week 7 - relativism part 2
TRANSCRIPT
A cHRISTIAN
today’s worldWITNESS in
Tactics + sTRATEGIES
Relativism
The Bible
Pluralism
Islam
Sexual Revolution
Media
Training and Equipping Believers to Live Out a Confident Faith
A cHRISTIAN
today’s worldWITNESS in
Relativism
Tactics + Strategies
The Bible
Pluralism
Islam
Sexual Revolution
Media
Training and Equipping Believers to Live Out a Confident Faith
The Challenge of:
Authority
“Who Makes the Rules?”
The Challenge of Authority - Part 1:
Relativism
“True for You, But Not For Me”
The Challenge of Authority - Part 2:
The Bible
“The Bible is just a book written by men”
“Next Week:”
Last Week
The Challenge of Authority - Part 1:
Relativism
“True for You, But Not For Me”
What is Relativism?
“True for You, But Not For Me”
What is Relativism?March
The Challenge of Authority
Part 1
Relativism
Morality is individual, not universal
Morality is a form of personal preference
Morality is “up to you” to decide
What is Relativism?March
The Challenge of Authority
Part 1
Relativism
Truth is found in me, not in the world
We decide right and wrong, we do not discover it in the world
oBJECTIVE AND SUBJECTIVE
“True for You, But Not For Me”
tRUTH cLAIMS
Objective TruthMarch
The Challenge of Authority
Part 1
Relativism
Features of reality, apart from me
True regardless of how I feel or whether I even exist
Things we discover, not things we create ourselves
Subjective TruthMarch
The Challenge of Authority
Part 1
Relativism
Personal preferences and tastes
Things that are true “of you”, not of the world itself.
Subjective TruthObjective Truth
Yourself
Exists because of you
We Determine
Reality
Exists apart from you
We Discover
Three Kinds
“True for You, But Not For Me”
of Relativism
“Society Does”March
The Challenge of Authority
Part 1
Relativism
Claim: If a society agrees, then it is true for them
“Since our culture practices it, it is therefore true.”
“Society says”March
The Challenge of Authority
Part 1
Relativism
Claim: We ought to do what society says we should do.
Moral truth is “what that society says we should do”.
“I say”March
The Challenge of Authority
Part 1
Relativism
Claim: Each person is the ultimate standard for their own morality.
Moral truth is “what I think and feel in my heart is true”.
Tonight
How Do WE reSPOND?
tACTICS FOR rELATIVISM
“True for You, But Not For Me”
3 tACTICS FOR reLATIVISMMarch
The Challenge of Authority
Part 1
Relativism
1) Pointing out self-refutation
2) Pressing their hot button
3) Forcing the Tolerance issue
Self Refutation
Tactic #1 for Relativism:
1. Self RefutationMarch
The Challenge of Authority
Part 1
Relativism
When a claim cannot satisfy the criteria that it promotes
“I can’t speak a word in English”
1. Self RefutationMarch
The Challenge of Authority
Part 1
Relativism
“You Christians shouldn’t push your morality on others.”
Response: “Why Not?”
1. Self RefutationMarch
The Challenge of Authority
Part 1
Relativism
“You Christians are nice, but after awhile you start getting judgmental.”
Response:“What’s wrong
with that?”
1. Self RefutationMarch
The Challenge of Authority
Part 1
Relativism
“It’s wrong to push your views on other people.”
Response:“Why are you pushing yours
on me?”
1. Self RefutationMarch
The Challenge of Authority
Part 1
Relativism
The key: Listen for absolute statements
“Never”, “always”, “you shouldn’t”
Press their hot Button
Tactic #2 for Relativism:
March
The Challenge of Authority
Part 1
Relativism
Getting a reaction from someone that reveals their
true moral beliefs.
“Hey, you can’t do that!”
2. Press Their Hot bUTTON
2. Press Their Hot bUTTONMarch
The Challenge of Authority
Part 1
Relativism
“My teacher doesn’t think that there are any moral rules.”
Response: “Steal her stereo!”
2. Press Their Hot bUTTONMarch
The Challenge of Authority
Part 1
Relativism
“People can do what they want as long as they are not hurting someone else.”
