“Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in Him, ‘If you
continue in My Word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth,
and the truth will make you free.’” (John
8:31-32 NRSV)
All this talk of truth and falsehood, right and wrong, seems
medieval to many people today. A
philosophical position called deconstructionism says that all claims about
truth are really masks for those who just want power. Deconstructionism has a point: Many claims
about truth are motivated by power. In
fact, people have been known to twist the words of the Bible in order to
justify their cruelty toward other people.
For instance, the Bible has been used to justify white supremacy.
However, taken as an absolute about all truth claims,
deconstructionism goes to far. If there
is a God who created the universe, then that God's perspective on life is the
true one. That God's claims about truth
are motivated not by power but simply by truth.
Extreme deconstructionism says there is no Creator God. There are only interest groups competing for
the power to say what goes.
The sister of deconstructionism is relativism. Relativism says there are no absolute truths.
"Truth" is only what works in a given context. Truth depends completely on your point of
view, and there is no God's-eye-view that is the standard by which all other
perspectives are measured.
Deconstructionism and relativism treat reality like the laws
of a democratic society. It would be as
if the law of gravity were not written into the fabric of the universe. As if gravity were law only until an interest
group could garner enough power to tip the balance on the Supreme Court or in
Congress. As if gravity were law only as
long as it made society run smoothly -- but as soon as it seemed essential for
humans to be weightless, citizens could vote and repeal gravity. Almost nobody actually believes such things
about gravity, but many people believe them about ethical questions, the nature
of God, and what happens when you die.
These issues are supposedly decided by lobbying, voting, and personal
preference.
--
Karen Lee-Thorp in “A Compact Guide to the Bible”
#5469
