The Lausanne Global Conversation is on the World Wide Open Network
Author: Os Guinness
Date: 21.10.2010
Category: Truth and Pluralism
Os Guiness discusses why the truth matters, using examples from history of the interaction between society and the gospel.
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Keywords: truth, Os Guinness, gospel, Cape Town 2010
Views: 27010
Comments: 15
Recommendations: 8
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United States
Having watched the video and read the comments posted by others, I find this discussion to be powerful in many ways. I accept that God is truth and that only truth will help us in our growth and transformation in Christ. And, I believe that humans do have a need to know the truth and why we seek it through faith.
My question, and perhaps the question others might have, is what do I do with the things I am not sure about? There are things I want to believe, but I am not sure I have quite embraced those things. I pray for help in my unbelief. And, I continue to lift up in prayer the things that confound me.
I know, with certainty, that there are people who would say that as a woman, I cannot be called to ministry, other than to minister to women and children. Even then, that would be limited in some churches. And, those folks would tell me that their proof is in the Bible. And, I could respond with my own proof from that same Bible that God does, indeed, have a place for women in ministry and who are they to question where God has called me to be? Who is telling the truth?
I believe that Jesus is the way, the truth and through Jesus we have abundant, eternal life. I know that to be truth in my life. I can share that good news with others. We all can if we choose to. And, I think it isn’t God’s truth that confuses me. It is human interpretation of it that sometimes does.
I don’t know that I am any better off than when I began writing this, except to say that it is always good to engage in the questions with God, who will provide answers in God’s own timing.
Peace,
L. Sills
08.12.2012
United States
There was one particular phrase he said that grasped my attention. He said, "To abandon truth is to abandon faithfulness; commit theological adultery; and spiritual suicide." I had never heard it put like that, but it resonated deeply with me. It also explains why many churches seem powerless...they have committed spiritual suicide or are in the midst of theological adultery. As the old cliche’ says "If we don’t stand for something we will fall for anything." The thing is...the "something" has to be a particular something...Truth.
23.02.2012
United States
@ modelk66:
That is so ’true’ as it relates to the suicide/adultery analogies. The problem is that all religions, and even many denominations are convinced that they have a ’corner’ on truth--that everyone else’s interpretation or definition of the truth is ’alright’, but they feel dep down inside, "I have the real truth".
09.03.2012
United States
@ akarnett:
That is right. most every religion believes its truth to be the only truth. None of us want to admit to the possibility that our truth may be false. And many Christians will follw that statement by shouting, "But we know our truth is the one and only truth." But that does not help in communicating the Gospel. Yes, we do have an absolute truth in Christianity. But browbeating that truth to others is not the way to comminucate the Gospel. Somehow, we have to reject the pluralism of the world, while still presenting the truth in such a way it is heard and received. That is the struggle...knowing we have truth...knowing it is absolute truth...but then knowing how to communicate that truth. There are times for debates and standing firm and presenting a clear case of the truth. But where the truth makes the greatest impact is in the lives of people who are able to hear and receive it.
12.04.2012
United States
@ modelk66:
Amen to that! Truth, or any other concept for that matter, is only meaningful to another individual if they are able to hear and understand what is being said. Authentic relationship building is so important as it relates to challenging people to rethink or reconsider something as important as their faith. I am so confident in my own belief, that it is difficult for me to imagine a scenario where one could persuade me to change. That is where the work of the Holy Spirit must come in and do that which I/we cannot do!
18.04.2012
United States
In the United States, there is a growing concern among evangelicals that evangelistic and theological rigor are being eclipsed by the Church’s focus on ministry expansion and church growth, compassion and justice oriented work, and postmodern ministry contextualization. This concern among leaders within the United States is also shared by many around the world, including some who have spoken at Cape Town 2010.
In his talk today, pastor and theologian John Piper began the important work of creating space for understanding and dialogue on differing perspectives on these issues. After a riveting exposition of Ephesians 3, Piper described this growing schism in the area of justice and evangelism and offered a well thought-out, scripturally-based integration of the two seemingly competing practices.
Piper closed his message by asking, “Why can’t this Congress say that we as evangelicals care about all suffering—the suffering of those who suffer now and the suffering of those who will suffer in hell?” By framing up the dialogue in this way, Piper has done a great service to the dialogue both within the U.S. Church and between U.S. Christian leaders and their counterparts who are growing ever more suspect of our commitment to truth, mission, and cultural engagement.
Piper’s call to consider the suffering of women and men in a temporal as well as eschatological terms brings both the work of traditional evangelism and gospel proclamation, and the work of justice and compassion together exquisitely. We cannot choose between proclaiming the gospel and the work of freeing slaves, defending widows, serving the poor, or providing medical care to those infected with the leprosy of our day, HIV/AIDS. We also cannot capitulate to the spirit of tolerant relativism. So we must proclaim Jesus Christ as the only way to be saved from the “suffering” to come. We are saved through the cross of Christ!
