Abstract

James A.K. Smith has argued that postmodernism and religious belief can have a positive relationship. I argue against his views in this paper. I begin with a brief overview of what I take postmodernists to be saying, before examining Jean-Francois Lyotard's views on language-games, legitimation, and universal reason, concepts to which he appeals to support his claim that we should have incredulity toward metanarratives. I next look at how Smith appeals to Lyotard's ideas to argue that the biblical metanarrative escapes the postmodernist critique. I argue that Smith fails to show how religion would escape the postmodernist critique, because he fails to provide an analysis of what "religious faith" means. I illustrate that on any of the standard meanings of this phrase, his argument faces serious objections. I show that the epistemological and moral relativism of postmodernism means that not only is the postmodernist critique itself problematic, but it is not possible for religious belief to welcome this critique and retain its integrity, especially in the political realm.