Biblical Absolutes and Relativism

The Great Divide
The Battle Between Biblical Absolutes and Relativism
By James C. Wright, J.D. [email_address]
© 2010 by Fulcrum Ministries (www.FulcrumMinistries.org)

The Great Divide
In the West, post-modernity has captured our laws, our courts, our art, our universities and our culture.
Post-modernity now defines the structure, hopes and aspirations of our lives, families, culture and society.

What Is Post-Modernity?
Post-Modernity: There either are no absolutes, or if they do exist, there is no way of knowing what they are.

Post-Modernity
The Age of Skepticism
and Relativism
Impossible to know what is objectively true, moral or real
Truth, morality and reality are subjective and relative
Autonomy and individual choice are defining principles for society
“ That may be true for you, but it’s not necessarily true for me.”
© 2010 by Fulcrum Ministries (www.FulcrumMinistries.org) Judges 17:6

Christianity & Post-Modernity
Post-modernity has taken hold of most of our Churches and is the worldview of a majority of born-again Christians in America.

Most Christians Are Post-Modernists!
Only 32 percent of born-again adults in America believe that absolute moral truth exists.
Two out of three born-again adults in America either reject the concept of absolute truth . . . or (perhaps even more scarily) . . . they haven't got a clue!
Only 9 percent of born-again teenagers believe that absolute moral truth exists.
Over nine out of ten born-again teenagers in America have bought into post-modernity rather than authentic Christianity.
-- Barna Research Group, Ltd. (www.barna.org)

Most Christians Are Post-Modernists!
In Western Europe, my travels indicate that the statistics likely are far worse – as a result, the Church is very weak and anemic.
In former communist countries, the need for transcendent, absolute truth was more widely recognized following their experience with authoritarian humanism, but this lesson from history is fading with time.

Worldviews Matter . . .
Your worldview has consequences because it determines your life’s potential – individuals and societies will never exceed the limits of their worldview without a new worldview
How we view ourselves and relate to those around us, how others relate to us, and how we act depends on our worldview
Our society’s dominant worldview determines the very structure of our nation and our lives, whether we agree with it or not

The Roots of Post-Modernity
The “Enlightenment”
Man, through reason alone, can know what is true, moral and real
Science seeks to limit reality and knowledge to material world of cause and effect
Gives birth to utopianism & resulting tyranny – Marxism, fascism & socialism

Why Is It Called Post-Modernity?
The Modern Era
“ Enlightenment” resulted in tyranny and genocide
Human reason alone utterly failed to develop any objective basis what is true, good or beautiful
In reaction, the idea that truth exists has been arrogantly rejected.

Post-Modernity . . .
A worldview that says:
There is no external authority – everything is relative, subjective and individualistic.
There is no universal meaning or unity to our lives, society or the world – other than shifting alliances of individual self interest.

Anarchy and Tyranny
History shows that when a society rejects transcendent, universal norms for its art, culture, laws, institutions and families, then the inevitable result is anarchy leading to tyranny.

Biblical Presuppositions
We start with the presuppositions (premises) that 1) there are absolutes , 2) which are defined by God , 3) who speaks to us through scripture and his creation , and 4) gives us faith to believe and reason to understand.
Any worldview that denies these presuppositions is not Biblical.

Revelation and Reason
Reason, apart from revelation, can only lead to relativism, skepticism and despair because it is impossible to know objective truth, morality and reality apart from God
This was the great failing of the Enlightenment – it only worked to the extent reason was shaped by Biblical truths

Three Philosophical Issues
All worldviews must attempt to answer (even if unsuccessfully) three philosophical questions:
How do we know what is true? ( epistemology )
How do we know what is moral and good? ( ethics )
How do we know what is real and our essential nature? ( metaphysics )
The resulting answers define how we live our lives, relate to others and to God, perceive the universe, structure society and shape our laws

First Philosophical Issue
Epistemology : The Problem of Knowing What is True
Can finite human beings be certain of anything unless we know everything?

Second Philosophical Issue
Ethics : The Problem of Knowing What is Right and Moral
Can imperfect human beings, with conflicting motives, know what is objectively right or moral?

Third Philosophical Issue
Metaphysics : The Problem of Knowing What is Real and The Essential Nature of Things and Ourselves
With perceptions limited by subjective senses, can we know what is objectively real?
Can there be the one (a universal standard) and the many (diversity)?

Biblical Presuppositions
A Biblical worldview must start with God as the Creator:
Epistemology : God created all things, yet transcends all of creation. Only God, therefore, is omniscient and can know everything.
Ethics : As creator, God is sovereign over His creation and thus has sole authority to define what is moral.
Metaphysics : Because all things were created by God out of nothing, he alone determines their essential nature. There are no naked facts.

Apart From God . . . Our Lives Have No Meaning
“ In Him we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:28 – Paul preaching on Mars Hill to Greek Stoics and Epicureans)

The Gap between God and Man
As a finite, imperfect (sinful), created beings, we cannot know what is true, what is moral or what is real apart from God
Only God can bridge the epistemological, ethical and metaphysical gap between us and Him – we cannot do it ourselves through human ability or initiative
© 2010 by Fulcrum Ministries (www.FulcrumMinistries.org) Tower of Babel: Man Trying to Reach God

A God Who Speaks
Although we cannot reach God through our own efforts, God in his mercy has reached down to us
God speaks to us in Scripture, which is his authoritative revelation regarding his nature and his creation

Biblical or Post-Modern Worldview?
Secular rationalism as a viable worldview is dead (yet we still try to “convince” people that Christianity is true through evidential apologetics)
Now that the “modern” age has ended, Western culture faces a choice
The only two externally coherent worldviews left are Christianity (reason empowered by objective truth, morality and reality) and post-modernity (nihilism)

The Tyranny of Post-Modernity
Post-modernity, however, is internally incoherent because it rests on an inherent contradiction: It must assert absolutely that there are no absolutes.
Ultimately, this inherent contradiction leads to tyranny
While claiming neutrality, post-modernity seeks to supplant virtue

God or Autonomous Man?
Only a Biblical worldview, rooted in a transcendent, omniscient and sovereign Creator who reveals truth, morality and reality to rational man is both externally and internally coherent
Only an authoritative God who defines the limits of human institutions like the Church and the State is able to preserve true liberty

A Biblical Worldview
“ We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” ( II Cor. 10:5 NIV )
Unless Christ is Lord over your presuppositions and worldview by submitting to Biblical norms, He is Lord over none of your life.

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Biblical Absolutes and Relativism

by Fulcrum Ministries on Nov 12, 2010

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