The Death of Truth: What’s Wrong With Multiculturalism, the Rejection of Reason and the New Postmodern Diversity

by Dennis McCallum

Publisher:

Bethany House

, 1996

Overview

Whatever Happened to Truth?

America is in the midst of a revolution in thinking that impacts every conceivable aspect of life. Postmodernism, the guiding spirit of our times, teaches that things like reason and rationality are cultural biases, and that truth—especially God’s truth—doesn’t exist. A society that forsakes truth believes that:

• All lifestyles, religions, and worldviews are equally valid
• The only real sin is criticizing someone else's views or moral choices
• Opinions matter as much as evidence
• Reality is in the mind of the beholder

Not since Charles Darwin confronted Christians with his doctrine of naturalistic evolution has the church faced a challenge for which it is so ill-prepared. We are witnessing The Death of Truth.

Key Features

• Explores the traits and impact of Modernism and Postmodernism
• Examines key beliefs of Postmodernism and their implications
• Helps Christians understand and respond to Postmodernism

Contents

• Are We Ready?
• Our Old Challenge: Modernism
• Our New Challenge: Postmodernism
• Postmodernism and The Myth of Progress: Two Visions
• Postmodern Impact: Health Care
• Postmodern Impact: Literature
• Postmodern Impact: Education
• Postmodern Method: History
• Being of Many Minds: The Postmodern Impact on Psychotherapy
• Postmodern Impact: Science
• Postmodern Impact: Religion
• The Postmodern Religious Shift: Five Casualties
• Evangelical Imperatives
• Practical Communication Ideas

Top Highlights

“But since we can’t stand outside ourselves, we have no way to know whether the correspondence is accurate. We are left with skepticism.” (Page 36)

“Postmodernists agree that various groups’ attempts to wield power is what drives society, yet their reactions to these struggles split them into two camps. Skeptical postmodernists regard power negatively, as an overwhelming force of repression. They view the cultural relativity of truth as an occasion for a cynical posture toward all commitments to truth. Affirmative postmodernists see power positively, as a tool. They see the rise of subjective, culturally based truth and reality as an opportunity to create new realities and, by extension, new kinds of individuals.” (Page 46)

“1. Human beings are what their cultural environments make them.” (Page 34)

“They are constructivists because, not believing in any objective foundation for reality, or knowledge claims about reality, these postmodernists feel free to create, or construct, ‘knowledges’ and ‘realities.’” (Page 48)

“Postmodern theorists, however, reject the idea that people freely reason and choose” (Page 33)

Contributors

• Dennis McCallum
• Jim Leffel
• Dónal P. O'Mathúna
• Gary DeLashmutt
• Roger Braund
• Tom Dixon
• Jim Fidelibus
• Gary Saalman Jr.
• Lee Campbell

Praise for the Print Edition

The Death of Truth is the best I have seen in its readability and depth of penetration.

—Dr. Grant Osborne, Professor of New Testament-Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

Enlightening, informative, and insightful...

—Dr. Dale E. Galloway, Dean of the Beeson Center, Asbury Theological Seminary

I heartily recommend it!

—Dr. Hugh Ross, President-Reasons to Believe

Product Details

• Title: The Death of Truth: What’s Wrong With Multiculturalism, the Rejection of Reason and the New Postmodern Diversity
• Editor: Dennis McCallum
• Publisher: Baker
• Publication Date: 1996
• Pages: 288
• Resource Type: Topical
• Topic: Christianity & Culture

About Dennis McCallum

Dennis McCallum was the founder of Xenos Christian Fellowship in Columbus, Ohio. Xenos is a non-traditional church that has grown out of the Bible study Dennis and his brother started in their rooming house at Ohio State University in 1970.

Today, Dennis serves with Gary DeLashmutt as co-lead pastors at Xenos, which now has a weekly attendance of over 5000. He also leads Xenos’ college ministry at Ohio State University. Xenos is a house church planting movement, where over 250 home churches and 500 cell groups are operating at this time.

Xenos is rated among the top missions sending churches by ACMC, and has been named the best local church in community development and ministry to the poor by World Vision in 1997.

Dennis’ educational background includes a BA in history from Ohio State University (1974), and an MA from Ashland Seminary in Ashland, Ohio (1986). Dennis is author of several books including Organic Disciplemaking (Touch Publications) Christianity, The Faith That Makes Sense, (Tyndale) The Summons and Walking in Victory, (Navpress) Spiritual Relationships that Last, (Xenos) and The Death of Truth (Bethany). McCallum has also authored numerous articles and study guides. Dennis married his wife, Holly, in 1973. Their three children: Jessica, 29; Joe, 24; and Bret, 22 all lead house churches at Xenos.