| Subject | Modernism | Postmodernism | Biblical (theism) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human Nature | Humans are, purely material machines. We live in a purely physical world. By nature, man is good. | Can't really address whether man is good or evil by nature, since those are arbitrary and relative terms.. | Humans are the only beings on earth created in the image of God. They are spiritual and material. Man's nature, since the Fall, has the propensity towards sin and evil. |
| Free Will (autonomy) | Humans are self-governing and free to choose their own direction | People are the product of their culture and only imagine they are self-governing. | Human free will has been drastically diminished by a moral fall from grace, but they are still responsible for the use of their remaining free will. . |
| View of Reason | People should be "rationalistic optimists." They should depend only on the data of their senses and reason. | There is no such thing as objective rationality (i.e., reason unaffected by bias) in the sense modernists use the term. Rationalism is a myth. | Reason is necessary but not sufficient for understanding reality. Reason can disclose truth about reality, but faith and revelation are needed in addition. |
| God and Religion | Belief in God, having no objective support is to be rejected. Or, at the least, excluded from scientific, political, and educational mediums. | Since it is impossible to call any belief right or wrong, they are all equally valid. Myths of ancient Egypt are just as valid as biblical "myths". | God has revealed Himself in history, and we are obligated to respond. Religions that contradict God's revelation are false. |
| View of Progress | Humankind is progressing by using science and reason. | "Progress" is a code word used by modernists |