Tag Archives: articles by Phil Sanders

I am profitably engaged in reading Phil Sanders book, Adrift, in which he deals with postmodernism in the church and how it has affected our attitude toward authority and/or divine pattern in churches of Christ.   I have scarcely scratched the surface of this 250 page book, and like Nehemiah of old I am “astonished” at the absolute nonsense that permeates the thinking of those in high places of academia.   Professors have brain washed this generation into believing that truth is not absolute.  To put it another way, truth is changing, “fluid,” adapting itself to the times – so they say!  Some years ago Alan Bloom made the same observation in his book, Closing Of The American Mind:  “There is one thing a professor can be absolutely certain of: almost every student entering the university believes, or says he believes, that truth is relative. If this belief is put to the test, one can count on the students’ reaction: they will be uncomprehending” (Bloom, page 25).   Let me state up front that any affirmation that truth is not absolute is not only a lie, it is self defeating.  If truth is NOT absolute, then how can one making such a statement that “truth is not absolute” be absolutely certain in the certainty of that which he has affirmed?  At the same time, post modernism is inconsistent.  If an astrologist tells the average person there are 278,732,168 stars in the universe, he will believe him.  But if a painter hangs a sign which reads “wet paint,” that same person thinks he has to make a personal invitation to see if it is correct.   Why is it that the scientific community can make some of the most outrages statements regarding the origin of man, and average Joe Bazooka will believe him without so much as a simple investigation into the truth of the matter?   It seems that with the passing of time the American public has become increasing gullible.   This may explain why the educational system has swallowed the false doctrine of evolution “hook, line, and sinker!”  It may explain why homosexuality no longer seems to be a matter of morality, why Islam and Hinduism are increasingly popular, and why our politicians in Washington can’t seem to practice fiscal responsibility.  It may also provide an explanation as to why scam artists are so successful, and the American people are growing more foolish.   We are reaping the fruits of half a century of modernism that has been fostered upon the unsuspecting and gullible.  Brother Sanders has summed this up so well:

Since the sea of uncertainty has no rudder, it cannot determine which direction to go.  We may drift wherever we please, but we may not make moral judgments. No one may impose any morality on anyone else so choosing one true direction over another is impossible.   The thinking of the time suggests we must allow going in many directions at once; every alternative is right.  The words of the theme song from Mahogany ask, “Do you know where you’re going to?”  The postmodernist cannot say. He may know what he has ceased to be, but he has cut all ties to the past. He is not so sure what he is right now and really does not know what he is becoming.  He cannot say what he is becoming because he cannot determine with any finality where he is going. Since he is committed to remaining free from determining where he is going, he will not allow anyone to tell him. It is the worst of postmodern sins to decide and point.  Again, the ultimate commitment is absolute and moral theological freedom (Sanders, Adrift, page 30).

If you find that kind of mind-set confusing and illogical you must remember that the Christian thinks different from the world – as he should.  Once a person buys into the lie that there is no absolute truth, that all is relative to the age in which we live, he begins the journey toward the kind of sophisticated silliness demonstrated in postmodernism.   Fortunately, the only sane way of thinking is that which possesses a faith in God, a belief in the inspiration of His word, and the absolute reality of truth.   Personally, I would rather hold fast to the word of God, imbibe its teaching, and embrace its promises than to cast off my rudder and compass and find myself adrift on a sea of hopelessness and happenstance.    You are either going to believe in God, Christ, and the Bible, or you are going to embrace anything that comes along.  Those, in my estimation, are the only two alternatives.

–By Tom Wacaster