Why are Eastern Orthodox and other “high church” denominations seeing a surge in attendance? Why has the growth of atheism and secularism plateaued in the West? Why do some films coming out feel so sincere and nostalgic?

These and many other cultural signs, says Paul Anleitner, point to a new wave of cultural change, something beyond the cynicism of postmodernism: Metamodernism. And this shift has massive consequences for faith, America, and culture moving forward.

Cultural Theology 

Paul Anleitner, like Dr. Jim Denison, is a cultural theologian. At first glance, this is a strange label; what does it mean to be a cultural theologian? Cultural theology is less about engaging in academic debate or biblical scholarship and more about integrating theological insight into contemporary cultural commentary. It’s a shift in focus that, while relying on the biblical, focuses on its application and relevance to the trends of modern society.

Anleitner does this brilliantly in Based on a True Story, and he heavily emphasizes the cultural side of cultural theology. Every chapter is packed with contemporary references, from music to films to trends to popular thinkers, all pointing toward a seismic shift in western culture away from cynicism and toward sincerity—away from postmodern irony toward embracing the cringe!

Based on a True Story is exceptionally readable, with humor, a grounded personal realness, and tear-jerking stories scattered throughout. Because Anleitner relies so heavily on contemporary cultural references, the work is accessible and convincing. He clearly has a pulse on culture, making predictions, for example, of the comeback of the American Rock band Creed (yes, really).

From modernism to postmodernism

Throughout the book, Anleitner emphasizes the core concept of stories, the currency of culture.

Modernist stories, which dominated the 20th century, are about meritocracy and personal transformation. Anleitner writes,

These men [Christopher Columbus, Indiana Jones, Maverick, and Henry Ford] are lauded as heroes within this guiding story because of another essential value of the Modern Story: meritocracy, which is the belief that one’s place in life is not determined by birth, class, or divine decree but by hard work, ingenuity, ambition, and moral character. In a meritocracy, competency is king. (26)

In contrast, Postmodern stories are about “seeing through.” Anleitner primarily unpacks postmodernism on the cultural level rather than the philosophical one. After all, as he writes, no one reads obscure French philosophers for fun (I do, but I digress).

The Matrix, for example, is a postmodern story because it sees through a false presentation of reality. Snyder’s Man of Steel interpretation of Superman is postmodern because Superman is dark, violent, and accidentally kills countless people while he does the superhero thing. It “sees through” the idea of the protector, innocent, small-town, salt-of-the-earth good guy.

And Anleitner rightly points out that this deconstruction can be good. For example, the way the old James Bond movies salaciously objectified women? That needs to be deconstructed—we need to “see through” the ridiculousness of Bond’s chauvinism.

However, we cannot “see through” everything! As C.S. Lewis writes, “You cannot go on ‘seeing through’ things forever. The whole point of seeing through something is to see something through it.” So much cynicism is exhausting and not how humans were meant to live.

Christianity and Metamodernism

We need to find true stories that present something beautiful—a positive vision that doesn’t just deconstruct. Christianity has provided this vision for two thousand years and has stood in stark contrast to postmodernism for that reason. However, the culture is coming back around.

Beyond postmodernism, there are telltale signs of a new “zeitgeist” Metamodernism. I wrote about Metamodernism when James Gunn’s “Superman” came out in 2025:

Superman represents Metamodernism perfectly. Life, justice, and humanity-affirming ideals are pursued and taken at face value by Superman. At the same time, without telling the audience directly, “Superman” acknowledges postmodernism in the background. The film does this by maximizing the modernist sensibilities to the point of ridiculousness (but without being sarcastic).

Anleitner has the same analysis of Superman—as do other perceptive cultural commentators. The new Top Gun movie has high sincerity, clear good guys and bad guys, and a main character who is straightforwardly honest.

Anleitner ties together stories, meaning, life, purpose, real stories, and countless examples to create a readable analysis of modern culture and a clear apologetic for Christianity—but by showing rather than telling or arguing. His analysis is incisive, but generous and humble. I highly recommend this work for people interested in a coming wave of cultural change, away from negativity and toward something positive—our culture might finally be reconstructing.

Are you and your church ready for this change?

Notable Quotes

“There are three pillars that support our sense of meaning in life: coherence, purpose, and significance. If the guiding story we situate our own story within cannot address these core needs, we will feel a nagging absence of meaning.” (17)

“The Modern Story gave us skyscrapers, constitutions, and action heroes. It taught us to chase truth with our minds, success with gritty workout montages, and meaning with our own two hands. But as empowering as that may feel, after centuries of living in that story, many began to sense that something vital was missing. Sure, the Modern Story felt coherent. The rational universe was a closed system of cause and effect. We could master it with tools and technology, but for what end? We learned how to build rockets but forgot how to feel wonder. We no longer lived in a sacred cosmic drama. We lived in a machine.” (33)

“Cringe is the cost of caring out loud. It’s the cost of vulnerability, and vulnerability is the cost of authentic Communion. Our longing for connection, communion, meaning, and hope within a better story is bubbling up all around the culture. We’re not deleting postmodernism entirely, and we aren’t just going back to modernism, but we are realizing that something somewhere has been lost. To rebuild and move forward, we must retrieve the wisdom we discarded.” (92)

“One charitable way of looking at the postmodern shift is to see it as the stress-testing of our traditions and stories, bringing overdue attention to some of the patterns and traditions we were clinging to that weren’t actually leading to life. Think of stories where women were reduced to being objects of James Bond-esque status and sexual desire. Deconstructing those modern stories was appropriate because living in that pattern isn’t a way that leads to life. But this stress-testing eventually went off the rails because the anti-story was ultimately about tearing all the rails down.” (102)

“This is a zeitgeist shift—a ‘spirit of the age’ shift—in the deepest sense of the term. The Spirit beckons us to live in the Story that discloses the very structure of reality itself, echoed in our most profound myths and stories, and even in the cycles of the world we once dubbed as ‘natural’ but now feel are teeming with magic.” (159)

“Celebrate what’s true, good, and beautiful all around you. Be ambitious again. Don’t be the vain kind of ambitious that builds monuments to your own ego. Be the kind of ambitious that looks at an abandoned meth house and says, ‘Now that I can work with!’ Dream of curing diseases. Dream of raising good children. Work hard so you can bless the world even more with your talents and abilities.” (203)

 

 

Denison Forum