Francis Schaeffer’s line “true truth” was coined as a result of the pluralistic culture of his day which has in many ways engulfed our present society. Schaeffer was referring to a truth that is objective and not relativized by one’s preferences. The Gospel is true truth. The Church’s peculiarity stems from her unique perspective on objective claims.
There are times when a church can speak a truth, but speak it so subtly and unwillingly that the congregation embraces a certain level of skepticism. As Leslie Newbigin observed,
“As long as the church is content to offer its beliefs modestly as simply one of the many brands available in the ideological supermarket, no offense is taken. But the affirmation that the truth revealed in the gospel ought to govern public life is offensive.”
There is a kind of preaching that is so subtle, that rumor has it, a camel accidentally found its way through the eye of a needle right before the pastor concluded his point. Parishioners said it was a sight to behold. Another rumor was that the arguments were filled with so many nuances that they died on the way home.
In our day, debating the truth claims of Scriptures is paved with great intentions. But the end result is a Gospel that ceases to offer that potent claim, but is now a powerless declaration that Jesus can be Lord, but He may not be necessarily interested in the job description.
Schaeffer was right. Simple truth has its genesis in the One who claims to be the way, truth, and life. This three-fold declaration is not up for debate. Pluralism, religious pluralism, is an impossibility for you can only serve one master.
