Right and Wrong...A Matter of the Heart
This past week has been a reflection of our culture. A mother is put on trial for the death of her child, which seems to be based on her selfishness to have a good time. We have seen another congressman scandal. Even as I write this, news just broke that he is asking to take a leave of absence, but will not step down as a congressman. Maybe it’s the 56% of constituents who say he should stay, that has helped him make his decision. Fellow colleges cry for his resignation not based on the idea that he did wrong, “but it is something we need to deal with so we can move on and get on with business.” I have even heard the following statements from people on the street on the radio and TV, “No big deal, it’s a private matter.” “What he does in his personal time is his business.” Today I write to you as a pastor/apologist who needs to share an observation and a challenge. This entry has nothing to do with business or leadership. From hearing the accusations towards a mother, to the thoughts of ordinary people concerning their congressman, we have been given a glimpse in to the hearts of man.
Observation
mo•ral•i•ty 1. conformity to the rules of right conduct; moral or virtuous conduct. 2. moral quality or character. 3. virtue in sexual matters; chastity. 4. a doctrine or system of morals.
If we were to take a look at history we could break it down into three sections:
Pre Modern Era: < to 1600 defined God by the written word. Truth was based on Scripture
Modern Era: 1600 to 1960 defined God by the written word. Truth was based on science.
Postmodern Era: 1960 to ? Man defines God. Truth based on self.
In recent years we have seen a decline in morality due to the reconstruction of worldviews, especially in the areas of right and wrong. To those who have taught the lessons of coming from “sludge and evolving” into a higher animal, have given mankind the right to act like animals. Since our consciences of right and wrong are part of our evolutionary makeup, I suppose anything is open to interpretation. One of the main philosophers of the postmodern era, Friedrich Nietzsche, stated, “Truth is . . . a mobile army of metaphors, metonymies, anthropomorphism's, a sum, in short, of human relationships which, rhetorically and poetically intensified, ornamented and transformed, come to be thought of, after long usage by a people, as fixed, binding, and canonical. Truths are illusions, worn-out metaphors now impotent to stir the senses, coins which have lost their faces and are considered metal rather than currency.”* Nietzsche believed that truth was found in the individual. His famous quote, “God is dead” is a statement that reflects his ideas that if there is no need for a God, then we become the creator of our destinies and world. He believed that truth was based on one’s own experience. In other words, truth was based on the subjective idea of humanity. The “Bible” for secular humanist, Humanist Manifesto's I, II, states, “no deity will save us, we must save ourselves ...” The idea that God is not relative has been preached to a generation that I believe has accepted these claims without examining for themselves the possibility that there is something greater than self. Our worldview is the foundation of who we are. A worldview shapes our values. Our values shape our behavior….and our behavior is seen by the world. Christian pollster George Barna, came to a conclusion in a recent poll on a group of young adults. The question had to deal with right and wrong. Barna states, "The consistent deterioration of the Bible as the source of moral truth has led to a nation where people have become independent judges of right and wrong, basing their choices on feelings and circumstances. It is not likely that America will return to a more traditional moral code until the nation experiences significant pain from its moral choices."** If this is the case, the defense for truth is greater than ever, especially within the minds of our young people. With a "new perception of religion" within society it may seem the fight for absolute truth has been lost. It is through the example of Paul who I believe we can find our encouragement. Paul never entered a city with a banner proclaiming "Jesus is the way the truth and life!”. Paul challenged the very foundation of man’s assumption of truth. It was Paul's worldview that made it possible for him to enter the portico's of thought. As people saw Paul’s behavior, they came to see his values, which in-turn lead people to hear the hope of Christ (worldview)! Just like today, people were searching for truth and it was Paul who gave an answer to the reality of his claim. Today, Sunday school answers will not win the hearts of a culture that sees no right or wrong. We may even be seen as narrow minded for believing in absolutes! In a recent newscast, Chris Matthews had this to say concerning Christians and the actions of the congressman from New York.
Did you hear what Matthews said? “They never get the Speakership back because the people in the rural areas of this country who are Christian conservative culturally – you can say backward if you want – but they don’t like this kind of stuff at all.” That is what we as a body of believers have come to….”backwards”.
The Challenge
Right and wrong, that is based upon the “Law” given to us by God, gives us the foundation to impact our culture, and the answers to its problems. Douglas Groothuis, author of Truth Decay writes, “Only the God of the Scripture provides a source of moral authority and obligation, standards for ethical endeavor, the incentive and power for character, and a moral community of truth, which respects transcendent realities.”(Truth Decay, pg 207) Truth that is built on the ideas of Scripture will change lives and equip the masses with the confidence in knowing that a true living God cares for their very need and is concerned about their future. When mankind can understand this, they will move forward with hope and a purpose for living! In class I use this illustration to describe truth decay to my students.
Behind my house there is a road and every year the same pot hole would come back. The city crew would come out fill it, and it would last though the summer. Winter would come with all its elements. After a few weeks that pot hole would resurface again, and the cycle would be repeated! It wasn't until the city dug up the street and repaved it that we did not see that pothole again.
Truth can be described as the road, the pot holes represent the decay in truth. The question is, what will man fill the pot holes with? What worldview will be poured into the holes of life in order to fill the chaos of the world? What truth will fill the hole of society? Since the goal of postmodernist is to take the reality of truth out of the picture, the potholes of life will continue to be filled with the values and ideas of man. Thus, the pot holes of truth will continue to reappear. The question is what will man fill the pot holes with? What worldview will be poured into the holes of life in order to fill the chaos of the world? What truth will fill the hole of society? Since the goal of postmodernist is to take the reality of truth out of the picture, the potholes of life will continue to be filled with the values and ideas of man. Yet when one submits to God through Christ, something happens. All of our wrong doings and short comings are dug up and our life is given “new pavement”! No more potholes! Hold onto truth my dear friends. Chose to do that which is right, and bear the fruits of its blessings. Chose to do which is wrong, bear the fruits of disobedience.
