Total Truth Revisited: Living Life Authentically
This morning Dr. Al Mohler, President of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, has reposted his original review of Nancy Pearcey's landmark book, Total Truth. Having completed the book several months ago, I have wanted to write a follow up to my previous posts on the book. I suppose this is a good opportunity to do so.
After reading Dr. Mohler's comments, I must say that I echo his sentiments completely, believing this to be one of the most important books of our time by one who I believe will come to be recognized more widely as one of the most influential intellectuals of our time. Truly, if this book is taken seriously and read broadly, it has the potential to make a tremendous impact on our culture, in general, and Evangelicalism, in particular, as it teaches us and encourages us to apply the Scripture to all parts of our lives, developing an authentic biblical philosophy to guide us in all we do, leading to real change in our societies.
Some will certainly disagree with this statement, but the fact remains that Christianity is the only worldview that allows one to live consistently according to all that one claims to believe. However, too many of us who profess to be Christ followers simply do not do so. We consciously or unconsciously live according to what Francis Schaeffer called a dichotomy between faith and rationality. We experience this dichotomy every day in culture as people fight to keep faith issues out of other spheres of life. It is probably played out in the U.S. most often cloaked in the argument for the separation of church and state. Unlike the original intention of Thomas Jefferson to make certain that the State could not influence the Church, most people today use it to make sure that the Church cannot influence the State. Issues of faith, they claim, have no place or relevance in the "real world."
It has been argued on this blog by me and by countless others much smarter than I how it is impossible to live consistently according to other worldviews. For example, one who adheres to a naturalistic worldview might claim that we live in a closed universe (in which the supernatural, or anything outside of the natural, is impossible), governed by cause and effect in which one action simply leads to another rendering true freedom philosophically impossible and in which things like love, morality, and ethics are virtually meaningless. Yet it is impossible to consistently live this way in real life. When the Naturalist goes home, he does not treat his wife and children as though they are merely utilitarian relationships used only to get from those relationships what will contribute to his own survival. When his children misbehave, he does not treat them as though they had no other choice but to act in the manner in which they have. He considers "good" as meaningful over that which is "bad," rather than that which simply is with no qualitative difference. When he is wronged, he feels genuinely wronged and wants justice, rather than simply accepting it for the way things are. He cannot make his real world experiences fit within his philosophical framework. It is, instead, a theory which has no basis in his real world experiences. He must take what has been referred to as a "leap of faith." In The God Who Is There, Francis Schaeffer spoke of the one who adopts this type of faulty worldview:
Christianity, on the other hand, gives reasons for concepts such as suffering and evil, good and bad, right and wrong, free choices, explanation for the difference in what is and what ought to be, the rationale in trusting rationality, purpose for life and living, and a hope for eternity. It explains where we came from, how we got here, why we're here, why we believe as we do, and where we are going. It is possible, then, to experience all of these things in real life and give account for being able to do so; to understand why things operate and function as they do. In short, the closer one gets to living according to a biblical worldview, the closer one gets to the real world.
Unfortunately, too many people who claim this worldview for their own, who truly are followers of Christ, fail to apply it to all aspects of their lives. Instead, they allow themselves to live inconsistently in the world when they do not have to. They work, play and live according to the rules of other worldviews when the one which they are a part actually provides better answers, consistent lifestyles, and real, guilt-free choices. They buy into the dichotomy between faith and reality that society has proposed. It is exactly this false dichotomy that Pearcey works to remove. Like Francis Schaeffer before her, Pearcey helps us understand the rationale for the dichotomy and offers guidance in re-unifying the reality of Christianity with the real experiences of day-to-day life. We see, again, how relevant Christianity is to all parts of life and are reminded that God's Truth is total Truth for the whole of life.
I feel so strongly about the content of this work that I will be so bold as to say that if you have not yet read this book, I believe you have the responsibility to do so. Because of the fact that it teaches us to apply to the real world all that Scripture teaches, it has the potential to completely revolutionize how you live your life.
Click here for a list of previous E.R. posts on the subject.
