The Absolute Truth Blog

Evan-jello-calism

jasider@comcast.net (Jeff Siderius) — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 06:24:00 -0800

...a perfect metaphor for modern "evangelicalism" -- the boundaries of the concept have now become so mushy and ambiguous the word has lost virtually all meaning.

But that doesn't stop all manner of people from throwing it around when they want to sound as if they are "Christian."

HT: Pulpit Magazine

Alive in Christ

jasider@comcast.net (Jeff Siderius) — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 11:28:00 -0700

On the morning of Friday, March 9, 2007, I drove the train station. I parked facing south, and sat in my car to think and pray. The previous evening my wife Beth and I and our friends, Jerry and Cheryl, had been to see the movie, Amazing Grace. The day before, I had been reading some of John Piper’s writings on the supremacy of Christ and they had made a marked impact on me. In particular, I had been convicted by his comments on what it means to really know God and to really know Christ, and how that meant not just head knowledge but intimate personal acquaintance as was pictured in the marital bond.

That morning driving to the train station, I was also thinking about the conversion experience of John Wesley and how it took a long time and was difficult for him to understand. Perhaps most important, I was going through a period of turmoil in my personal and professional life and was exhausted and despairing of hope that things could get better. I was terrified that I would always be the way I was, and I was profoundly disappointed and unhappy with that state of affairs. I was looking at the church steeple of a little chapel nearby. I was thinking of the words of the old hymn, I must tell Jesus, I must tell Jesus, I cannot bear these burdens alone. I must tell Jesus, I must tell Jesus, Jesus will help me, Jesus alone.

As I got out of my car to walk to the train platform, I prayed, “Dear Lord Jesus, please take my sin-ridden life and make it yours. I don’t care what happens to me or my career or if you send me to Africa. I can’t take this any more.”

As soon as I prayed this, I felt an immediate sense of peace and rest come over me. It was as if a wild and riotous storm at sea had suddenly hushed and fallen calm. I do not know if I was truly saved before that moment, and I am not certain I am qualified to say, but in that moment I felt perhaps for the first time in my life that I was truly His. I felt as though the Kingdom of Heaven had come down to a commuter parking lot, and into my heart.

Are You a Moral Relativist? Then You are Not a Christian

jasider@comcast.net (Jeff Siderius) — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 07:32:00 -0700

1. Moral relativism is the greatest evil of our day, as the new Pope Benedict has argued. It leads to massive confusion, despair, suicide, and countless power struggles. It is like a colorless, odorless gas which has escaped into the atmosphere of our culture, which we have breathed in without knowing it. To pick just one example, our legal system has become overrun with power struggles over such things as whether evolution or creation, or both, can be taught in public schools. The ultimate legal “issue behind the issue” in these fierce debates, as every lawyer knows, is who gets to decide. The same can be said for abortion, euthanasia, etc.

2. No one can believe such things as “my ideas [about ultimate issues of faith] are just as good as your ideas,” “no one can tell me what to believe,” “all religious are just different paths to the same god,” and the like, and believe at the same time in the Christ who said: “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6) No one can believe in moral relativism and believe that “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) Many other scriptures could be piled upon these.

3. The organized Christian church should speak out with one voice against this evil, and even call it what it is, a heresy. From time to time through history, the Church has been called upon to draw the lines that distinguish the true Gospel from various false teachings that assail it. This is one such false teaching, yet it has been adopted, albeit perhaps unconsciously, by many who claim to name the name of Christ in our society.

The Church needs to speak clearly and with one voice, and proclaim to all such people: If this is what you truly believe, then whatever else you may be, you are not a Christian.

[The above are some thoughts on Moral Relativism, arising out of reading the chapter in John Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion on the doctrine of the Church, and the necessity for the people of God to hear the preaching of the Word as a congregation in order to avoid “lone ranger” Christians who by failing to attend such preaching fall into all kinds of error.]

Reality, Seen & Unseen

jasider@comcast.net (Jeff Siderius) — Fri, 18 Nov 2005 12:57:00 -0800

"...beliefs are of the limited mind, and cannot be absolute truth. Absolute truth must be seen directly, not merely believed."

It sounds like this poster is a materialist.

