Rule of Life #3 - There is truth and it can be known

Christianity was never a religion with an "open mind". Perhaps the advent of an "open mind" came with modern education. It is true that the more we learn and the more we discover, the more questions we seem to have about our world. In the past, this discovery of the perpetual unknown has spurred on further learning. This is still true today. But many academics, who feel uncomfortable with the idea of the unknown, have rationalized this uncomfortable phenomenon with the "open mind" philosophy. The true open mind believes that truth is relative, and that there are many answers to a single question. Such extremes of this have resulted in "fuzzy math" in public schools and revisionist histories. Statistics show that the more educated a person is, the more likely they are to have this point of view. The new definition of enlightened has become "someone with a truly open mind". It is little wonder Christian colleges (mine included) are abandoning their core beliefs to be better perceived, and thus, as a result, believe in nothing at all.

Theistic evolution is the newest form of this. This is the belief that God created the world through evolution. Besides the obvious scientifically proven facts that disprove evolution (this is obvious to anyone who is willing to look), the Bible simply does not support the idea of evolution at all. (To disprove this idea scripturally would take an entire essay in itself. For now I will simply speak of it in general). The idea of this, and much of the "open mind" mentality is nothing short of intellectual cowardice. People who refuse to take a stand and examine the evidence of a situation are essentially sitting on the fence and do not have the wherewithal to make a decision. Much of this stems from a deep seated desire to be liked and respected by all sides. As a result, however, this non-position of the "open mind" usually results in the lack of respect of people who have the courage to make an informed decision.

Theistic evolution is only one of countless examples to be drawn from to illustrate people who would rather have an "open mind" than actually know anything for sure at all. They treat truth as an elusive substance, no more easily caught and contained than the morning mist. But this is far from reality. Evolution from a Christian point of view, like so many other things, can easily be discarded when the Bible is examined objectively. Christianity claims to know the truth, and as such, we do ourselves a great disservice by pretending otherwise. Evolution, homosexuality, salvation outside Christ.... these are all things that creep into the church when we try to have an "open mind". While an open mind may be a good thing in learning, it is dangerous when, in the end, you know nothing at all.

There is truth and it can be known for those willing to look. But it requires being considered "intellectually shallow" for not having (what many would call) an "open mind". I may not have an "open mind", but at least I know what I believe, why I believe it... and I know that it is true.