Premodern, Modern, and Postmodern Redux And Why It Makes a Difference

Abstract

In 1995 the differences between the pre-modern, the modem, and the postmodern were presented through contemporary art. Today, however, these differences have been intensified through a clash of cultural values which has resulted in deadly acts of terrorism and a climate of fear in many circles. These differences came together in the address given by Pope Benedict XVI at the University of Regensberg in September of 2006. There were the pre-modern anti-Islamic views of Manuel II Paleologus one of the last emperors of the Byzantine Empire, the modern view of Pope Benedict XVI based upon post-Enlightenment reasoned discourse, and the strong Islamic postmodern response which both questioned the superiority of the West and made use of the digitalized media. Postmodernity and postmodernism mailer today because of the misunderstandings among Muslims due to their fear of the West, and among western Europeans because of their fear of Islam. Both sides are becoming increasingly intolerant and thus are mirror images of the other. It is obvious that theology is important today if the Christian message of love is to be communicated in this climate of intolerance. Korean theologians, being heirs of the Confucian and Neo-Confucian tradition, are in a unique position to mediate between the Islamic East and the post-Enlightenment West in this age of postmodernity.