Postmodernism, Relativism and the Truth

Everyone has a worldview. All have beliefs on what is right and wrong -- and whether there even is a right and wrong for that matter! But, there is only one true worldview; only one correct way of thinking. That is, the belief that God created Adam and Eve in His image and put them into the Garden of Eden. He gave them His truth and governed them, and, because they were in His image, they obeyed him and never sinned. Then Adam and Eve, desiring the power to decide truth for themselves, disobeyed God and ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The all-knowing God punished them and sent them into the world to toil and suffer, but did not desert them. He promised them a sacrificial Lamb who would atone for their sins and those of their descendants. God did as he promised and gave up His only Son to be killed on the cross in our place and to conquer death so that we might live eternally with Him. God has given us salvation and truth to live by. It is universal, the same for every person, not matter their race or culture. Unfortunately, because of the fall, humans have disregarded God’s gift and attempt to live without a God. Two popular worldviews that follow this belief are postmodernism and relativism.

Postmodernists believe that there is no God. If there is not God then He cannot have possibly created the world, and so the postmodernist believe in evolution. Each people group has evolved at a different rate (making some more developed than others) and have set up different ways of living. So, postmodernists come to the conclusion that there is no universal truth, but rather, individual truth depending on how evolved one is and what their culture has decided is true. What is right in the eyes of an African tribe might not be right in the eyes of a European country, and that is alright, they say! This, obviously, is a messed up way of thinking. The other worldview is relativism. This is the belief that what is right and wrong is governed by circumstances. This can be seen even in the way our country is governed. A good example is abortion. It is illegal in the United States to kill a human being. But, when a woman conceives, while the baby is still unborn, it is legal to take its life! This, too is a detrimental way of thinking and one, that I believe, is far too easy to slip into.

These worldviews are dangerous. There is only one right way to live and unfortunately, postmodernism and relativism aren’t the only others Christians need to avoid. Christians must cling to the Truth and know it well. We must study it, so that when we are confronted with anything, we can know how to respond according to whether it lines up with the Word of God. Let us all take up the initiative and not slip into believing that what is right for us might not be for another, or that circumstances should guide our actions. No! We must fight the crafty enemy who, at every moment, is seeking our downfall. Let us keep our eyes fixed on the truth, and never turn them astray!