A famous preacher recently recounted his experience on a major university campus. When addressing a large gathering of students, he was widely applauded for introducing himself as someone who had searched for the truth. But the cheers turned into wild booing when he told them that he’d found the truth.
That episode encapsulates the postmodern world we now live in. Postmodernism—a way of thinking that denies absolutes and objectivity—now dominates our culture. The only thing those students were absolutely certain about was that you can’t be absolutely certain about anything. In their eyes, what began as a humble quest for truth had morphed into an arrogant assertion—one that was unacceptable to their postmodern worldview.
And while postmodernism thrives in higher education it has found other places to flourish as well—including modern evangelical churches. How often do you hear questions about the Bible like, “What does this verse mean to you?” Or maybe you’ve encountered objections like, “Well that’s just your interpretation.”
Postmodern gurus have invaded many pulpits with no interest in arriving at biblical truths. For them, it’s “the journey” that matters, not the destination. They conveniently forget the word that we use to describe a traveler with no destination in sight—lost.
In the following audio clip—taken from a sermon called “Reasons to Trust the Clarity of Scripture”—John MacArthur explains the sinister nature of postmodernism and how it assaults the authority of God’s Word.
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We must not lend credibility or credence to people who attack the clarity of Scripture. Postmodernity does not reflect true spiritual depth, but instead the shallowness of the unregenerate mind. Their inability to understand or be certain about anything in Scripture is not because the Author has trouble explaining Himself.
God displays his mercy by speaking with clarity. And He gives His people the mind of Christ that we might fully comprehend His written revelation. We can know Him with assurance as we come to know His Word with certainty.
With that in mind, we invite you to answer this question in the comments below: Where do you encounter postmodern uncertainty and how do you apply biblical truth in response?
