a periodizing hypothesis” at “a moment in which the very conception of historical periodization has come to seem most problematical indeed.” (p.3) “Analyzing postmodernism amounts to writing the history of no history. In an important sense, to write the history of postmodernism is to indulge in an anachronism.” (Hayles, Chaos Bound, p.281)”It is safest to grasp the concept of the postmodern as an attempt to think the present historically in an age that has forgotten how to think historically in the first place.” (Jameson, Postmodernism, introduction) Jameson limits the brief “American Century” to 1945-1973. According to him, the crises of 1973 (the oil crisis, the end of the international gold standard, for all intents and purposes the end of the great wave of “ wars of national liberation” and the beginning of the end of traditional communism) disclosed the existence, already in place, of a strange new landscape….

In Postmodernism, modernism assumes the role previously assigned to tradition, and postmodernism is associated with the present (previously called modernity). Because of the conflation of modernity and tradition, postmodernity can claim either to reject tradition or to renew it, without contradiction. Hardt and Negri question whether postmodern theorists are so intent on combating the remnants of a past form of domination that they fail to recognize the new form that is looming over them in the present. “What if the dominating powers that are the intended object of critique have mutated in such a way as to depotentialize any postmodern challenge?” “In this case, … the postmodernist and postcolonialist strategies that appear to be liberatory would not challenge but in fact coincide with and even unwittingly reinforce the new stategies of rule!” (Empire, p. 138)

Brian Goodwin describes postmodern science where one can excercize one’s judgement in choosing a set of scientific ideas as opposed to another. For him, to argue that a new paradigm will out-compete a previous one, is to engage in “the authoritarian mode of science that characterized modernity.” (How The Leopard Changed Its Spots, p. 34)

From the conceptualized flatness of high modernism to the literal superficiality of postmodernism.
(cf. surface / depth )

text and simulacrum