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A Barna Research Group survey on what Americans believe asked the question, "Is there absolute truth?" Sixty-six percent of adults responded that they believe "there is no such thing as absolute truth; different people can define truth in conflicting ways and still be correct." Among those ages 18-25, the number was even higher: 72 percent. In a series of more than 20 interviews conducted at random at a large university, people were asked if there was such a thing as absolute truth -- in other words, truth that is true across all times and cultures for all people. All but one person gave an answer like one of the following:

"Truth is whatever you believe."

"There is no absolute truth."

"If there were such a thing as absolute truth, how could we know what it is?"

"People who believe in absolute truth are dangerous."

What is the Christian perspective regarding truth? Can truth be "whatever you believe"? Is there an absolute truth? And if there is, can we know it? I bought coffee for a few Christian high school students, and I asked them what they thought about Barna's survey results.

Absolute or Relative?
GO!: When Jesus was first presented to Pilate before His crucifixion, He made the following statement: "I came to bring truth to the world. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true." In response to this statement, Pilate incredulously asked, "What is truth?" [John 18:37-38, NLT]. Now, based on the fact that Jesus decided not to give him an answer, I am pretty sure that Pilate didn't really want to know the answer to his question. But it is an important question. If this survey is accurate, most people just don't believe there is one standard for absolute truth. What do you think about that?

Jennifer: I'm not surprised. In my high school, even a higher percentage would say that truth is relative.

Mary: The people I know definitely would agree with the last statement that people who believe in absolute truth are dangerous. They think I am dangerous.

Jennifer: But if truth isn't absolute, then what is it?

GO!: If it isn't absolute, it is relative. Those are the only two options. If there isn't one truth that is knowable and certain, then truth is relative to whatever you want to make it relative to-your situation, your culture, your geographical location, your age ... whatever.

Mary: Actually, that view sounds like the more dangerous one.

Adam: I don't believe that truth is relative. But it seems harsh for me to tell my friends that what I believe is right and what they believe is wrong.

GO!: You're making a very good point, Adam. And I want to get to how we talk to people who believe different things in a few minutes. But for now let's stick to the more basic question. Do we all agree that the only two options are that truth is relative or that it is absolute?

Jennifer: Yes, I agree with that. And the problem is that if you say there is no absolute truth, even that is an absolute statement!

Adam: I think the reason people deny that there is absolute truth is because they believe if they admit there is absolute truth, it limits their freedom.

John: But the Bible says just the opposite; that Christ came to bring freedom [Galatians 5:1].

GO!: You're right John. Let's talk about how we talk to people with different beliefs. There is a whole movement going on in our culture right now. It is called postmodernism and one of its basic concepts is that truth is relative. So you're growing up in a world that believes truth is relative. How do we help people see that believing in the absolute truth of the gospel is liberating and not confining?

Grace and Truth
Mary: Our school is very diverse and you do have to be careful how you talk about your beliefs.

Adam: Yeah, because if someone gets offended, fights could break out or whatever.

Lindsay: People are very sensitive about their religious beliefs. That is a very personal thing. I don't really know how to talk about what I believe without making other people feel wrong about their beliefs.

Jennifer: Somewhere in the Bible, it says that Jesus was full of grace and truth [John 1:14]. I think that is a good example for us. We can be full of the truth and tell people what we believe about it, as long as we are also full of grace and keep in mind that we are talking to people who may have grown up with different beliefs or in different situations than us. We have to be sensitive, and being full of grace helps us to be sensitive.

Adam: I agree with that.

GO!: You're right. The Bible also says to speak the truth in love [Ephesians 4:15]. So, in other words, we are supposed to do both-speak the truth, but speak it in love! This is the example Jesus set. In fact, when He spoke harshly, it was to the religious leaders of His own faith, the Pharisees!

Jennifer: That's a really good point. You have to have a balance between those two.

John: If you come down too much on the truth side, with no love, then you're more like a Pharisee?

