Truth in an Age of Skepticism

[Murph]

Truth in an Age of Skepticism

Trust is one of the most fundamental components of everyday life. In our familial relationships, friendships, and formal interactions, we continually exercise trust as the means by which we flourish. Thus, Oswald Bayer rightly said, “Without trust, there is no human life.”1 However, the events of 2020 have shown that we have a problem. Societal relationships are not functioning as they should. People are reluctant to trust one another, and we doubt the validity of every interpretation. It is unlikely that the protests and the global pandemic have caused this reality. Rather they have merely served to reveal it. These unforeseen circumstances have simply made clear that which has been true for some time: we live in an age of skepticism.

The problem that such a reality poses for the church is clear. Cultural trends always have the tendency to manifest themselves in the pews. Thus, there is a risk that the present lack of trust in society may readily become a lack of trust in the church. This age of skepticism could very easily produce doubting congregations: communities of believers who do not take one another at their word filled with church members who continuously resist sound leadership. Clearly, such would be to the detriment of body-life and the gospel itself.

The response to this threat is at least twofold. First, church leaders and church members alike must strive to understand more fully the nature of the issue. How exactly has society arrived at such levels of distrust? Second, we must consider afresh the Bible’s teaching on the matter. How does God instruct us to relate to one another, exercising trust correctly, so as to flourish?

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