*Note: Parts 1 and Part 2 of this series
What is truth? For the human race, few questions are more recurring—and few pursuits are more elusive—than identifying absolute truth in reality. Even the most intellectually astute philosophers seem no closer to satisfying this inquiry in the twenty-first century than during the era of the Pre-Socratics. An illustrative sample of this observation is articulated in the following excerpt from Philosophy News.
Truth, like knowledge, is surprisingly difficult to define. We seem to rely on it almost every moment of every day and it’s very “close” to us. Yet it’s difficult to define because as soon as you think you have it pinned down, some case or counterexample immediately shows deficiencies. Ironically, every definition of truth that philosophers have developed falls prey to the question, “Is it true?”[1]
Indeed, the quest for truth has been a pervasive goal for many civilizations throughout the course of history, yet it often tends to be a never-ending journey (Eccles. 8:16-17). Thankfully, the God of truth has provided humanity with a way of objectively knowing reality as He has fashioned it (Deut. 29:29). According to biblical Christianity, God’s grace and God’s truth was consummately manifested in the person of Jesus Christ, such that Jesus could declare Himself as the way, the truth, the life, and the only way to a relationship with God (John 1:17; 14:6). What’s more, because of Jesus’ identity as the Logos, He is not only the personification of God’s truth (John 1:1-3); He is also the arbiter of God’s truth (John 8:15-19). That is to say, all truth in reality is only truth because Jesus—along with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit—has established it as so (Col. 2:3).
If proven credible, the aforementioned propositions would necessitate seismic implications for biblical Christianity’s place in the public square. Why? Because if absolute truth is rooted in biblical Christianity, then the public square would be unable to offer truth—nor account for the truthfulness of anything—without first presupposing biblical Christianity.[2] In other words, epistemological certainty—justified true knowledge[3]—cannot be obtained in the public square if biblical Christianity were not true.[4] To demonstrate why this is the case, attention must be directed to prove how three of the most basic preconditions for epistemological certainty are contingent on the triune God of Christianity. Namely, laws of logic, uniformity in nature, and reliability of human sense perception.[5]
- Without biblical Christianity, there is no objective grounds for laws of logic. The Bible establishes a universal and unchanging basis for why rational human discourse is possible in the first place (Col. 2:3; 2 Tim. 2:13). Therefore, mankind cannot reason, or embark upon intellectual exchanges, without employing the laws of logic that his Creator has entrenched into reality.
- Apart from biblical Christianity, there is no objective rationale for the uniformity of nature. The Bible teaches that God upholds and sustains all things in His created order by the word of His power (Heb. 1:3). As such, human beings can trust and presuppose that creation will continue to function with general regularity and predictability (Gen. 9:1-17; 2 Pet. 3:3-4).
- Aside from biblical Christianity, there is no objective basis for regarding human sense perception as generally reliable. The Bible states that every person will have to give an account to Jesus Christ for how they lived during their time on the Earth (Rom. 14:12; 2 Cor. 5:10). Doctrines such as these confirm that human sense perception is largely dependable, otherwise how could such an account be possible in the first place?
From the dawn of existence, the testimony of human life is one that exemplifies each of these preconditions for epistemological certainty. Consequently, even if a person rejects the Christian faith with their lips, they must still live as if Christianity is true. Whether realized or not, in every instance that a person utilizes the laws of logic, enjoys the uniformity of nature, or applies sense perception to the extra-mental world, they in practice presuppose the fidelity of biblical Christianity. In the final analysis, when analyzed from a biblical perspective, all people residing in God’s world must play by His rules in order to live, move, and have their being (Acts 17:24-28).[6]
Given these unmistakable and unavoidable connections between biblical Christianity and epistemological certainty in reality, is it any surprise that followers of Jesus Christ earnestly contend for their faith to have a place in the public square (1 Pet. 3:15; Jude 1:3)? For believers, the motivation to see Christianity at the forefront of civilian contemplation stems from the conviction that its absence will yield intellectual regression in society; regardless of cultural climate, human flourishing will be hindered when a population loses awareness of the objective pretext for rationality.[7] Thus, may appeals to the need for epistemological certainty in reality propel believers to defend the necessity of having Christianity in the public square.
