What is Truth?

I should begin the response to my view of the meaning of truth by first examining what Pilate meant when he said, “What is truth”? Although the scene takes place in a legal setting, where Jesus is being tried for crimes against the state, I do not believe Pilate was saying, “What are the facts or what is accurate”. He was saying, “What is this reality you claim to represent”? With that perspective of Pilate’s words I think truth is whatever conforms to the reality of God. In him every proposition of truth must be confirmed. Whether we talk about general revelation found within the creation or special revelation found within scripture; truth is the objective reality based on God. Since God cannot be fully known then truth will always be in part.

I do not mean to imply that the reality or truths which have been made known are easily discernable or objectively clear. I actually believe that it is impossible to achieve a fully objective perspective on what is true because of a corollary belief, that is, man is by nature weak and imperfect. Reality is always obfuscated by human experience, education, and God. Our experiences taint our view of reality. Sigmund Freud and others who predate him claimed that people project their own thoughts or perspectives into the world. The world is actually shaped by our prejudiced perspective. Exposure to information through education or lack of exposure to information can blur our understanding of reality. Education does not necessarily clarify our understanding of truth or reality, because it may encourage us to depend on reason alone. A lack of education may leave us unprepared to examine truth empirically or rationally. Finally, God, may prevent us from knowing the truth. Paul claims that people who did not want to retain knowledge of God would give them over to a debased mind. So, it appears that knowledge of truth and reality can be available, but our minds would be unable to perceive it. Despite the seeming futility of really knowing truth or reality we can achieve some degree of understanding through open, faithful communities of Christ.

The reality that has been revealed is most fully discerned within community. Alone we are subject to circular, myopic thinking. Within community, however, truth can be discerned more perfectly. I bring my reality to the conversation and others bring their perspective - God himself abides in the midst of that fellowship to help bring understanding. Paul writes to Corinth, “Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent. For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged, and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. For God is not a God of confusion but of peace” (1 Cor. 14.29-34). It appears that men and women within community are to share what they understand from God and through this sharing “all may learn”.

Modernity, in contrast to my position above, does not allow for the use of faith to gain an insight into reality. Moderns rely on reason and empiricism. Truth is less what is real, but what is verifiable and demonstrable through the scientific method. The physical and material is real; in this my position is in concert, but moderns believe this is all there is to reality. The metaphysical, that is, the supernatural is rejected for being unobservable and, therefore, untrue. Because modernity believes the universe is a closed system and that man is capable of discovering truth and understanding the world; they believe that truth will eventually be disclosed in a full set of universal principles that all humanity will be able to access through reason. Since I believe that God has provided an overarching metanarrative through special revelation I am at odds with the general premise of most moderns that there is no rhyme or reason to the events of history.
Where I see God’s hand at work in history clarifying reality; moderns see a string of causes and effects. Although, we share some points of similarity on what truth and reality is the modern perspective leads to the postmodern position that there is no truth or verifiable reality.

Postmodernity is a strong reaction against the positivist claims of modernity and to some extent my claims above on reality and truth. When moderns failed to deliver on their truth claims of continuous societal improvements based on reason; there was a strong reaction against the whole idea of truth and reality. This was a justified response after two world wars, genocide, race riots, and other abuses that were supposedly the relics of a pre-modern age. Where my view of truth calls for trust; the postmodern view is strongly skeptical of any authority - ancient or modern. My position holds that truth is discoverable because God himself allows for it.
Postmodernism, in contrast, believes truth is made rather than discovered. Where postmodernism and I are in agreement is in the idea and skepticism that human language can accurately convey truth. I do not think it is completely impossible to develop a taxonomy capable of conveying truth. But, I do believe we need to patiently accept the possibility that our attempts to convey reality are limited by words and the imprecision of their use. Although I disagree with many of the claims of postmodern thinkers I am convinced they have done the church a favor by forcing us to review certain “orthodox” assumptions that are really the vestiges of failed manifestations of Christianity throughout the ages as it sought to control society through power instead of influence.