Jarl Waggoner's Articles

Pluralism: The Death of Truth

by Jarl K. Waggoner

"It doesn't matter what you believe as long as you are sincere," my college faculty advisor told me. It was not the first time I had heard this statement and it certainly would not be the last. In fact, these words will be familiar to many people, for they reflect one of the most popular philosophies in the Western world, the philosophy known as pluralism.

Pluralism: What Is It?

The word pluralism is used in at least two ways. Popularly, it reflects the often cherished reality that we live in a diverse society. Pluralism is the norm, especially in America. Many different cultures, beliefs, and religions are freely practiced in the United States, and most Americans would have it no other way. Our freedom of speech and religion guarantee that every group and opinion is permitted free expression.

In this article I will examine a very different idea known as philosophical pluralism. Philosophical pluralism is the belief that all views in society are equally valid. D. A. Carson explained that this means, "that any notion that a particular ideological or religious claim is intrinsically superior to another is necessarily wrong. The only absolute creed is the creed of pluralism. No religion has the right to pronounce itself right or true, and the others false, or even . . . relatively inferior" (The Gagging of God: Christianity Confronts Pluralism, Zondervan).

Two other philosophies or mind-sets are closely tied to pluralism-relativism and post-modernism. Relativism is the "theory that all knowledge, particularly judgments in ethics, science, and religion are not absolute but depend upon culture or varying social perspectives" (Harrison, ed., Encyclopedia of Biblical and Christian Ethics, Nelson).

Pluralism is, in essence, the outgrowth of relativism. If there are no absolutes, one viewpoint is as valid as any other. We are left with a plethora of sometimes contradictory ideas, all of which must be accepted and tolerated.

Pluralism is also the hallmark of the pessimistic philosophy known as post-modernism. Post-modernism is a radical rejection of absolute truth and reason. It sees no unifying center that makes sense of all the divergent elements of life. "The post-modern consciousness, therefore, entails a radical kind of relativism and pluralism" (Grenz, A Primer on Post-Modernism, Eerdmans).

Pluralism's Impact

In Society. Pluralism is perhaps most commonly encountered in the almost universal and incessant calls for tolerance. Since pluralism values all views as equally valid, any claim to absolute truth is judged as intolerance. For pluralists, intolerance is the greatest, if not the only, sin.

Tolerance of people is certainly a Christian virtue, but pluralism promotes toleration of ideas. Ironically, those who lack tolerance for certain ideas are often mercilessly attacked in a most intolerant way.

In popular terminology, the tolerance of pluralism is called political correctness. It should be no surprise, then, that Christians, who uphold the politically incorrect notion that some things are right and others are wrong, are increasingly despised in society.

Pluralism may be used to shut off debate on almost any moral issue. To argue that abortion, homosexuality, or even murder is wrong in itself is to claim moral absolutes. Pluralism, however, must allow for all views. Our objection to such practices is brushed aside as mere opinion and no more valid than anyone else's view.

Politicians, trying to appease both sides of an issue, often take up the pluralistic mantra. They say things like "I am personally opposed to abortion, but I support a person's right to have one." This appealing statement has been repeated almost robotlike in recent years. It portrays the speaker as one who is moral in his personal life but unwilling to force others in a pluralistic society to accept his personal views.

Finally, pluralism is evidenced in society's widespread ignorance of the Bible. No longer can we assume that people in society have a basic understanding of what the Bible is and what it teaches. Such biblical ignorance should not surprise us. After all, if the Bible is considered just one of many interpretations of life, why should people bother to study it more than any other document?

In the Church. As with most philosophies, pluralism has not remained the sole possession of a corrupt society. It has infiltrated the organized church as well. Pluralism has no place for dogmatism of any kind. Sadly, many churches have adopted the same philosophy. As Carson noted, "For those who espouse radical religious pluralism, there is no longer any heresy, except perhaps the view that there are heresies."

Instead, there is a growing tendency, even in churches that claim the evangelical label, to downplay doctrine and to elevate a nonjudgmental gospel of self-fulfillment, a gospel that addresses felt needs rather than the sin problem. A growing number of self-styled evangelicals now embrace universalism in one form or another.

In recent years a number of such evangelical scholars have advocated annihilationism (the idea that the unsaved will cease to exist rather than suffer eternal punishment). Some say the gospel may be offered to certain of the unsaved following death, and some even think God may reveal Himself to people through non-Christian religions. Their statements show that pluralism is the underlying basis for such teachings (cf. Pinnock, A Wideness in God's Mercy, Zondervan).