His call. His gift to you. Your purpose. Irrevocable.
* Understanding the Times Student Manuel, pg 120
**http://www.barna.org/teens-next-gen-articles/25-young-adults-and-liberals-struggle-with-morality
Observation
mo•ral•i•ty 1. conformity to the rules of right conduct; moral or virtuous conduct. 2. moral quality or character. 3. virtue in sexual matters; chastity. 4. a doctrine or system of morals.
If we were to take a look at history we could break it down into three sections:
Pre Modern Era: < to 1600 defined God by the written word. Truth was based on Scripture
Modern Era: 1600 to 1960 defined God by the written word. Truth was based on science.
Postmodern Era: 1960 to ? Man defines God. Truth based on self.
In recent years we have seen a decline in morality due to the reconstruction of worldviews, especially in the areas of right and wrong. To those who have taught the lessons of coming from “sludge and evolving” into a higher animal, have given mankind the right to act like animals. Since our consciences of right and wrong are part of our evolutionary makeup, I suppose anything is open to interpretation. One of the main philosophers of the postmodern era, Friedrich Nietzsche, stated, “Truth is . . . a mobile army of metaphors, metonymies, anthropomorphism's, a sum, in short, of human relationships which, rhetorically and poetically intensified, ornamented and transformed, come to be thought of, after long usage by a people, as fixed, binding, and canonical. Truths are illusions, worn-out metaphors now impotent to stir the senses, coins which have lost their faces and are considered metal rather than currency.”* Nietzsche believed that truth was found in the individual. His famous quote, “God is dead” is a statement that reflects his ideas that if there is no need for a God, then we become the creator of our destinies and world. He believed that truth was based on one’s own experience. In other words, truth was based on the subjective idea of humanity. The “Bible” for secular humanist, Humanist Manifesto's I, II, states, “no deity will save us, we must save ourselves ...” The idea that God is not relative has been preached to a generation that I believe has accepted these claims without examining for themselves the possibility that there is something greater than self. Our worldview is the foundation of who we are. A worldview shapes our values. Our values shape our behavior….and our behavior is seen by the world. Christian pollster George Barna, came to a conclusion in a recent poll on a group of young adults. The question had to deal with right and wrong. Barna states, "The consistent deterioration of the Bible as the source of moral truth has led to a nation where people have become independent judges of right and wrong, basing their choices on feelings and circumstances. It is not likely that America will return to a more traditional moral code until the nation experiences significant pain from its moral choices."** If this is the case, the defense for truth is greater than ever, especially within the minds of our young people. With a "new perception of religion" within society it may seem the fight for absolute truth has been lost. It is through the example of Paul who I believe we can find our encouragement. Paul never entered a city with a banner proclaiming "Jesus is the way the truth and life!”. Paul challenged the very foundation of man’s assumption of truth. It was Paul's worldview that made it possible for him to enter the portico's of thought. As people saw Paul’s behavior, they came to see his values, which in-turn lead people to hear the hope of Christ (worldview)! Just like today, people were searching for truth and it was Paul who gave an answer to the reality of his claim. Today, Sunday school answers will not win the hearts of a culture that sees no right or wrong. We may even be seen as narrow minded for believing in absolutes! In a recent newscast, Chris Matthews had this to say concerning Christians and the actions of the congressman from New York.
Did you hear what Matthews said? “They never get the Speakership back because the people in the rural areas of this country who are Christian conservative culturally – you can say backward if you want – but they don’t like this kind of stuff at all.” That is what we as a body of believers have come to….”backwards”.
The Challenge
Right and wrong, that is based upon the “Law” given to us by God, gives us the foundation to impact our culture, and the answers to its problems. Douglas Groothuis, author of Truth Decay writes, “Only the God of the Scripture provides a source of moral authority and obligation, standards for ethical endeavor, the incentive and power for character, and a moral community of truth, which respects transcendent realities.”(Truth Decay, pg 207) Truth that is built on the ideas of Scripture will change lives and equip the masses with the confidence in knowing that a true living God cares for their very need and is concerned about their future. When mankind can understand this, they will move forward with hope and a purpose for living! In class I use this illustration to describe truth decay to my students.
Behind my house there is a road and every year the same pot hole would come back. The city crew would come out fill it, and it would last though the summer. Winter would come with all its elements. After a few weeks that pot hole would resurface again, and the cycle would be repeated! It wasn't until the city dug up the street and repaved it that we did not see that pothole again.
Truth can be described as the road, the pot holes represent the decay in truth. The question is, what will man fill the pot holes with? What worldview will be poured into the holes of life in order to fill the chaos of the world? What truth will fill the hole of society? Since the goal of postmodernist is to take the reality of truth out of the picture, the potholes of life will continue to be filled with the values and ideas of man. Thus, the pot holes of truth will continue to reappear. The question is what will man fill the pot holes with? What worldview will be poured into the holes of life in order to fill the chaos of the world? What truth will fill the hole of society? Since the goal of postmodernist is to take the reality of truth out of the picture, the potholes of life will continue to be filled with the values and ideas of man. Yet when one submits to God through Christ, something happens. All of our wrong doings and short comings are dug up and our life is given “new pavement”! No more potholes! Hold onto truth my dear friends. Chose to do that which is right, and bear the fruits of its blessings. Chose to do which is wrong, bear the fruits of disobedience.
His call. His gift to you. Your purpose. Irrevocable.
* Understanding the Times Student Manuel, pg 120
**http://www.barna.org/teens-next-gen-articles/25-young-adults-and-liberals-struggle-with-morality
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