Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Dan Dilzell: Presenting Propositional Truth With Conviction and Compassion

Imagine a person getting ready to meet with a doctor to hear the results of a biopsy. Now imagine how ludicrous it would be for that person to say, "Hey Doc. Could you perhaps not get too literal in your explanation of my test results? How about presenting it to me in the form of an allegory? Or maybe you could make the results sound more like a "fantasy" than a reality? I don't think I am ready to hear the results just blurted out as a matter of fact. What do you think Doc? Can you help me out here?"

That hypothetical patient represents a dominant mindset in our world today. Many people have become extremely resistant to the idea of propositional truth, not in the area of medicine, but when it comes to God, eternity, sin, and forgiveness. You sound like an "absolutist" if you are overly dogmatic on religious assertions. That was actually the term someone used years ago when suggesting that I present God's Word with less certainty. In fact, people who don't believe that God's Word is "God-breathed" (see 2 Tim. 3:16) may even think you are arrogant if you present propositional truth with assurance and conviction. Read more

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