PART 2: A Lamp - Continued -If you're reading my blog for the first time or have never read my previous posts, I recommend starting at the beginning.

Now let us continue this quote from Boiling Point, by George Barna:


“At the start of the third millennium, America is a nation in which only one-fourth of all adults and just 1 out of every 10 teenagers believes that there is absolute moral truth. The majority of America, therefore, either believes or yields to the belief that all moral truth is relative to the individual and his/her circumstances.”

“Interestingly, Americans have chosen relativism without much enthusiasm or conviction for that position. Our research shows that even though one’s stand on this matter is one of the most important choices an individual will make in his/her life, very few adults and teens ponder the existence and nature of truth. Most of those who do think about it don’t make much headway: a majority of them remain confused, frustrated or undecided as to what they think. Consequently, most people revert to the default position of the prevailing culture: moral truth is relative. We found that even a majority of those who contend that moral truth is absolute are somewhat confused about their belief and are likely to contradict themselves when questions about truth are posed from different angles.”

“… Born-again Christians, who ought to be the most verbal and convincing defenders of absolute moral truth, are more likely than nonbelievers to support the absolute stand with certainty; but the ‘absolutist’ represent less than half of all born-again adults. While the Christians who back the absolutist view outnumber those who promote the relativist view by almost a 5 to 1 ratio, we also discovered that when Christians were asked about truth in different ways, their confusion and lack of conviction was overt. The reason you don’t hear many believers discoursing on the principle of truth is probably because so few of them, regardless of their leanings, have a well researched, clearly articulate and compelling perspective on the matter.”

“What happened? How did Christians, the very people to whom God entrusted the substance of truth and morality, arrive at this vapid posture? As best we can untangle it, the route was circuitous. The teaching that people receive from their churches – the place where, hopefully, the truths asserted by God are clearly, consistently and convincingly expounded – has generally been ineffective at helping them comprehend moral truth. Our studies show that few churches use their teaching ties – sermons, Sunday school, VBS, small groups, membership classes – to intentionally and relentlessly communicate a coherent and cohesive worldview in a systematic fashion. Church-based teaching is generally founded on Bible context and delivery. In addition, the role models who impact Christians have fared poorly at portraying absolute moral truth through their words and actions.”

“Certainly, if the public were willing, it could discern the contours of a truth-based worldview from Scripture. However, most people’s experience with God’s Word is irregular and superficial, at best. Few Americans read the Bible often enough, broadly enough and sufficiently circumspectly to enable them to develop a truth-based worldview. Add to that the fact that they are immersed in a culture that promotes relativism and that the Church rarely holds its adherents accountable for their values and beliefs, and the consequence is that moral truth is essentially reflected. The practical result is obvious: without a solid moral foundation, churches and church people are affected by the culture more than they are affecting the culture’s views and behavior.” Consider again that last statement: “The practical result is obvious: without a solid moral foundation, churches and church people are affected by the culture more than they are affecting the culture’s views and behavior.”

“Whether you realize it or not, your view of moral truth is at the core of your worldview. (In this text we are speaking of a worldview as a way of interpreting all aspects of reality.) Chuck Colson has argued that the dominant American worldview of young adults can be summed up in one word: ‘whatever.’ Without the clarity and consistency of absolute moral truth, we are reduced to doing what seems right, what feels good, what produces the least resistance and what provides the greatest personal fulfillment. Naturally, our unconscious dismissal of absolute morality and ethics has produced a plethora of attitudinal and behavioral changes, including the reforming of our values.”

“But if you thought the move toward moral relativism is alarming, realize that tens of millions of Americans have taken the next logical step beyond moral relativism. Cultural analysts argue that there are really three dominant strains of thought in America today. There is the traditional or pre-modern view that says absolute moral truth exists, it is knowable and it has consequences for people’s lives. The modern view maintains that all truth is relative to the person’s perspective. The newest iteration, which is increasingly popular, is known as postmodernism. This philosophy asserts that there is not truth at all: Efforts to discover absolutes, much less to live them, are fruitless. Postmodernism is based on existentialism, which claims there is no meaning or purpose to life; personal experience is all that a person can know and appreciate.”

“Did you ever wonder how so many people can own Bibles, perhaps even read the Bible, and yet so completely miss the mark in their attitudes, values and lifestyles? It is largely because of the worldview disconnect. To the postmodern person, the Bible is simply a collection of time-honored stories that amount to another self-help volume. It is to be read just like any other self-help book: with some skepticism and for personal gain. Post-moderns outright reject the idea of the Bible being an accurate guidebook for life, much less the literal Word of a holy, omnipotent and omniscient God. They do not memorize or apply Scripture because, in their worldview, the Bible has no greater power, virtue or value than books by Stephen King, Jerry Seinfeld or Dr. Seuss.”

“In fact, postmodernism renders Jesus; entire death and resurrection little more than an interesting but obscure story of one individual’s compassion, heroic effort and ultimate demise. Postmodern people view it as a story that offers insight into one person’s challenges and responses, but not as a standard by which our lives are to be shaped or judged. The life of Jesus, in other words, is just another story among the billions of human histories that we might reflect upon and is no more or less meaningful than the stories of James Cassidy, Sheilah Brown, Jose Rodriguez or Choi En Lie –whoever they are.”   Boiling Point, p.77-81.