I came across a recent poll that indicated only 30% of Americans age 18-29 find value in a belief in God. This is down from a 67% belief in the previous generation.
Certainly, part of the reason for this is the massive cultural shift that North America has been experiencing … a shift characterized by a move away from the idea of absolute truth to one where truth is viewed as personal and relative. In such a culture, the highest values are “community” and “tolerance.” Since all truth is subjective and personal, we’re told we should embrace everyone and make allowance for everything that does not harm others.
While this notion sounds euphoric on the surface, it is also one that not only falls apart upon closer inspection, but actually introduces some very dangerous concepts into society. For one thing, the claim that there’s no such thing as absolute truth is itself a statement of absolute truth—the very foundational pronouncement is self-contradictory.
But second—the notion introduces a potentially catastrophic mindset into society. Think with me: If all truth is personal and subjective, then there’s no objective basis for condemning such disgusting ideologies as anti-Semitism or white supremacy. At the end of the day, those who are acting out of that mindset are merely behaving in that way on the basis of “their truth.” And if “tolerance” is the highest value, then who are we—or anyone else—to decry their belief system and label it as “wrong.” That is a very intolerant and dogmatic thing to do!
It seems to me, when you push the notions of “community” and “tolerance” to their logical conclusions, the outcome is a world where the exact opposite—violence and bloodshed—is the result. These ideas are, ultimately, harmful ethics. That’s not to say they don’t have a place in the world; they do! But when they’re elevated to the highest place, they break down and can’t deliver on what they promise.
In recent weeks we’ve had a number of mass shootings and the ideology of white supremacy has gained a lot of media attention. Our president has been accused of stoking the racist sentiment, and many voices have urged him to come out and denounce this mindset in strong and forceful terms. But—if there’s no such thing as absolute truth, what’s the basis for denouncing it? To what standard can you appeal when labeling it a scourge the needs to be eliminated? It seems to me all you’re doing is playing into the fundamental postmodern narrative—that truth claims are nothing more than attempts by one group to subdue other groups and expand their power through the use of force. A world where these kinds of power plays are continually going on is nothing more than a powder keg waiting to be detonated.
That said—as followers of Jesus, we champion the notion that the One who claimed to be God freely and willingly submitted himself to the evil and manipulative devices of the established power structure of his day and, by so doing, facilitated the salvation and restoration of the entire human race. It seems to me, for people who have bought into the idea that the world is nothing more than a never-ending quest for power for ourselves or our group, the notion that salvation is offered because of the actions of someone who took the exact opposite approach has got to be very appealing and attractive. As a result, we shouldn’t shy away or recoil from the message of the Cross. For it’s a message that can be incredibly persuasive and compelling in the face of the rampant relativism and resulting harmful ethics of our day.