Greetings in the name of our Lord! Once again we are excited
to bring you the newsletter of the Institute for Biblical Apologetics!
As you can see, we have decided to change the format of our newsletter
in efforts to get it out to you in a more timely fashion. While the content
will not be as extensive as our previous newsletters, we are confident
you'll continue to appreciate what we bring to you!
As always we look forward to what ministry o opportunities the Lord
will yet open to us this New Year! Already we may report that I began teaching
Christian Theology on March at San Jose Christian College Excel Degree
Completion Program (Rocklin, CA location) as an Adjunct Faculty member!
We have been praying for opportunities which coincides with our ministry
and so we're grateful this teaching position has come our way!
Our Table talk discussion meetings began this year with the topic of
"Bible Difficulties and Divine Inspiration." We have a number of other
topics which will be covered including homosexuals and the Gay Agenda,
evolution and creationism issues, the Waldorf School Movement & Rudolf
Steiner's anthroposophy, just to name a few!
Our radio program, SearchLight, is off and running again this year wit
a presentation on what Christians truly believe as opposed7 to what skeptics
or cultists often think we believe, and our Community Out reach meetings
have resumed with a series of lectures and discussion on Neopaganism or
modern-day witchcraft.
The Lord willing, in September we hope to host a panel discussion among
the various religious groups in the community which we pray will not only
op en doors to discuss our differences but give us opportunities to present
the Gospel of Christ!
Of course there are numerous other aspects to this ministry which goes
on from day to day which range from answering correspondence and hone calls,
research projects, development of our tape and research library, producing
literature for public consumption, etc., to speaking, writing, and evangelistic
outreach! Needless to say, we are very busy!
We pray that the Lord will continue to enable us to present the true
Gospel and empower us to defend the historic Christian Faith regardless
the advances of cults, new age philosophies and unbelief! We covet your
prayers both for support as well as protection from the enemy! Please let
us know your standing with us this year and may this ministry be a blessing
in your life and witness for Christ!
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Always in the Service of Christ
Dan & Marsha Schlesinger |
In our previous newsletter we presented a brief overview of
the historical roots of post-modernism. In this installment we will
conclude our discussion demonstrating that post-modernism fails both logically
and practically as a viable worldview and then offer a biblical perspective
of what evangelicals mean when we refer to revealed truth.
Problems with Cultural Relativism
A great number of people in our society believe different cultures have
different moral codes and argue that the idea of universal truth in ethics
implies a narrow and judgmental attitude by hose whose hold such views.
Moreover, we live in a world represented by pluralistic beliefs and those
who believe in universal, absolute truth set up false standards of right
and wrong which don't necessarily apply to all cultures. Logically, the
argument generally presented this way: "Different cultures have different
moral codes, therefore, there exists no objective 'truth' in morality."
But moral codes must be determined or grounded upon some kind of independent
standard of right and wrong! Who or by what basis can any culture determine
or qualify what is morally or ethically good standards to live by? While
it may be true that in some cultures believe one thing and people in another
culture believe something quite different, does it logically follow from
the mere fact they disagree, that there is no such thing as objective truth?
Hardly! It could very well e that one culture is mistaken in their moral
guideline! For example, we know that some cultures ~till believe the earth
to be flat while other cultures such as ours (for obvious reasons), believe
the earth to be spherical. Does it logically follow from the mere fact
that they disagree, that there is no object truth" in geography?
It is this writer's opinion that objective truth is not ultimately determined
by one's (or a culture's) particular perspective or worldview, but by divine
revelation. However, that does not mean that truth may not be discovered
by reason, scientific inquiry, or for that matter, through nature (general
revelation or natural theology). Our point here is ultimate truth (special
revelation) or moral truth issues first from a moral Lawgiver (James 4:12)
and is revealed and adjudicated through the power's God Himself has ordained
(Romans 13:1-4). From a biblical point of reference truth is not relative
and to say all truth is a matter of perspective is self-defeating! That
is, the moment one states that truth is relative affirms at the same time
an absolute, namely, that truth is relative! The same kind of fallacious
reasoning is found in the statement, "You cannot know anything." In order
to make that statement, one has to know something, namely, that one cannot
know anything! And it is here that we get to the crux of the post-modern
problem: the logical foundation from which it affirms or denies anything
rests on its own presuppositions or bias.. While they eject the notion
that they hold to a particular worldview they begin with the basic presupposition
hat truth is relative and construct their ethics and morals upon those
ideals suited for them. In effect, their worldview accords with most people's
thinking in affirming a conceptual scheme by which one consciously or unconsciously
places or fits everything one believes and by which one interprets and
judges reality.
