Scripture: John 17:17
Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.

Thought for the Day: A recent survey by the Barna Group shows that the majority of people do not believe in absolute truth. Truth is relative to our social, there cultural, search economic and sexual contexts. There can’t be a single truth for all humans, because our contexts and moral codes are so different. This way of believing allows us to be tolerant of different cultures, and this finding does not surprise me.

The problem I see in relativism though, is that it can make consensus difficult to reach. If my cultural truth is that tattoos are a religious expression, and your cultural truth is that marking your body is an affront to your religious beliefs, then agreeing to disagree might be the best relationship we can hope for in a relativistic world. Relativism leaves us cold, disconnected from each other and from God.

I think we can go deeper than relativism, though. I think there are some absolute truths: love God and love your neighbor. If we stick with the basics, those two fundamental, absolute truths, then our relative truths take on new and deeper meaning, and we’re never left alone.

Prayer: May the light of truth shine on and through me, Infinite and Unchanging God. Amen.