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To get us started, let's consider this notion that certainty
about anything is inherently arrogant.
That view is wildly popular today. The belief that no one
can really know anything for certain is emerging as virtually the one dogma
postmodernists will tolerate. Uncertainty is the new truth. Doubt and
skepticism have been canonized as a form of humility. Right and wrong have been
redefined in terms of subjective feelings and personal perspectives.
Those views are infiltrating the church, too. In some
circles within the visible church, cynicism is now virtually regarded as the
most splendid of all virtues. We began the introduction to this book with a
prime example of that [i.e., a reference to the Christianity Today feature on
the Emergent movement, which article contained Kristin Bell's confession that
she has no idea what the Bible means; Brian McLaren's belief that no one has
the gospel right yet; and several other statements characterizing biblical
truth as too hazy or too slippery to lay hold of and proclaim confidently]. A
relentless tone of postmodern angst about too much certainty pervades that
whole movement. . . .
The central propositions and bedrock convictions of biblical
Christianity—such as firm belief in the inspiration and authority of Scripture,
a sound understanding of the true gospel, full assurance of salvation, settled
confidence in the lordship of Christ, and the narrow exclusivity of Christ as
the only way of salvation—do not reconcile well with postmodernism's contempt
for clear, authoritative truth-claims. The medium of postmodern
"dialogue" thereby instantly and automatically changes the message.
And the rhetoric of the Emerging Church movement itself reflects that.
Listen, for example, to how Brian McLaren sums up his views
on orthodoxy, certainty, and the question of whether the truths of Christianity
are sound and reliable in the first place:
How ironic that I
am writing about orthodoxy, which implies to many a final capturing of the
truth about God, which is the glory of God. Sit down here next to me in this
little restaurant and ask me if Christianity (my version of it, yours, the
Pope's, whoever's) is orthodox, meaning true, and here's my honest answer: a
little, but not yet. Assuming by Christianity you mean the Christian
understanding of the world and God, Christian opinions on soul, text, and
culture . . . I'd have to say that we probably have a couple of things right,
but a lot of things wrong. [A Generous Orthodoxy, 293.]
McLaren suggests that clarity itself is of dubious value. He
clearly prefers ambiguity and equivocation, and his books are therefore full of
deliberate double-speak. In his introduction to A Generous Orthodoxy, he
admits, "I have gone out of my way to be provocative, mischievous, and
unclear, reflecting my belief that clarity is sometimes overrated, and that
shock, obscurity, playfulness, and intrigue (carefully articulated) often stimulate
more thought than clarity." [Ibid., 23.] A common theme that runs
throughout most of McLaren's writings is the idea that "there is great
danger in the quest to be right."]
. . . . . . . . .
[The argument seems to be] that if we cannot know everything
perfectly, we cannot really know anything with any degree of certainty. That's
an appealing argument to the postmodern mind, but it is entirely at odds with
what Scripture teaches: "We have the mind of Christ" (1 Corinthians
2:16).
That's not to suggest, of course, that we have exhaustive
knowledge. But we do have infallible knowledge of what Scripture reveals, as
the Spirit of God teaches us through the Word of God: "We have received,
not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know
the things that have been freely given to us by God" (1 Corinthians 2:12).
The fact that our knowledge grows fuller and deeper—and we all therefore change
our minds about some things as we gain more and more light—doesn't mean that
everything we know is uncertain, or outdated, or in need of an overhaul every
few years. The words of 1 John 2:20-21 apply in their true sense to every
believer: "You have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all
things. I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but
because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth."
The message coming from postmodernized evangelicals is
exactly the opposite: Certainty is overrated. Assurance is arrogant. Better to
keep changing your mind and keep your theology in a constant state of flux.
By such means, the ages-old war against truth has moved
right into the Christian community, and the church itself has already become a
battleground—and ominously, precious few in the church today are prepared for
the fight.
- John MacArthur
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