[1] Paul Pardi, “What Is Truth?,” Philosophy News, March 22, 2015, https://philosophynews.com/what-is-truth/.
[2] Greg L. Bahnsen, Always Ready: Directions For Defending The Faith, ed. Robert R. Booth (Nacogdoches, TX: Covenant Media Foundation, 2000), 37-40.
[3] On page 578 of Prolegomena, ed. John Bolt, trans. John Vriend, vol. 1 (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2003), Herman Bavinck observes “there is a huge difference between subjective certainty and objective truth. In the case of faith or belief, everything depends on the grounds on which it rests.” Thus, epistemological certainty can be properly defined as “justified true belief.”
[4] As succinctly expressed by Cornelius Van Til, “the physical world cannot be truly known when it is cut loose from God. We may say the phenomena cannot be truly known without the noumena. It is not enough to say that the phenomenal world can be wholly true if the phenomenal world is not set in relation to God.” An Introduction to Systematic Theology: Prolegomena and the Doctrines of Revelation, Scripture, and God, ed. William Edgar (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R Publishing, 2007), 147-148.
[5] In The Ultimate Proof of Creation: Resolving the Origins Debate (Green Forest, AR: Master Books, 2017), Jason Lisle notes that four cardinal preconditions for intelligibility (i.e., epistemological certainty) are laws of logic, uniformity of nature, reliability of human sense perception, and moral absolutes (pp. 45-71).
[6] The reasoning unpacked in this paragraph is in keeping with what I have produced at greater length on these subjects elsewhere. For a lengthier exposition of the preconditions of epistemological certainty, see Dewey Dovel, “Moral Absolutes, The Law of God, and The Imago Dei ,” Covenant Confessions, July 30, 2022, https://covenantconfessions.com/moral-absolutes-the-law-of-god-and-the-imago-dei-%ef%bf%bc/ and Dewey Dovel, “Postmodernism and Christian Apologetics,” Covenant Confessions, October 7, 2020, https://covenantconfessions.com/postmodernism-and-christian-apologetics/.
[7] In “The End of Liberal Democracy?,” American Reformer, November 16, 2022, https://americanreformer.org/2022/11/the-end-of-liberal-democracy/, Craig A. Carter persuasively argues that human flourishing in a society is directly tied to the existence—and in many cases, the prospering—of biblical Christianity.
Dewey is a licensed and ordained minister in the Southern Baptist Convention. He was raised in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, is happily married to Beall, and is a proud father of Isabelle Ruth. Dewey played college baseball at Western Texas College, receiving the Associate of Arts degree in General Studies. Following his time at Western Texas College, Dewey would continue as a student-athlete at The Master’s University, earning the Bachelor of Arts degree in Christian Ministries. Upon completion of his undergraduate work, Dewey went on to acquire the Master of Arts degree in Biblical Studies from The Master’s University, as well as the Master of Theology degree in Historical Theology from Campbellsville University. Dewey is currently a doctoral student at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, with an emphasis in Christian Worldview and Apologetics. Over the last decade, Dewey has served local churches in a variety of ways, focusing on next generation ministries. He has experience teaching children in AWANA, serving as youth pastor, as well as leading college students and young adults. He is also passionate about personal evangelism, and has led groups in gospel outreaches in cities around the country. To strengthen his service to the church, and in conjunction with his seminary studies, Dewey has participated in several academic fellowships and cohorts. He specializes in the disciplines of apologetics, biblical theology, historical theology, and systematic theology. Dewey is also actively involved with Covenant Confessions—a ministry of Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary. Today, Dewey serves as the Associate Pastor of Next Generation and Outreach at Metro East Baptist Church (Wichita, Kansas).
You can follow Dewey on Twitter @SlaveofChrist17
Pingback: Why Christianity is Necessary in the Public Square: Reflecting on the Church’s Responsibility – Covenant Confessions