CONNECTING POINT: Society Run By Feelings

Clearly, we are living in frightening times; modern culture is far different than even one generation ago. The peace of WWII is fading. Relativism is understood as the belief that there’s no absolute truth, only the truths that a particular individual or culture happens to believe. My friends this is a recipe for disaster!

Josh McDowell author and co-leader of the Free to Thrive series makes an important distinction; culture today has seen a rapid progression over the past few decades on three levels. Society has long been guided by an “Objective Truth”- that which can be observed. In recent years societies have pivoted to “Subjective Truth”- truth is determined by what you think. Currently, societies are embracing a new shift to “Emotional Truth”- truth is determined by solely what a person “feels.” This is why I suggest that relativism is a problem. Without objective standards of truth, any culture faces demise because “feelings” are ever-shifting, and determining truth by what an individual “thinks” to be true creates disorder.

Allow me to illustrate the confusion. Let’s say you show up at the local convenience store to fill up your vehicle with gasoline, and you tell the cashier I want to fill up the tank because it’s empty. They respond, “How many gallons of fuel do you want?” Then you say, I “feel” that 5 gallons should do it.

However, the objective truth is your Honda has a 15.3-gallon capacity. But, you think it needs less. Then, say, you take the matter further with the

cashier and state that they should sell the fuel to me at $1.50/ gallon when the market price is sitting at $3.88/ gallon. Feelings don’t cut it, do they? If you persist, you, (or if this were ME) would be told “Get out of my store. I don’t care about your feelings.”

Without objective standards for measurements or value of the dollar, business is impossible.

Many problems have a solution. The answer to subjectivism or relativism is found within the very character of God, his principles and standards are good for all people, places, and times. Philippians 4:8 encourages us to “Fix your thoughts on what is true.” Truth is not something created by

societies. We must have some original or standard. Josh McDowell said, “Truth is objective because God exists outside ourselves; it is universal because God is above all; it is constant because God is eternal. Absolute truth is absolute because it originates from the original.”

In James we read, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of all he created,” (James 1:17-18). James is not

referring to a physical birth but a spiritual birth, discovering that life is meaningless without Jesus. In fact, Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me,” (John 14:6).

Learning to live objectively has been a hallmark of Americans. Sure, we have emotions and established thinking patterns, but they are founded on having a relationship with Jesus Christ. Chaos ensues when we live by our feelings. Jesus simplified the concept of love and put others first under the direction of Godly order. Put your trust in Jesus and discover new life.