As we survey the culture in which we live, many of us are distraught over the changes we have witnessed in the last thirty to forty years. Who would have guessed we in America would have witnessed so much violence on our streets an in our schools. Many people wonder what is to be done to effectively combat the moral decline in our country. I propose that no methods of change will be effective unless we understand three things. First, we must understand where we have come from; secondly, where we are going, and finally and most importantly, where we should head in light of the truth.

Truth today is seemingly dead however, and dealing with a culture that no longer accepts objective truth makes the effort to bring about change even more difficult. Philosophically, how are we to argue that the change we see fit to bring about is the best, or right, change. With the removal of truth comes the removal of objectivity of meaning. In other words, we ask "What is the best?" We can expand this idea to include the questions "What is good?", "What is fair?", or even "What is beauty?" I have often argued that the statement "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" is ludicrous. If beauty is relative, then the word beauty has no meaning, unless it merely means taste. Therefore, a more accurate statement would be "Taste is in the eye of the beholder". My point is that this argument could be applied to the meaning of good as well. If the majority of people want what is good, we must first agree to the meaning of good. This implies that there must be an objective good.

In order for anything to be objective, or for anything to be truthful, there must be a source by which these things are defined and measured. An example of this is our system of measurement of distance. If we are to understand what one means when they say that a location is five miles from another location, we must all agree that the two locations do exist in precise places in space and time and that five miles means the same thing to us all. If we say there is no objective truth then we would have a hard time following directions, for one’s mile might mean one thing, and some else’s mile might mean another.

This same idea applies to understanding good. If there is such a thing as "good", then there must be something by which we determine good and measure all things against. If man defines that which is good, then all men would have to agree, and this is not the case. Hitler’s idea of good was definitely the popular opinion around the world. The greater world powers deemed their understanding of good was greater, which is why World War II took place. But was the Allied Powers idea of good the right one? We can see from this example that this is impossible to determine simply because people have different opinions. Therefore, the definition of good must come from something greater than man. Good can not be defined by a finite mortal. It must be defined by an infinite immortal. In other words, God determines that which is good and that which is not.

It is therefore our responsibility to understand what is good according to God’s standard of good. We must seek His message. How do we determine, among all the world’s religions, which one accurately claims God’s truth. If there is such thing as truth, then only one religion can be right. We can therefore rule out any religion that states that all roads lead to God, since truth can not tolerate error, it can also not tolerate contradiction. Although most dominant philosophies in the world today teach tolerance, we can see that truth can not tolerate tolerance. For example, 2 + 2 = 4, and can only equal four. Truth can not tolerate it equaling anything else.

Jesus Christ said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father but through me." Jesus’ teachings were intolerant of any other means by which one can come to God to determine that which is good. This is consistent in the Old Testament as well. God said in the Ten Commandments, "You shall have no other god before me." Pluralism among religions will not deliver us from the evil in the world. The only way we can achieve that which is good is by coming to God. He defines the truth whether we accept it or not. He determines reality whether we can comprehend it or not. God is the standard and source of all good, and only through Him can our culture be healed of evil.

JSW, July 31, 1999