What many post-modernist fail to recognize is truth is truth even if
individuals and cultures hold no values in common. Even if this were the
case, it doesn't mean that object truth doesn't exist! Objective truth
exists regardless of what we think! Objective truth does not refer to an
emotional, detached, or impersonal attitude or perspective. Truth is not
an attitude; truth is not how we know, is what we know! Moreover, objective
truth is independent of the knower and his consciousness. Someone once
put it this way: "Truth must be based on a firm foundation of self-evident
truths or first principles that correspond to reality." Those principles
or self-evident truths are found in Cod's Word, the Bible, which is where
the Christian must begin. Why? Because the 3ible is a book of revelation,
originating not with man but with God. It is His self-disclosure to us!
n it He reveals those moral absolutes which originate from His moral character,
independent of man's thoughts or perspective.
The Biblical Perspective of Absolute Truth
In communicating truth to a post-modernist, we must be able to present
solid evidence that the Bible is, in fact, God's inerrant Word. We need
to establish the authority of the Bible. If we don't, hey won't listen
to Scripture, anyway! There are several ways we can establish the integrity
of scripture to them.
While we don't have the time or space to go into detail on every point,
the following may be noted: 1) history and archaeological discoveries corroborate
the validity of the Biblical record; 2) predictive prophecy and fulfillment
of exacting detail confirms divine origin of the Bible; 3) Scientific statements
in the Bible support accurate scientific data today; 4) supernatural conversion
(regeneration) of individuals speaks of radical change resulting from a
supernatural experience; 5) the philosophy of the Bible (e.g. Psalms, Proverbs,
Ecc., Sermon on the Mount, etc.) is superior to all the wisdom of ancient
and contemporary philosophy combined; 6) the moral influence of the Bible
implies a divine author; and, 7) the testimony of Jesus Christ regarding
Scripture demands divine inspiration; 8) the Bible itself gives witness
to its own divine origin. These are only a few "proofs" among many lending
credibility to the divine origin of the Bible. Our challenge as Christians
is to get our new age and post-modern friends to look at the facts and
open their minds to the reasonableness o Christianity.
As mentioned earlier, all men have worldviews. The Christian worldview
affirms the Bible is God's Word to mankind containing a partial revelation
of His nature and character. Because the Bible is God's Word, it may be
trusted, fully. From this we may infer that God's moral law(s) is based
on His nature which is holy, just, and good. The Scriptures reveal that
God is self existent (Ex. 3:14; John 5:26), free of all imperfections (Ex.
15:11; 1 Peter 1:15,16); Rev. 16:5), and is separate from everything else
that exists. Moreover, God's morality issues from His very being. The Bible
say's that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5)
and that He is love (1 John 4:7-2 1). We may therefore assume that the
God of the Universe has spoken in truth His will for fallen men. That is,
when God gave us His revelation concerning morality, His precepts were
not arbitrary; they were a reflection of His own character and His character
includes truthfulness (Titus 1:2). Objective truth is that which God ha~
revealed in nature, in Scripture, through God's spokesperson's (prophets,
angels, etc.) and ultimately in and through the Person of Jesus Christ
(Heb. 1:1-3).
CONCLUSION
Contrary to post-modern thinking, man is not an animal; he is a moral
being created in God's image (Gen. 3:7) with the capacity for self-reflection;
reasoning; and to distinguish between good and evil and respond to God's
moral precepts (free moral choice). Whether one wishes to acknowledge
these truths or not is mute in Scripture which emphatically asserts that
God's moral law is written upon our hearts, our conscience bearing witness
to this fact (Romans 2:14,15)!
As with many philosophies and religious movements, post-modernist want
their cake and eat it too! They say we may each possess our own truth as
long as we don't judge someone else for the truth they possess. In effect,
they are accountable only to themselves! They want nothing to do with the
God of the Bible Who holds all men accountable for sin (Rom. 3:19-23).
While post-modernist accuse Christians of being arrogant because we share
the truths of God's Word, in actuality, it is the post-modernist who is
arrogant because his or her truth on the basis of their own reasoning,
condemns all who disagree with them!
The challenge of evangelical Christians is to reach out to those who
have fallen prey to the logically and biblically flawed worldview of post-modernism!
It is becoming more and more an uphill battle; but the Lord will go before
us! It is in truth, His battle, we are only instruments in the conflict.
In the end, after everything is said and done, while men may have their
say, the God of the universe will have exercised sovereignty in this great
cosmic war of Ideas and spiritual dominance and all of creation will
bend the knee before our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! To Him be the
glory unto the ages!
| Recommended Reading on post-modernism and
moral relativism:
The Death of Truth (Bethany House Publishers, 1996) by Jeff Leffel
& Dennis McCallum
Reality Isn't What It Used to Be (InterVarsity Press 1994) by
J. Richard Middleton & Brian Walsh
Culture of Interpretation (Eerdmans, 1993) by Roger Lundin
Christian Apologetics in the Postmodern World (IVP, 1995) edited
by Dennis L Okholm & Timothy R. Phillips
The New Absolutes by William D. Watkins
Racing Toward 2001 (Zondervan, 1992) by Russell Chandler
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