GO!: Exactly. That is what Jesus criticized about the religious leaders of His day. They knew the Scriptures, but they did not filter their truth through the filter of grace.

Mary: We went to visit my brother in college, and there was this guy preaching on campus and telling people they were going to hell if they didn't give their lives to Jesus. I don't disagree with his message, but the way he delivered the message was terrible. And no one was listening to him. People were just laughing and trying to start pointless arguments with him.

A Situation
GO!: Okay, let's say I am your best friend, and I am not a Christian. I am a moral relativist, meaning that I think right and wrong are determined by the situation I am in, rather than some other objective standard like the Bible. Therefore, there is never one right or wrong thing to do in a certain situation. I had to stay up late last night to take care of my sick brother and didn't get a chance to study for today's math quiz. You sit next to me in math. Can I cheat off of your paper?

John: No. I feel sorry for your situation. But cheating is wrong, and both of us could get in a lot of trouble.

Lindsay: No, but I will help you study for the next one to bring up your grade, because I feel sorry for your situation.

GO!: But you're not going to let me just look at a couple of answers? I had a really hard night last night.

Mary: You did the right thing last night by staying up with your brother. Now you have to do the right thing by not cheating. You can explain the situation to the teacher and she might let you take the test another time, or she might let you do some extra credit. But it's always wrong to cheat.

Jennifer: I really want to help you, but I try to follow what the Bible teaches, and the Bible says it's wrong to be dishonest and cheat. Do your best on the quiz. I will help you catch up in math. Is your brother okay? Is there anything I can do?

GO!: Great. In those responses, you demonstrate that you're not willing to compromise your beliefs (truth), but that you are interested in helping me however you can (grace). Jennifer even started a conversation about why she can't compromise her beliefs. She now has a great opening to share the gospel in a very nonthreatening way.

These guys had some great things to say about truth, but they're students just like you. Need something to back it up? Truth is a major theme of the Bible, particularly the book of John. John's Gospel reminds us that Jesus is the Truth (14:6) and speaks the truth (8:45-46), the Holy Spirit is the Truth (14:17 and 16:13), and that the Word of God is Truth (17:17). Elsewhere in the Bible, Scripture tells us that God is a God of truth (Deuteronomy 32:4, NKJV) and His judgments are according to truth (Psalm 96:13, Romans 2:2). As far as our behavior is concerned, the Bible teaches that Christians should walk in the truth as revealed by Jesus, including the standards of morality that He taught (Ephesians 4:17-32 and 5:1-17), and that we should teach others the truth (2 Timothy 2:23-26). And we should not be surprised that so many in our generation reject the truth of the gospel, because Scripture also tells us to expect truth to be rejected (2 Timothy 4:1-5). Our job is to be faithful to the Truth we know, because that Truth brings life to those who hear it and follow it.

How to Speak the Truth in Love
GO!: All of you have students from a variety of cultures and beliefs in your high schools. What specific things do you do to show tolerance and acceptance of others, without watering down the truth of what you believe?

Jennifer: You have to have a relationship with the person.

GO!: Okay, explain what you mean.

Jennifer: You have to start talking to people by getting to know them and asking a lot of questions about them. Find out what they believe and why they believe what they do. Usually you'll get a chance to tell them what you believe at some point.

Mary: Yeah. People usually like talking about themselves. So asking a lot of questions about them is good.

Lindsay: Don't be judgmental. Most kids believe what their parents believe at our age. So if someone says they believe something different from you, and you tell them they are just wrong, you're really not even giving yourself a chance to make an impact on them.

GO!: This is all such good advice! What I hear you saying is that establishing understanding and common ground is a very important first step, and you get to that step by asking nonjudgmental questions and building a relationship. But once that relationship is built, and you have an opening to share truth, how do you do that?

Jennifer: I think that kinda depends on what you found out in the first step. But I usually say, "This is what I believe ..." If I just listened to what they said they believe, usually they will do the same for me.