Richard Rorty Comments on the Virtues of Liberal Protestant Theology

Below are some quotes from an interview that Modern Reformation magazine conducted with the postmodern philosopher, Richard Rorty. I am personally not a regular reader of Modern Reformation, but I felt this was important to highlight:

"MR: You've made some intriguing comments about Christian theologians and churches selling out robust versions of Christianity in exchange for cultural clout. Do you find, as an outsider looking in, that this contributes ironically to its irrelevance?

RR: No, I'm delighted that liberal theologians do their best to do what Pio Nono said shouldn't be done -- try to accommodate Christianity to modern science, modern culture, and democratic society. If I were a fundamentalist Christian, I'd be appalled by the wishy-washiness of their version of the Christian faith. But since I am a non-believer who is frightened of the barbarity of many fundamentalist Christians (e.g., their homophobia), I welcome theological liberalism. Maybe liberal theologians will eventually produce a version of Christianity so wishy-washy that nobody will be interested in being a Christian any more. If so, something will have been lost, but probably more will have been gained."

So, I ask, despite the chagrin of many at the site of yet another discussion highlighting the ills of postmodernism, is critical theological engagement in the church worth it even if we have to cast judgment upon one another?

More importantly, how do we have these types of discussions without refusing to hear what the other has to say?

Can productive discussion occur between different factions in the church?

I know these are difficult questions, but I think we need to consider them carefully.

http://postmodern_theology.blogspot.com/2003_08_01_postmodern_theology_archive.html