History records this conversation Between Protagoras and Socrates in the 4th Century B.C. …

Protagoras: Truth is relative. It is only a matter of opinion.
Socrates: You mean that truth is mere subjective opinion?
Protagoras: Exactly. What is true for you is true for you, and what is true for me is true for me. Truth is subjective.
Socrates: Do you really mean that? That my opinion is true by virtue of its being my opinion?
Protagoras: Indeed I do.
Socrates: My opinion is: Truth is absolute, not opinion, and that you, Mr. Protagoras, are absolutely in error. Since this is my opinion, you must grant that it is true according to your philosophy.
Protagoras: You are quite correct, Socrates.

The belief that all truth is relative is not necessarily new. What is new, however, is that it has become such an accepted global phenomenon. Until contemporary times, those who believed that all truth was relative were fringe groups that were more or less frowned upon by the majority of population and educated philosophers. Today though, no matter where you go—philosophy, religion, politics, or the general public—you are frowned upon if you do not hold to a relativistic epistemology.

Contrary to what some Christians affirm, some truth is actually relative (i.e., best song, best food, ideal room temperature, drinking a glass of wine/beer, going to the movies, etc.) An example of relative truth in Scripture is found in Rom 14:1-8. When Christians argue that there is no such thing as relative truth, we lose credibility with the culture.

On the other hand, some truth is clearly absolute …… i.e., the existence of God, Christ’s deity, the death and resurrection of Christ, the date of Christ’s First and Second coming, the canon of Scripture, etc. An example of absolute truth in Scripture is found in John 14:6.

If truth is not absolute, it must be relative to something. The ovbious question is relative to what? Example: What direction are you going if you walk to the rear of a westbound passenger train traveling at seventy miles per hour? The answer is relative to your point of reference:

- If that be the coach, you are traveling east.
- If that be the countryside, you are traveling west.
- If that be the earth rotating on its axis, you are traveling east at 812 miles per hour at the latitude of the Kansas-Nebraska border (40º N.)
- If you like, you can also consider that the earth is revolving about the sun, yielding a different direction.
- Then, the galaxy of which our solar system is a part, the Milky Way, is also turning, producing yet another direction.

Rhetorical question for reflection: What is the absolute truth about the direction of your movement in this scenario? Where do you think the absolute truth in this situation lies?

And just how can we find truth? We must test everything (1 John 4:1). A good term for it is “soft skepticism” - meaning we don’t just believe everything and anything unless there is sufficient or compelling reason to believe it. We must be willing to test our beliefs against what is in the Scriptures and discard any that are not consistent. We must not accept anyone’s ideas until we have done the same check objective.

As missional Christians, if we’re to be effective in reaching the culture, it’s imperative we be able to differentiate between relative and absolute truth. Otherwise we risk spinning our wheels - or miss the boat all together.

Bob
Fides Quaerens Intellectum
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Bob Pratico
Fides Quaerens Intellectum
(my Sojourn blog)