The Truth Objection, Part 1 “We must avoid two extremes...On one extreme we have philosophers like René Descartes who seek certainty through doubting everything, and on the other extreme are those who doubt nothing in order to feel good about their supposed certainty. Neither solution is helpful.” Doubting Toward Faith. -The Truth Objection: “There is no such thing as absolute truth” or “All truth claims are equal.” “For this purpose, I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth.” John 18:37 “What is truth?” John 18:38 Four Truths about Truth 1. Truth is that which Matches Reality Picture 2. Truth remains truth whether I know it or not or believe it or not. 3. Truth is discovered not invented. 4. The opposite of truth is false. “Anyone who denies the law of non-contradiction should be beaten and burned until he admits that to be beaten is not the same as not to be beaten, and to be burned is not the same as not to be burned.” Avicenna, the Muslim medieval philosopher Consequences of Rejecting Truth · There’s no basis for morality. · Cultural relativism emerges. “There is one thing a professor can be absolutely certain of: almost every student entering the university believes, that truth is relative. If this belief is put to the test, once can count on the students’ reaction: they will be uncomprehending. That anyone should regard the proposition as not self-evident astonishes them, as though he were calling into question 2+2=4.” (Allan Bloom, The Closing of the American Mind, 25) · The denial of reality · Pleasure becomes our chief pursuit. · Ultimately, we end up with chaos and confusion.
 Closing Thoughts: · Given the challenging times we live in be careful not to get caught off guard. “There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability” (2 Peter 3:16-17). · Remember, now is not the time to thin out your Christian convictions, but to thicken them. “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths” (2 Timothy 4:2-4). · Refuse to get isolated from the church but choose to stay tethered to it. “Not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:25). · Finally, if you’re struggling with doubt or find yourself deconstructing, realize that Jesus can handle your doubts. “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).