There is a sad dichotomy afoot in the land today. All that is considered "science" -- and therefore legally teachable in public schools -- is what can be seen, felt, tasted or touched. In other words, scientific materialism is the order of the day. Everything else is deemed "religion" and unfit for consumption by public school children.

This is unfortunate, does not comport with any reasonable definition of scientific inquiry, and cannot withstand scrutiny. Religion, and the Bible, lay claim to ALL of reality, including not only the visible world but also the invisible world. To artifically separate the two is dangerous to peoples' souls and is unscientific under any rational definition of "science."

The Bible cautions us that it is the things that are unseen that are eternal reality, while the things that are visible (and knowable to the senses) are passing away.

Shouldn't we be studying the things that are eternal, not just the things that are passing away?

SkypeIn Phone Number Up

jasider@comcast.net (Jeff Siderius) — Wed, 3 Aug 2005 07:40:00 -0700

My SkypeIn voicemail is now active for your comments, questions and possible discussion topics:

(630) 448-0472

It Started In the Sixties

jasider@comcast.net (Jeff Siderius) — Mon, 1 Aug 2005 16:02:00 -0700

Chuck Colson pinpoints where the idea that "there is no such thing as absolute truth" began seeping into peoples' minds -- and how the devastating consequences have played out over the past decades in one area, politics:

"When ideology begins to replace revealed truth as the basis for governing a society, you inevitably have the kind of polarization we have in America today, Reds vs. Blues. Ideology is a man-made political formulation for how people should live their lives together and is, therefore, from our perspective as Christians, inherently flawed. And it’s dangerous when a society becomes so polarized over ideology that it lacks a frame of reference for agreeing on the common good."

This all started when moral relativism took root in America, beginning in the sixties on the campuses and then invading popular culture—back when Time magazine asked that provocative question, “Is God dead?” When this happened, the overarching standards of truth and moral behavior historically governing our society were undermined. And forty years of aggressive secularism since then have simply erased the idea of moral absolutes—no such thing as truth; everything is a matter of personal preference."

When you disregard the very idea of truth and exclude even the possibility of moral absolutes, the only thing you're left with is mere personal preferences -- as in, which flavor of politics do you prefer? And, the only thing left for the MSM to report is, "whose flavor is winning today?"

The Absolute Truth Inaugural Podcast 7-31-05

jasider@comcast.net (Jeff Siderius) — Sun, 31 Jul 2005 15:00:00 -0700

Dear friends,

Here is the first step in what hopefully is the right direction. I discuss three analogies to illustrate the issue of absolute truth in a postmodern world -- the ice cream vs. insulin analogy (hat tip to Grek Koukl of Stand to Reason), the oncoming train, and turning the cross back on again!

You won't want to miss it!

Feedback is welcome

Hopefully there will be live call-ins (via Skype-In or some other way) with regularly scheduled podcasts at some point in the near future!

New Podcast Coming Soon

jasider@comcast.net (Jeff Siderius) — Wed, 20 Jul 2005 10:42:00 -0700

Gentle subscribers,

I am heartened by the recent subscriptions to my feed. Due to work demands, I am now hoping to have my inaugural podcast up by this weekend. It will replace the "test podcast" below.

Thank you for your patience.

Ice Cream or Insulin?

jasider@comcast.net (Jeff Siderius) — Tue, 19 Jul 2005 11:18:00 -0700

Greg Koukl of Stand to Reason draws this cogent analogy:

"There’s a difference between ice cream and insulin.

When choosing ice cream, you can choose what you like. When choosing medicine, you must choose what heals. When choosing ice cream you can choose what’s true for you. When choosing medicine you must choose what’s true.

There is significant confusion on this point. Americans think of God, religion, and morals like ice cream and not like insulin. They choose religious views according to tastes, according to what they prefer rather than according to what’s true. Non-believers view religion like ice cream."

To take Greg's analogy one step further, if you really need insulin, but instead you just eat ice cream, you won't simply go merrily on your way. You will die! In the same way, it is fundamentally wrong to say, as many do, "It doesn't matter what you believe as long as you're sincere." It's a life or death matter.

The problem in postmodern America is that many are wandering around sampling the ice cream, when what they really need is spiritual insulin!