Here are my notes for the first in a three part series called: Is It Relative - Living Morally in an Amoral World.

The PDF of the note can be downloaded (Click Here) 

The audio podcast link should be in the sidebar on the right of this post. 

The book I recommend can be purchased by clicking on here: The New Tolerance

Is It Relative? Living morally in an amoral world.

Joh 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

• Joh 18:38 Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?" ...
• People have been asking that question throughout all time, and today as much as ever
• We have more information available than ever thought possible, yet are no closer to knowing what is true.
• This series is about Relativism – Truth relativism and moral relativism
  • Is there objective truth – is it true to say Jesus is the only way to have eternal life? Or are there as many ways to truth as there are people?
  • Is there objective morality – is it valid to say there are absolute standards of right and wrong? Or is right & wrong determined by our society or as individuals?

Intro Series

• Two huge challenges
  • Christians struggling to live right
  • How to answer our culture that says everything's right
• These challenges are more connected than we may like to admit
• We will never be able to answer those around us who claim there is no “right or wrong” if we are not able to live a life that demonstrates a belief in right and wrong
  • Or as an advocate of gay marriage said, “Christians can't deny “us” marriage until they deny themselves divorce – since they say it's about the sanctity of marriage.”
  • Although that statement is simplistic, and not relevant to the issue of redefining marriage – it does call us to account
  • How do you answer a person who says it's okay to have sex outside marriage, if you had, or are having sex outside marriage?
    • Or you laugh at it when you watch it displayed in a TV sitcom?
    • Or the movie that you say you love, was filled with fornication?
    • Or you listen and rave about songs that parade the misuse of sexuality?
• Likewise – our struggle to live according to the Biblical standard of purity is made VERY difficult by our culture.
  • We are bombarded by the things of this world – they affect us
  • Advertising, media, internet, all bombard us with images, ideas and opinions
  • We are not swimming upstream, we are against an avalanche.

What Is Relativism

• Is a/the prominent philosophy or ideology of our day
• Points of view have no absolute truth or validity, having only relative, subjective value according to differences in perception and consideration. Truth is always relative to some particular frame of reference, such as a language or a culture. What is right or wrong for you is not for me, or others. No Absolutes.
  
• Relativism is sometimes interpreted as saying that all points of view are equally valid, in contrast to an absolutism which argues there is but one true and correct view.
  
• Relativism asserts that a particular instance Y exists only in combination with or as a by-product of a particular framework or viewpoint X, and that no framework or standpoint is uniquely privileged over all others.
  
• Relativism is not skepticism. Skepticism superficially resembles relativism, because they both doubt absolute notions of truth. However, whereas skeptics go on to doubt all notions of truth, relativists want to replace absolute truth with a positive theory of relative truth. For the relativist, there is no more to truth than a personal or cultural belief, so for them there is a lot of truth in the world.
  
• GK Chesterton "When people stop believing in God, they don't believe in nothing -- they believe in anything."

Classic arguments against relativism:

1. Contradiction - Relativism inherently contradicts or refutes itself: the statement "all is relative" classes either as a relative statement or as an absolute one. If it is relative, then this statement does not rule out absolutes. If the statement is absolute, on the other hand, then it provides an example of an absolute statement, proving that not all truths are relative.
2. Natural Law – Simply put, the physical universe works under basic principles: the "Laws of Nature" which demonstrate that absolutes exist in nature and therefore exist in morals and ideas. Gravity, etc.
3. Corruption – Relativism undermines morality, resulting in the breakdown of social bonds between an individual and their community ties, with fragmentation of social identity and rejection of self-regulatory values.
   1. Relativism denies that harming others is wrong in any absolute sense. The majority of relativists, of course, consider it immoral to harm others, but relativist theory allows for the opposite belief.
   2. In short, if an individual can believe it wrong to harm others, he can also believe it right–no matter what the circumstances.
4. Negation - If everyone with differing opinions is right, then no one is. Thus instead of saying "all beliefs (ideas, truths, etc.) are equally valid," one might just as well say "all beliefs are equally worthless".
5. Impossible to be wrong – Finally some forms of relativism make it impossible to believe one is in error. If there is no truth beyond an individual's belief that something is true, then an individual cannot hold their own beliefs to be false or mistaken.

Respect and tolerance vs. Relativism

• The New Tolerance, Josh McDowell book.
  • Tolerance no longer means you treat with respect those you disagree with
  • You must ACCEPT what they believe as being equally true as what you believe
  • Anything less is considered intolerance, arrogant and even criminal.
• This is Relativism implimented
  • Not only is it wrong, but it isn't even helpful
  • It is contradictory and simplistic
  • It actually DE-VALUES people, rather than valuing.
  • It is an arrogant reaction against arrogance.
• Tolerance is to respectfully treat those you disagree with, valuing them as individuals but being willing to discuss and debate ideas, beliefs and behaviors in a way that is motivated by love and demonstrates love.
• 1Pe 3:8-9 Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; (9) not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.
• 1Pe 3:13-17 And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? (14) But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you are blessed. "AND DO NOT BE AFRAID OF THEIR THREATS, NOR BE TROUBLED." (15) But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; (16) having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. (17) For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.

Where Are You Looking?

• What is the source of your ideas, information, feelings?
• This question is really at the heart of this series and this idea.
• What we look to defines us. It is impossible to be unaffected by what you see and hear
  • Some things we have no control over
  • You and I have a great amount of control. We must accept this responsibility.
• Heb 12:1-2 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, (2) looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
  • As Christ followers we must look to Jesus
    • The author – initiator, leader, captian
    • And finisher – completer, the one who brings us to full maturity
    • To determine what we believe & how we behave.

Next two weeks

• Delve more deeply into the Biblical response to Relativism
• Look at how our behaviors are affected by this influence, and how to live Christ-like in a very non Christ-like world
• Discuss the verses that are commonly used as a defense of Relativism – and talk about certain issues that are relative.