After reading Dr. Mohler's comments, I must say that I echo his sentiments completely, believing this to be one of the most important books of our time by one who I believe will come to be recognized more widely as one of the most influential intellectuals of our time. Truly, if this book is taken seriously and read broadly, it has the potential to make a tremendous impact on our culture, in general, and Evangelicalism, in particular, as it teaches us and encourages us to apply the Scripture to all parts of our lives, developing an authentic biblical philosophy to guide us in all we do, leading to real change in our societies.
Some will certainly disagree with this statement, but the fact remains that Christianity is the only worldview that allows one to live consistently according to all that one claims to believe. However, too many of us who profess to be Christ followers simply do not do so. We consciously or unconsciously live according to what Francis Schaeffer called a dichotomy between faith and rationality. We experience this dichotomy every day in culture as people fight to keep faith issues out of other spheres of life. It is probably played out in the U.S. most often cloaked in the argument for the separation of church and state. Unlike the original intention of Thomas Jefferson to make certain that the State could not influence the Church, most people today use it to make sure that the Church cannot influence the State. Issues of faith, they claim, have no place or relevance in the "real world."
It has been argued on this blog by me and by countless others much smarter than I how it is impossible to live consistently according to other worldviews. For example, one who adheres to a naturalistic worldview might claim that we live in a closed universe (in which the supernatural, or anything outside of the natural, is impossible), governed by cause and effect in which one action simply leads to another rendering true freedom philosophically impossible and in which things like love, morality, and ethics are virtually meaningless. Yet it is impossible to consistently live this way in real life. When the Naturalist goes home, he does not treat his wife and children as though they are merely utilitarian relationships used only to get from those relationships what will contribute to his own survival. When his children misbehave, he does not treat them as though they had no other choice but to act in the manner in which they have. He considers "good" as meaningful over that which is "bad," rather than that which simply is with no qualitative difference. When he is wronged, he feels genuinely wronged and wants justice, rather than simply accepting it for the way things are. He cannot make his real world experiences fit within his philosophical framework. It is, instead, a theory which has no basis in his real world experiences. He must take what has been referred to as a "leap of faith." In The God Who Is There, Francis Schaeffer spoke of the one who adopts this type of faulty worldview:
Non-Christian presuppositions simply do not fit into what God has made, including what man is. This being so, every man is in a place of tension. Man cannot make his own universe and then live in it....When you face twentieth-century man, whether he is brilliant or an ordinary man of the street, a man of the university or the docks, you are facing a man in tension....a man may try to bury the tension and you have to help him find it, but somewhere there is a point of inconsistency. He stands in a position he cannot pursue to the end. [pp. 132-133]Schaeffer concludes by claiming that "the more logical a man who holds a non-Christian position is to his own presuppositions, the further he is from the real world; and the nearer he is to the real world, the more illogical he is to his presuppositions." [p. 134]
Christianity, on the other hand, gives reasons for concepts such as suffering and evil, good and bad, right and wrong, free choices, explanation for the difference in what is and what ought to be, the rationale in trusting rationality, purpose for life and living, and a hope for eternity. It explains where we came from, how we got here, why we're here, why we believe as we do, and where we are going. It is possible, then, to experience all of these things in real life and give account for being able to do so; to understand why things operate and function as they do. In short, the closer one gets to living according to a biblical worldview, the closer one gets to the real world.
Unfortunately, too many people who claim this worldview for their own, who truly are followers of Christ, fail to apply it to all aspects of their lives. Instead, they allow themselves to live inconsistently in the world when they do not have to. They work, play and live according to the rules of other worldviews when the one which they are a part actually provides better answers, consistent lifestyles, and real, guilt-free choices. They buy into the dichotomy between faith and reality that society has proposed. It is exactly this false dichotomy that Pearcey works to remove. Like Francis Schaeffer before her, Pearcey helps us understand the rationale for the dichotomy and offers guidance in re-unifying the reality of Christianity with the real experiences of day-to-day life. We see, again, how relevant Christianity is to all parts of life and are reminded that God's Truth is total Truth for the whole of life.
I feel so strongly about the content of this work that I will be so bold as to say that if you have not yet read this book, I believe you have the responsibility to do so. Because of the fact that it teaches us to apply to the real world all that Scripture teaches, it has the potential to completely revolutionize how you live your life.
Click here for a list of previous E.R. posts on the subject.
Labels: David C. Price
posted by DAVID C. PRICE at 3/17/2006 10:40:00 AM
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