An Evaluation of Pluralism

It contradicts Scripture. Despite the obvious influence pluralism has had on some segments of Christianity, one thing should be absolutely clear. It is that philosophical pluralism is utterly incompatible with biblical Christianity. Christianity rests upon the certain truth that God exists and has revealed Himself to mankind. Apart from the historical, propositional truths of divine creation, the incarnation, the substitutionary atonement, and the bodily resurrection of Christ, Christianity itself cannot exist.

Yet pluralism cannot permit such truths to stand, for to do so is to acknowledge that there is truth and consequently error as well. Such an admission challenges the very foundation of pluralism.

By the same token, for a Christian to buy into the philosophy of pluralism is to accept the assertion that Christianity is simply a matter of personal opinion or preference. It is to lower the truth claims of Christ and the Scriptures to a level no higher than that of the supermarket tabloid.

Truth, however, cannot be compromised. If indeed Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life and no one comes to the Father but by Him (John 14:6), it follows that most of the religious opinions expressed in the world are false and must be rejected.

It is internally inconsistent. As R. C. Sproul pointed out, "Pluralism . . . [has] no possibility of being true because, from the beginning, the very possibility of truth itself is eliminated. If everything is true, then nothing is true" (Lifeviews, Revell).

As such, pluralism as a guiding philosophy of life cannot work. A person cannot live his life in this world on the basis that everything-or nothing-is true. He will not live long if he suddenly decides that his own personal "laws of nature" are as valid as those many others have observed and proved over the centuries.

It is inconsistent in practice. The tolerant, nonjudgmental, all-accepting attitude endorsed by pluralists sounds very good, but one soon discovers that such an attitude is reserved exclusively for like-minded people. Ironically, pluralism is extremely intolerant of those who do not follow the party line. Pluralists have no tolerance for people who express any kind of dogmatism. But while decrying dogmatism in any form, pluralists make the most dogmatic of statements with regard to politically incorrect beliefs and practices.

It does not unify society. Pluralism offers nothing by which society can find and maintain the order and unity that are necessary for its own existence. Sproul noted that pluralism is ultimately intolerable even to its proponents.

Society cannot function on the basis of pluralism, for it leads to chaos. Something has to bring the unity that society requires. Inevitably, the state seeks to bring unity by forcing people to go to the same schools, to learn the same things, and say the same words. Pluralism ultimately ends in statism. Sproul observed, "The state becomes the goal of life. The state becomes the reason for us to live. The state unifies, transcends, becomes absolute, and is eternal."

A Christian Response to Pluralism

It should be clear that as Christians we cannot embrace the principles of pluralism. It is true that we live in a pluralistic society, and we cannot force Christian beliefs on people (if belief is something that can be forced on anyone!). At the same time, we cannot accept a role as just another participant in a pluralistic society-one voice among many equally valid claims. We must challenge the very concept of pluralism, for Christian truth demands that falsehood be rejected. We cannot acknowledge a false view as simply another way of looking at things.

Primary to our task of taking the gospel to a world dominated by pluralistic thinking is the clear, uncompromising proclamation of the truth. Because we live in a world that has little knowledge of the Bible, we must explain in very clear terms the meanings of such terms as sin, salvation, and Jesus Christ.

This can be frustrating, but in a post-Christian, pluralistic world, it is necessary. Indeed, it is the only way to reach a lost world. A world that knows no truth must be clearly and patiently confronted with the One who is the truth.

The gospel may be rejected time and again as a dogmatic religion, but the truth is what ultimately sets people free. And when it is presented in a loving way, it will have a substantial impact even among skeptics.

We can also confront pluralism by showing true Christian tolerance. This means maintaining a loving attitude toward people who have yet to see the truth of the gospel but not an acceptance of their sinful ideas and practices. We must stand opposed to statism as we clearly present the truth that biblical Christianity alone can bring unity without destroying diversity.

For readers who want to learn more about the vast topic of pluralism than I have been able to include in this brief survey, I recommend looking to D. A. Carson's tome cited above.

This article was originally published in the Fall 2001 issue of Gospel Herald and The Sunday School Times. It is reprinted here by permission of The Incorporated Trustees of the Gospel Worker Society, Union Gospel Press, P. O. Box 6059, Cleveland, Ohio 44101.