This relativistic view of morality rejects the only solution for our problem: “You know that [Christ] appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin” (1 John 3:5). If I do not believe I have cancer, I will not consult an oncologist, much less consent to the chemotherapy, radiation, or surgery she prescribes.
How can we respond biblically to such deception? How can we speak the truth in love when such truth is so unpopular?
Our root problem is simple and tragic: people will accuse the truth of being a lie if it contradicts lies they want to believe are true. Our first parents wanted to be their own god (Genesis 3:5). They wanted what seemed “good for food,” a “delight to the eyes,” and “desired to make one wise” (v. 6). And so they ate the forbidden fruit, and the human race has never recovered. Don’t think for a minute that you and I are less susceptible to lies we want to believe.
In recent years, many Christians have either abandoned or deprioritized the notion of truth, elevating personal experience over what God has revealed about Himself and His world. Years ago, Chuck Colson warned in his book The Faith that Christians must not give up on the idea of truth nor downplay its importance, even in an attempt to gain a wider hearing. Christianity matters precisely because it is true. If it isn’t true, it doesn’t matter. Here’s Chuck:
As our nation falls deeper into the abyss of sin, one would think that pastors would rise up and follow Paul’s plea: “Be on guard; stand firm in your faith [in God, respecting His precepts and keeping your doctrine sound]. Act like [mature] men and be courageous; be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13, AMB). But sadly, it seems that many are running from the battle rather than to it.
America, and society in general, are facing a "catastrophic loss of truth" due to an embrace of individualism and an abandonment of God's law, says author and speaker John Stonestreet.
We need not choose between truth and love. In fact, we must not choose. They always go together, because they are both grounded in the same Source, or specifically, the same Person.
Secularism continues to grow in the US. According to Pew Research, roughly three in ten Americans have no religious affiliation of any kind. Younger generations are less engaged in church than their parents; many committed Christians are not active in a local congregation. On this April Fool’s Day, let’s consider King David’s admonition in Psalm 14:1: “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.'” His observation applies not just to atheists and secularists but also to committed Christians in ways we may not fully appreciate today.
America’s founding on the biblical fact that “all men are created equal,” while fueling our pioneer spirit and entrepreneurial culture, must be balanced with the biblical fact that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Otherwise, the equality of human lives leads to the equality of human ideas. There can be no right and wrong, only what is right for me and wrong for you.
Samuel Rodriguez, the pastor of New Season Worship in Sacramento, California, told his congregation in his most recent sermon that there are “powerful forces” creating an “atmosphere of deconstructionism, anarchy, chaos and relativism” that is trying to “change” the truths about God.
In an interview with Shane Morris on the Upstream podcast, Natasha Crain pointed to the recent results of the American Worldview Inventory, conducted by George Barna and Arizona Christian University. According to that survey, just 6 percent of Americans hold a “functional biblical worldview,” meaning they gave recognizably Christian answers to questions like, Who is God? and What are human beings? and Is there absolute truth?