Response: “So you are ok with peeping Toms
then?”
March
The Challenge of Authority
Part 1
Relativism People’s reactions tell you what they actually believe.
2. Press Their Hot bUTTON
People’s words reveal what they claim to believe.
March
The Challenge of Authority
Part 1
Relativism
The key:
Pay attention to people’s reactions as much as their claims.
2. Press Their Hot bUTTON
March
The Challenge of Authority
Part 1
Relativism
The key:
Listen closely for “should’s” and “oughts” and “wrong”.
2. Press Their Hot bUTTON
Force The Tolerance Issue
Tactic #3 for Relativism:
March
The Challenge of Authority
Part 1
Relativism
Identify with their impulse that everyone should be
tolerant…
“You should be tolerant.”
3. The Tolerance Issue
March
The Challenge of Authority
Part 1
Relativism
Show how tolerance doesn’t make any sense if you are a
relativist.
“You should be tolerant.”
3. The Tolerance Issue
March
The Challenge of Authority
Part 1
Relativism
“People have different views, and therefore you should be tolerant of other people and their views.”
Response: “Why?”
3. The Tolerance Issue
March
The Challenge of Authority
Part 1
Relativism
“People have different views, and therefore you should be tolerant of other people and their views.”
Response:“What if I don’t want
to be tolerant of others?”
3. The Tolerance Issue
March
The Challenge of Authority
Part 1
Relativism
“Then you are narrow-minded and intolerant!”
Response:
“But since you aren’t, you will
tolerate my view, right?”
3. The Tolerance Issue
March
The Challenge of Authority
Part 1
Relativism
Classical Tolerance:
“We disagree, but everyone should
have a right to hold their views.”
3. The Tolerance Issue
March
The Challenge of Authority
Part 1
Relativism
Modern Tolerance:
“If you come against someone’s chosen lifestyle,
you are intolerant.”
3. The Tolerance Issue
March
The Challenge of Authority
Part 1
Relativism
Modern Tolerance:
“If you agree with me, you are
tolerant. If you don’t, you are
intolerant.”
3. The Tolerance Issue
What is the difference between
Tolerance
Small Group Question:
and
Approval?
(06 Tolerance and Approval)
toLERANCE AND Approval
ToleranceApproval
“Permitting”To not fight
against
Passive
“Endorsing”To give your blessing to
Active
ToleranceApproval
Requires Disagreeing
Requires Agreeing
ToleranceApproval
Excludes Disagreeing
Requires Agreeing
March
The Challenge of Authority
Part 1
Relativism
“People have different views, and therefore you should be tolerant of other people and their views.”
Response: “When you say tolerate, do you mean approve?”
3. The Tolerance Issue
March
The Challenge of Authority
Part 1
Relativism
“People have different views, and therefore you should be tolerant of other people and their views.”
Response: “Do you approve of everyone’s
views?”
3. The Tolerance Issue
March
The Challenge of Authority
Part 1
Relativism
“People have different views, and therefore you should be tolerant of other people and their views.”
Response:“Are you ok with
rapists?”
3. The Tolerance Issue
March
The Challenge of Authority
Part 1
Relativism
“People have different views, and therefore you should be tolerant of other people and their views.”
Response:
“24/7 Government surveillance in your home?”
3. The Tolerance Issue
March
The Challenge of Authority
Part 1
Relativism
“People have different views, and therefore you should be tolerant of other people and their views.”
Response:“Child
pornographers?”
3. The Tolerance Issue
Can a relativist complain about
the problem of Evil
Small Group Question:
in the world? Why or why not?
Conclusion
March
The Challenge of Authority
Part 1
Relativism
It disagrees with our deepest moral intuitions about right and wrong
Why Relativism Fails
It destroys justice, fairness, the need to learn or care about others…
We never want it done to us
March
The Challenge of Authority
Part 1
Relativism
We think its ok to believe, but would never want anyone to practice on us
Why Relativism Fails
It shows us how horrible human life is when we decide morality.
If we are not the
standardof good and evil, then what is?
Next Week:
“The Bible is written by men, and men make mistakes.”
thE bIBLE