The Lausanne Congress is a meeting of passionate leaders from 198 countries who have given their lives for the sake of the gospel. So, it is inevitable, even desirable, that there be real, substantive debate and dialogue on our way to greater reconciliation and understanding. The Church expresses itself in different cultural paradigms throughout the world. This is quite real to hose of us who are working in the West to express a relevant response to postmodern culture that is also evangelistic and theologically rigorous. I’ve learned in my ministry that American postmodernity is less a cohesive world view articulated by its literary and philosophical European counterparts than a cultural shift in learning and relating.
Too often, many people over simplify American postmodernity and reduce it to mere relativism when, in fact, American cultural postmodernism has helped throw open the door to engaging the un-churched in dramatic and fruitful ways. In the last several years, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA has seen its largest sustained evangelistic growth in its history, with more students coming to faith in Christ than ever before!
This, in large part, is as a result to our commitment to planting and building transformative, witnessing communities of students, faculty, and staff on our 500+ campuses amongst our 32,000+ constituents. God is on the move in a powerful way in the United States and Cape Town 2010 provides a rich opportunity for us to share with the rest of the world what we are learning. We have much to continue to contribute to the global Church in U.S., effective methods and paradigms that are biblically sound and productively sustainable.
Cape Town 2010 has been referred to as “the most diverse gathering of Christians in the history of the Church.” John Piper exposited Ephesians 3 at Lausanne today and the end of this chapter is fitting for these complex issues. At the Congress, as we grapple with issues as complex as reconciliation and globalization, theology, and cultural engagement, and the role of the Church in politics, the media, and commerce, we need God to fulfill Paul’s prayer to the Ephesians in chapter 3 as we do so.
“For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (emphasis added, New International Version).
12.11.2010
United States
@ R_York_Moore:
It seems that the answer lies in somehow coming up with a successful blnding of these priorities, because to focus on one to the exclusion of the other does not seem like a reasonable solution. The fact is, that a theologically sound church can also be creative and resourceful enough to also be a growing/expanding congregation.
09.03.2012
United States
Dr. Guiness is right on point as he challenges us to be clear on the limits of pluralism. I believe that he made a very sound, direct, and yet non combative case for thr significance of insisting on the verity of Biblical truth. Personally, I am now challenged to reassess my views on tolerance, interfaith and pluralism.
16.02.2012
Latvia
I deeply appreciated Guiness’ message on ’truth’ during Cape Town. I found that his thoughts and challenges really helped me at the point of some of my intellectual needs for verification that what I have given my life to is indeed true. Since Cape Town, I have come to this page on the website several times and re-listened to this message.
26.01.2011
Austria
One of the areas of greatest weakness in our evangelical movement is our lack of truthfulness and honesty when it comes to admit our personal motives, underlying thoughts etc. thus avoiding repentance, brokenness and humility. So when stressing truth as important, one needs to stress personal truth, reflecting and praying for truth about my own hidden motives etc., confessing my sinfullness (publicly if necessary), and humility as well.
01.11.2010
United States
Most people learn orally. It is our responsibility to tell the story truthfully. Storying is no different than preaching and writing. We are responsible as ambassadors to share the king’s message accurately.
A Cambodian soldier told me after three days of "Chornological Bible Storying" that this time nobody had fallen asleep.
Mike Mathews, Texas
22.10.2010
United States
Thank you Os for speaking the truth. Within the mission community the greatest challenge to Truth now comes from the "Storying" movement. Jesus and his apostles won the pagan world by unleashing the power of truth. Postmodern evangelicalism follows Joseph Cambell and Hollywood in reducing the Gospel to a story. They may call it "true story" and not even know that both in the postmodern west as well as pre-modern societies, "true story" simply means a story that is true for me. See www.RevelationMovement.com
22.10.2010
United States
Most people learn orally. It is our responsibility to tell the story truthfully. Storying is no different than preaching and writing. We are responsible as ambassadors to share the king’s message accurately.
A Cambodian soldier told me after three days of "Chornological Bible Storying" that this time nobody had fallen asleep.
Mike Mathews, Texas
22.10.2010
United States
@ mikemat:
Thank you Mike for connecting Orality to my comments on Storying. My guess is that post Cape Town these two postmodern fads will overshadow the good things Os Guinness or John Piper said. Hebrews were 99.9% oral when God’s finger wrote the Law. "It is written" became the source of oral communities. 99% of Germans and English were "oral" folk when Luther, Tyndale etc began translating and publishing the Bible and making universal literacy their goal. Americans are welcome to choose illiteracy, but this time it is unlikely that the global Christianity would allow the West’s postmodern evangelicalism that has lost confidence in Truth and Logos (word) to dictate the missionary agenda. The current popularity of Orality and Storying will self-destruct in the face of the fact that the illiterate world has accepted the literary and Truth agenda of the Protestant Reformers. The attempt to rewrite Acts 1:8 "You shall receive power and become a story teller" won’t sell. A "witness" is someone who does not tell stories.
22.10.2010
United States
Os Guinness never disappoints me. He is a great thinker and communicator. Well done, Os!
21.10.2010
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