This essay continues a series on Christianity and Postmodernism.[1] In this essay, I confront traditional Roman Catholic teaching on philosophy with that of a Postmodern philosopher, Richard Rorty. The two main resources are Pope John Paul II’s Encyclical Fides et Ratio and Richard Rorty’s essay, “Solidarity or Objectivity.” Adapting the title of James Huntington’s modern political classic, these two documents are a “clash of civilizations.” This essay’s basic premise is that understanding this clash better is valuable for contemporary Christians.
Christianity and Postmodernism: Richard Rorty and John Paul II’s Fides et Ratio
The Very Rev. Dr. Leander S. Harding 
Dr. Scott says that what is at stake is God’s absolute freedom. This statement is pertinent because Pope Benedict has recently addressed this issue in his Regensberg speech. If I understand Pope Benedict correctly he’s saying that God’s freedom is grounded in truth which is another way of saying that it’s rational. What Benedict was criticizing was a notion of the will of God being untethered from reason. Absolute freedom strikes me as a terrifying notion.
I seriously doubt that Protestants will want to embrace Rorty’s post-modernism as the cost of doing business without a Magisterium.