Truth Itself Must Be Defended: A Brief Consideration

The truth claims of Christianity presuppose that (1) truth exists, that (2) it is defined as that which corresponds to reality, and (3) that is knowable. One could communicate the gospel of Christ in the most eloquent fashion only to have your audience retort that they do not even believe in truth itself, not to mention the truth claims of the Bible. In the first century, Pilate asked, “What is truth?” Today, many respond “There is no truth,” or that “All truth is relative.” Such deconstuctionist ideas must be addressed.

First, it is undeniable that truth exists. For to claim that “There is no truth” is to say either a) it is true that there is no truth or b) since there is no truth then the statement itself is not true. Either way the statement is false. Furthermore, the statement itself minimally implies the truths of being (someone existed who made the statement), time (“there” is uttered before “is” and “is” before “no,” etc.), and unity (four separate and distinct words conveying one thought). Thus, the statement “There is no truth” is self-defeating and loaded with implicit truths that contradict its own claim.

Second, when the Christian claims that the Bible is true, he is claiming that its propositions correspond to the way things really are. For instance, the Bible claims there really is a God, who really created man, that man really is sinful and can really find redemption only in Christ. Thus, if the nature of truth is anything except “that which corresponds to reality,” then the Bible’s claims are empty. Furthermore, Christian truths could not “trump” falsehoods from other religions, for falsehood does not exist apart from the correspondence view. Ironically, all non-correspondence views (pragmatism, feelings, coherence, etc.) implicitly claim to correspond to reality. In other words, rival views must employ the correspondence view in order to deny it, which means correspondence is undeniably true. The Christian apologist should also point out that all truth, if it is true, is exclusive and absolute by nature regardless of whether it is 2+2=4 or the deity of Christ. Because of the very nature of truth itself, the claims of Christianity are no more exclusive and absolute than any other truth claims, religious or non. 

Third, the Christian should demonstrate that not only does truth undeniably exist and that the correspondence theory is undeniably true, but also that truth is undeniably knowable. The agnostic might concede the first two points, but then reject the knowability of truth. By claiming that truth cannot be known, however, the agnostic has made a truth claim. Thus, his position is self-defeating. Furthermore, one must know some truth about reality in order to claim that no one can know truth about reality. Again, agnosticism is hung by a noose of its own making. It is legitimate to question how man knows or how much man knows, but it is self-defeating to question if man knows.