Albert Mohler has an excellent blog post titled Is Truth Really Plural? Postmodernism in Full Flower. The main point of the post is a book review of John R. Franke’s (a “major figure” of the emergent movement) Manifold Witness – The Plurality of Truth. Here is the introduction:
The question of truth stands at the very center of the postmodern challenge. As with any major shift in human thinking, postmodernism comes packaged with both positive and negative elements. Positively, the general worldview of postmodernism reminds us that we are deeply embedded in cultural and linguistic systems that shape and influence our thinking. Furthermore, postmodernism can provide a corrective to epistemological arrogance — the tendency to claim premature finality for our thought and truth claims.
On the other hand, the negative dimensions of the postmodern turn are often deeply subversive of the very concept of truth. Indeed, the rejection of truth in any knowable and objective form is one of the greatest challenges postmodernism presents to the Christian faith. The questions raised by postmodernism can lead to the development of a healthy and faithful epistemological humility. On the other hand, the more general effect of postmodernism has been to insinuate a very dangerous epistemological humility that can undermine confidence that any truth can actually be known.
via Is Truth Really Plural? Postmodernism in Full Flower – AlbertMohler.com.
Why am I posting about post-modernism on a post-gay blog? Well … I couldn’t resist the opportunity to use those two words in the same sentence.
There actually is a good reason.
One of the toughest battles I see coming against people seeking to live their lives in congruence with their faith and scripture is this concept that truth is relative or that it is pluralistic (many truths.) We have people claiming to be gay Christians and while I don’t doubt their salvation (who am I to know their true faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior?) I do believe they are incorrect to adopt a gay identity (especially as a descriptor of their faith) and to embrace homosexual romantic relationships or erotic behavior. My belief comes directly from the absolute “T”ruth I believe the scriptures (as a whole, not just the seemingly mean parts) represent.
That “T”ruth has superseded my own interpretations and will often. Yet it has consistently born solid evidence that Jesus is actually Lord with His own Will that is much better than my own. This is an amazing freedom to know that not only does He walk with and help carry my burdens … He is a Good Shepherd who leads the way. I don’t have to do it all and figure it out on my own.
Before becoming a Christian I believed that all religions came from god and are tests on humanity to cause us to seek the higher good for each other … eventually … if the Christians would stop being mean. I was a total new-agey liberal gay post-modern type with my own brand of utopian religion. I picked my theology and identity like something out of a shopping mall.
Whatever caught my eye, gave me warm fuzzy feelings and provided some sense of identity and confidence … I added it to my “spiritual toolbox.” When I got tired of it or needed something to replace the worn out “tools,” I’d go back to the spiritual mall to see what’s new or better yet, MORE spiritual. But if anyone asked me if I was a Christian, I would say yes because that is what my family defaulted too whenever that question was asked. We were nominal Christians. We weren’t a part of the Christian community, we didn’t pray, depend on, worship and fall in love with Jesus. We were christians who didn’t know Christ.
Until I actually owned my own Bible, in a language I could understand, I literally thought Jesus and Moses were cousins. Seriously, like they grew up together or something. I can smile about that now but … I was very embarrassed when I learned differently.
But at the time, you couldn’t convince me that I did not know the Jesus. While I was very proud of my all inclusive unconditionally loving Christ/Buddha/Sophia-esque god, I was still demanding my self-sufficiency be the center of my life. My spirituality was great for conversations over coffee and cigarettes at Denny’s at 2 in the morning but it never replaced my own self-sufficiency that deepened the void and alienation from the one True God who created me for something completely different.
And that True God wouldn’t leave me alone! He was always challenging my false assumptions in various ways. He was loving, gracious and wonderful (sometimes His people weren’t, thank goodness that has changed and is changing) but He was persistent and transcended human limitations.
The Lord never forced me to submit to His absolute Truth. Once I did, I found that the life lived through a myriad of spiritual options is in itself a system of keeping one spinning in a nebulous self-sufficient fugue. A fugue that facilitates amazing amounts of words and discussions but never actually stewards our souls to our fullest potential. All those amazing “epiphanies” were amazing at the time but nothing compared to the worship and communion I now have with the Risen Christ. Back in the day, I was smiling but in the thoughts behind my grinning eyes there was always a still small voice calling me by name to His side. That Voice was saying something like, “I love you, you need Me. You can place your faith and trust in Me. Did you hear the part where I said I love you?”
Eventually, what once seemed like oppression (the absolute Truth of scripture and a God who might actually have an opinion I didn’t like), the Lord explained to me that He, the God of the universe, who spoke it into existence had *plenty* of options and freedom to walk into with joy and contentment regardless of circumstance. If He can handle spinning stars, an expanding universe, every creature ever made, angels, the prayers of billions … He can handle me and my firmly held opinions. Following His lead was the only way to escape the very narrow focus of a self-directed life.
If you do not know the Lord or are having trouble trusting that there is an absolute Truth He inhabits and has established for us, … you don’t have to have it all figured out before you can talk to Him. Go ahead, He’s available.
Julie Neils
Exodus International Blog
Ralph C
James C
Erik
Alan Chambers
JE Clark
College Jay
Randy Thomas
Thom Hunter
Randy,
You said: Following His lead was the only way to escape the very narrow focus of a self-directed life.
Isn’t it amazing that we will follow after things that zig and zag and constantly change and confuse . . . yet, as you say God is “always” the same, which is exactly what we have always wanted and needed, the security on which we can safely order our lives.
You frame things nicely here and I especially appreciate the reminder to your readers that God is listening to us even before we fully understand Him and what He offers to us.
Thom
Thank you Thom. It’s true, God is always listening, always calling.