Eroding The Foundation -- Subjectivism
Modern man has lost the ability to learn and obey God's truth by
destroying, for the most part, the most basic principle on which truth can rest.
This is a principle that is taught in the scriptures (1 Timothy 6:3-5; 2 Timothy
3:6, 7; 4:1-5; Titus 1:10-13) as much as it is an observation made in the real
world. The notion that truth exists at all is rejected by many, - even by some
who claim to be Christians. It really seems to be a part of the breakdown of
"rational thinking" more than a deterioration of "communication" skills.
We are seeing, in our day, the fruit of subjectivism. Words do not mean
anything in these days of relativism. As a result of this men seem to feel free
to construe the words of others in any way they choose. They expect others to
construe their words to mean what they do not mean in the dictionary. These are
two sides of one coin. The coin of subjectivism.
In "the old days" two men would approach a question or a problem with
something in common. They both believed that truth existed and they usually
believed that the truth they were seeking could be found. They may have differed
widely concerning just what the truth was, but they both believed it was out
there, independent of what they chose to think. They both argued about the
evidence with the mutual hope of finding the truth.
Today, many (if not most) in our culture have been "educated"
(indoctrinated may be more accurate) to believe that all truth is relative. When
we attempt to speak with many of our neighbors and some of our weak brethren we
are simply not on the same page. When we present evidence for the existence of
God, the inspiration of the Bible, the truthfulness of specific Bible doctrines,
and the rightness and wrongness of certain human actions, we are met with
confused looks by those who stand on no foundation and believe
that
none exists. While we love those who are thus adrift without anchor or rudder we
are often frustrated in our attempts to find some "common ground" that will
serve as a basis for study and communication.
This may be a slight exaggeration, but it seems that when a subjectivist
says that, "You are a dirty, stinking skunk!" he is shocked that you did not
construe his words to mean that, "You are an immaculate, charming sweetheart."
In his confused mind you are responsible for knowing what he meant and that what
he meant was not definite and rigid. You are guilty of unfair judging when you
take his words to mean what we normally use those words to mean. With him,
meanings are flexible rather than fixed. When he says, "You look like a monkey",
he may mean "Apples are fruit." This can be frustrating when we are on the
receiving end of "communication" with a subjectivist, but it is much more
bearable than when we are on the sending end. The subjectivist feels free to
take your words to mean anything he chooses and to tell others what he has
"perceived" you to say. After all, in his mind, words can mean no more than the
ideas that they represent. Since ideas, in his distorted thinking, can never be
objectively fixed, he feels free to impose any meaning upon them that he
chooses.
Over the past several years we have heard enough straw men quoted by
subjectivists to supply the need of every corn field in the world. While we
might as well give up trying to convince the subjectivists of anything beyond
the truth that truth exists, we need to call them to account for the public
statements for the sake of those who hear their claims. One brother told me this
week that, in "45 years of attending the
Others tell us that "nothing can be questioned in churches of Christ."
When you ask them what question they are not permitted to ask, they are at a
complete loss. Usually, they have no response because most preachers and
teachers among us are delighted to have questions to explore from the Bible. A
few have said, more or less in response, "But they claim to have the answers!"
And this is the problem for the subjectivist: "answers!" He hates all things
presented by others as absolute facts. He repudiates the very idea of undeniable
truths proceeding from others. He paints the whole realm of ideas gray so he can
select what he chooses from the whole to turn either black or white at will. He
cannot maneuver well in an environment with fixed boundaries and immovable
obstacles. There he looses his freedom to manipulate, exploit, negotiate, and
orchestrate.
The Bible does not present a problem for the
subjectivist because of what it specifically teaches. His problem with the Bible
is that it specifically teaches. His problem with the church and her teachers is
not really what is taught. His problem is that specific things are taught as
inflexible truth. His battle is not really with the specific doctrines that he
seems to attack as much as it is with the notion that specific doctrines can be
settled once and for all. This leaves him without arguments in favor of his own
ideas and it places him perpetually at odds with God's people who are always
prepared "to contend
earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered unto the
saints" (Jude
3).
---Tim Nichols
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It is easy to tell if someone is experienced with hard physical labor. A
simple look at their hands will show it. Those who work at such tasks develop
thick calluses from the repeated exposure to their work environment. The things
that once irritated them and produced sore blisters now no longer hurt them.
They have grown accustomed to these abrasives, their bodies have adjusted to
them, and there is no more adverse reaction.
Sadly, too many Christians have developed a kind of spiritual callousness
to the wicked world we live in. We are constantly bombarded by evil of every
kind. We see it in person, we read about it, we view it on television, we hear
it on the radio. We have unlimited access to it via the Internet and other
media.
Our neighbors are involved in it. Officials in high office are engaged in
it. Initially all of this evil irritates us. We are upset and disgusted by it.
But gradually, by long exposure to these things, we become hardened. We've grown
accustomed to the evil, and it no longer bothers
us.
We have adjusted to it all and there is no more adverse reaction. We can
view the immorality and not be shocked by it. We can hear of the perverted deeds
and not be repulsed. We are "street-wise." We know about illicit sex, drug
abuse, and every sort of wickedness. We talk about them with ease. We have
become callused.
The Lord does not want us to be this way. He desires us to live
"in holiness and godly
sincerity, not in fleshly wisdom" (2 Cor. 1:12). He
urges us to "be wise in
what is good, and innocent in what is evil" (Rom. 16:19).
He commands us to think on things that are "pure, lovely,
and of good report" (Phil 4:8).
Christian, are you keeping yourself "unspotted from the world?" (James 1:27)
---Greg Gwin
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