Gary discusses how he came to understand the importance of politics, government, history, culture, and a biblical worldview.
All argumentation will inevitably be taken back to a single philosophical starting point from which the person arguing will appeal for ultimate authority to support his worldview. Numerous starting-points are put forward as the foundational basis for thinking straight:
· rationalism: reason rules
· mysticism: unknown forces rule
· hedonism: pleasure rules
· relativism: we get to make up our own rules
· post-modernism: there are no rules
· pragmatism: it’s a rule only if it works
· materialism: only matter matters
· monism: all is one so there is nothing to argue about
And if specific philosophical systems are not enough to establish an authoritative starting point, then there is the appeal to any number of self-proclaimed or institutionally sanctioned experts: a brilliant college professor, the writings of a Zen Master, the directives of a cult leader, the latest scientific studies, the writings or revelations of self-appointed religious leaders, statistical analysis, opinion polls, the Constitution of the United States, psychics, fortune tellers, frequently quoted philosophers, newspaper and magazine editors, judges, television news anchors, Oprah, the high-minded opinions of Hollywood actors, or even alien life forms. Even some atheists hope against hope that someone (other than a personal God) is “out there” to give meaning to the cosmos.
So-called experts, no matter what their field of study or how much information they gather, are finite in knowledge and fallible in practice. Put simply, they don’t know everything, and they make mistakes. For every group of experts that claims to know something, there are always other groups of experts who claim they can dispute the findings of the first group of experts. The Bible describes it this way: “The first to plead his case seems just, until another comes and examines him” (Prov. 18:17).
Thinking Straight in a Crooked World
The nursery rhyme ‘There Was a Crooked Man’ is an appropriate description of how sin affects us and our world. We live in a crooked world of ideas evaluated by crooked people. Left to our crooked nature, we can never fully understand what God has planned for us and His world. God has not left us without a corrective solution. He has given us a reliable reference point in the Bible so we can identify the crookedness and straighten it.
Buy NowGary was recently interviewed by Dr. Michael Horton on the White Horse Inn podcast. In this first part, Gary discusses how he came to understand the importance of politics, government, history, culture, and a biblical worldview.