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I
have a hunch that many Christians are afraid of truth. Strange – ironic,
actually – in that we believe that we have the Truth. You would think
that Christians, of all people, should be overjoyed at the discovery of any
truth, no matter where or how it is discovered. If I am correct, the
implications are horrific. If someone is afraid of truth (or information, which
purports to be the same thing), then my guess would be that they don’t really
believe that what they believe is the truth. Of course, the next question is
what, then, do they think they believe?
 This is be no means a new phenomenon. If I recall correctly,
the Roman Church condemned Copernicus for daring to suggest that the Earth was
not the center of the universe (and really, what difference did it make to the
Church?). Many Christians still condemn scientists (those evil people),
archeologists, and whoever else is out there looking for truth.
I
mean, isn’t looking for truth a good thing? Isn’t it a better thing than
just amassing wealth or becoming successful? And what if they actually discover
some truth; isn’t that a good thing? The problem, however is that science,
philosophy and religion are all intertwined. That means that the discovery of
truth ("What do you mean, the Earth revolves around the Sun?") does
impact how we view things. That’s what truth does. (That’s why the world
rejects Jesus.) So why should Christians fear truth?
If
we really have the Truth (with a capital "T"), shouldn’t we do
everything we can to encourage others to look for it, even a little piece of it?
Shouldn’t we even help them find it? Do we think that somehow God is up in
Heaven fretting because some evolutionist may discover a little bit of truth? I
don’t think so. My God, and my faith in God, is bigger than all that.
The one thing that I am convinced of at this point is that I
am wrong, at least partially, about nearly
everything I
believe.
So
what would happen if someone was able to prove (as much as we can prove
anything) that man ascended (I would think of it as a step up) from apes. Would
that affect your faith in God? It really shouldn’t, unless your faith is in
something less than Jesus. What if some scholar was able to convince you that
the Bible as we know it today does contain some errors? Again, your faith should
not be shaken, unless your faith is in something less than God. That was part of
the Pharisees' problem. ("Ye search the scriptures . . ." John 5:39)
The
one thing that I am convinced of at this point is that I am wrong, at least
partially, about nearly everything I believe. I may be close about some things,
but close doesn’t count when you are talking about either perfection or truth.
I know, because the Bible tells me so, that we know only in part, and we see as
if through a glass darkly. I believe that. I can accept it as truth when God
tells me, "My ways are not your ways, and my thoughts are not your
thoughts." So why then, should I allow myself to believe that any of my
beliefs are 100% absolute truth? Wouldn’t that be in itself a denial that what
the Bible has just told me is true?
I
definitely believe that there is an indisputable, immutable truth. I also
believe that until we get to Heaven, we only have limited access to or
understanding of that truth. I imagine that when we arrive in Heaven, we will be
able to tell the newcomers by the bruises on their foreheads from slapping
themselves as they say, "So that’s what that meant!"
What concerns me is that perhaps many Christians have put
their faith in something less than in Jesus. If that is the case, there may be
some shocks at J(udgment) Day. But again, the Bible has promised us this.
Since
the near beginning of time, man has tried to find truth somewhere besides
through relationship with God. Adam and Eve were the first when they went for
the fruit. Religious dogma and tradition has often been mistaken for truth,
possibly because dogma is easier to control, and you can use it as a standard by
which to judge others (as if we were ever called to do that). How can you judge
others if you don’t have complete access to truth yourself?
But would I
give my life for my
theological beliefs?
Probably not.
Martin
Luther had to fight to get the Bible into the hands of the people, as the Roman
Church was afraid of what would happen if they couldn’t control what passed
for truth. More recently doctrines such as dispensationalism and issues like
inerrancy have caused great turmoil in the Church as various individuals and
groups have made their particular viewpoint the standard by which to judge the
remainder of the Church. Why should anyone think that they could possibly have
the corner on the truth market? Could they, perhaps, be an exception to
"seeing in part?"
I
fear there are many Christians out there who don’t even realize that they have
not built their faith with Christ as the foundation, but rather have built on
sand – there may be some large rocks mixed in, but it is sand nonetheless. For
there is no other Rock but Christ. Dogmas, traditions, creeds and systematic
theologies, even if 99% accurate, are not a substitute for Jesus. We are not to
lean on our own understanding. So then why do we?
I
have a pretty good theology that I have put together over the last 40 years. It’s
as consistent as possible with the whole of the Bible, and I believe what I
believe because I think it is more true than anything else out there (why would
I believe anything I did not think was true?). But would I give my life for my
theological beliefs? Probably not. Would I die for my freedom to search for
truth? Possibly. Would I die in obedience to Christ? I can only hope so.
 Joan
of Arc is one of my heroes. She died because she refused to recant her belief
that she could find truth through her relationship with God (yeah, I know there
were saints involved – I have opinions but I’m not about to die over this
one yet). In Jeremiah 31 God tells His people of a time where His people will
know the truth, because they will know God. God doesn’t say we will know the
truth because of the Westminster Confession, or even the Apostles’ Creed. We
know truth because we know God himself. I happen to believe that the Apostles’
and Nicene Creeds are about as true as anything we know, but I am glad that I
don’t have to rest my faith on them. My creed, my statement of my beliefs, is
not my foundation – my foundation, and my faith, is Christ alone, for "I
know in whom I have believed." (2 Timothy 1:12)
So
I love truth searches. I enjoy reading books on scientific theory, history,
archeology – especially when they bring religion into it. I enjoy movies
dealing with philosophical themes, and love listening to "secular"
music. Have you ever noticed how much of postmodern music deals with God? These
are the sounds and thoughts of people looking for truth. This is the culture
that we are supposed to be invading and challenging. They are actually doing our
job. It seems to be that it should be the Church that should be building a
culture that will draw others in. The world is looking for truth and we’re
supposed to have that. However, at this point the Western post-modern culture is
searching for truth, and it’s scaring the heck out of the church because they
don’t follow our rules in looking for it.
But what should truth care about cultural rules? If we indeed
have the truth, what do we have to fear from anything? Why not subject our truth
to their inspection? If it fails to hold up, then perhaps we need to do some
more seeking ourselves.
The
western, neo-evangelical church has been so pragmatic – in a modernistic,
business-model sort of way, geared toward winning intellectual assent of
Christianity – that it has all but killed off community. We have in effect
presented to the world information that we expect them to believe, in spite of
the fact that the church doesn’t act like it believes it! What we need is to
refocus on community and re-learn how to live out our faith; this is the true
pragmatism. The world simply wants to know if it works. I think often the church
is afraid to try it themselves.
We
know now, after a couple of hundred years of modernism, that our objective,
scientific truth will only stand until something new replaces it. The world is
not impressed with logical proofs but no power. If we tell them, "My God is
better than your god," we had darn well better be ready to prove it, with
faith and with power and with changed lives and a working community. They want
to see a greatly reduced divorce rate. They want to see lives not controlled by
materialism and greed. They will know we are Christians only by our
love. What they really want to see is Jesus, in us. This takes faith –
not in our dogma and theological systems – but true faith in a God who is
the Truth.
So
let them dig up dinosaur bones. Let them map genes and clone things (they will
do it anyway). Let them theorize about expanding universes and the origins of
life. Then let’s help them interpret what they find. They might actually
discover life, and we may learn more about God in the process.
Alden Swan
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