Overcoming Objections to Faith Absolute Truth in a Relativistic Society

Exclusive Christian claims are offensive

John 14:6 - Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

I Timothy 2:5 - For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus…

Ephesians 4:4-6 -There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to one hope when you were called--one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all

Acts 4:12 - Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.

Absolute Truth in a Relativistic Society – Exclusive Christian Claims are Offensive

Matthew 7: 13,14 - Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

Romans 6: 23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 3:23 – For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God

Exclusive Christian Claims are Offensive

At its core, postmodernism is a rejection of absolutes.

To think you or your group have discovered the answers to all of life’s questions and problems is seen as presumptuous and arrogant

The postmodernist may even go so far as to say that religion is the main barrier to world peace. A claim to absolute truth alienates and can lead to marginalization, oppression, abuse or even violence against other groups.

Postmodernism

Postmodern is a term applied to many realms – art, architecture, music, film, literature, sociology, communications, fashion, and technology.

As a philosophy, in general, it is defined in contrast to modernity

Modernity is fundamentally about order: about rationality and rationalization, creating order out of chaos

Postmodernism

The modern age in the western world began in the 16th century and peaked in the 200 year period from 1789 to 1989.

Human reason, education, science, and technology defined the modern age.

Man and his enlightened understanding and technological genius had within his grasp, so he thought, the possibility of engineering a great society

Postmodernism

We were dedicated to ideals. Our fathers and grandfathers willingly sacrificed their lives on foreign soil to see the triumph of good over evil.

As a nation, we attempted, with a good level of success, to export our culture, our ideals, our values, and our political system into the world community so that freedom and democracy would mark every society.

Postmodernism

But from the perspective of a new breed of philosophers and social critics, this modern age has crumbled down around us. Human reason as the instrument of progress has allegedly failed.

The Second World War demonstrated that the age of reason and enlightenment had produced very little in the way of human evolution.

Disillusionment was compounded by the rise of Communism, the Vietnam War, weapons of mass destruction, youth rebellions, assassinations, political corruption, racial wars, etc.

Postmodernism

The postmodern mindset offers to the Christian Church a unique challenge. Unlike the modern rationalist, the postmodernist will not challenge the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He will merely say, "Yes, but it is your truth."

The issue is no longer truth versus error, or right versus wrong as was the case in the modern age. The concept of error or wrong has been removed from the postmodern vocabulary with one exception

Postmodernism

It is wrong to say that someone's worldview, religion, culture, philosophy or experience is wrong. It is an error to say that someone is in error.

To claim that the only way to heaven is through faith in Christ will bring rejection and scorn.

The Postmodernist will grant the right to declare our truth, but not a right to criticize "the truth" of others. They say only mean-spirited people seek to exercise power over others by saying, "I am right and you are wrong."

Postmodernism

Ai

Reason and Relationship are the key Reason without relationship can be

perceived as pushy, arrogant, and uncaring. Relationship without reason can be seen as

shallow, emotion based, or unfounded. In the “old days” people had to believe and

then they could belong. Today people need to belong and then they will come to believe.

Responding to RelativismRelationship

Responding to RelativismReason

OBJECTION RESPONSE

Christianity is arrogant in claiming that Jesus is the only way to God.

All religions are equally valid and basically teach the same thing.

It is arrogant to insist your religion is right and to convert others to it.

Christianity is not the only religion to claim exclusivity.

This ignores doctrinal differences by insisting doctrine is unimportant

Is it not arrogant to say that those who believe their religion is right are arrogant?

Responding to RelativismReason

Objection Response

Each religion sees part of spiritual truth, but none can see the whole truth.

Implied here is a comprehensive knowledge of spiritual reality.

The statement may have an appearance of humility, but it really assumes a superior vantage point which claims no religion has the entire truth.

Responding to RelativismReason

Objections Response

Religious belief is too culturally and historically conditioned to be “truth.”

You can’t say, “All claims about religions are historically conditioned except the one I am making right now.

If you insist that no one can determine which beliefs are right or wrong, why should we believe what you say?

It is no more narrow to claim that one religion is right than to claim that one way to think about all religions is right.

Responding to RelativismReason

For the postmodernist, words do not convey objective meaning. They emerge out of the subjective mindset of the author and enter into the subjective mindset of the reader.

Written texts mean different things to different people and no singular interpretation of any text is better than any other interpretation.

Because words do not convey objective meaning, the practice of formulating propositional truth claims from words is soundly rejected. Words merely tell a story – a narrative.

Deconstructionism

Words in a Postmodern Era

Christianity is and always has been a religion of the Book. We begin with the understanding that the authors of Scripture, inspired by the Holy Spirit, were seeking to communicate objective reality in the words they employed.

Since the words of the text do not convey objective meaning for the postmodernist, presenting truth as propositional statements drawn from the text is impossible. All you can do is tell the author’s story and allow the reader of that story to provide his or her own interpretation

Words and the WORD

Luther coined the phrase, "Plato is a friend; Socrates is a friend. But the honor supreme must go to truth.“

Apart from truth, we wander aimlessly. We are left with nothing greater than our

own ideas. We have no standard against which to

measure the meaning of our own existence.

Importance of Truth

The best argument for the gospel is◦ not a propositional argument, but a living argument: ◦ not sound arguments as much as sound lives – truth-

ing the gospel in the way we live it out in authenticity and community.” 

Blaise Pascal said similarly: “Men despise religion. They hate it and are afraid it may be true. The cure for this is first to show that religion is not contrary to reason, but worthy of reverence and respect. Next make it attractive, make good men wish it were true, and then show that it is.”

What should be our approach?

So we must engage the head (know the arguments, give them truth);

We must engage the heart (understand them and their world, not just their worldview);

And we must perform what we profess so that they might obey the living Christ. 

Bottom Line Evangelism

The Case For Faith…Lee Strobel The Reason for God…Timothy Keller The New Evidence That Demands a

Verdict…More Than a Carpenter….Don’t Check Your Brains at the Door…Josh McDowell

Mere Christianity….C.S. Lewis Jesus Among Other Gods… Who Made God?

And Answers to Over 100 Other Tough Questions of Faith….Ravi Zacharias

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