How to engage the concept of Relativism from a Christian worldview

1. A cHRISTIAN
today’s world
WITNESS in
Tactics + sTRATEGIES
Relativism
The Bible
Pluralism
Islam
Sexual Revolution
Media
Training and Equipping Believers
to Live Out a Confident Faith

2. A cHRISTIAN
today’s world
WITNESS in
Relativism
Tactics + Strategies
The Bible
Pluralism
Islam
Sexual Revolution
Media
Training and Equipping Believers
to Live Out a Confident Faith

3. The Challenge of:
Authority
“Who Makes the Rules?”

4. The Challenge of Authority - Part 1:
Relativism
“True for You, But Not For Me”

5. The Challenge of Authority - Part 2:
The Bible
“The Bible is just a book written by men”
“Next Week:”

6. Last Week

7. The Challenge of Authority - Part 1:
Relativism
“True for You, But Not For Me”

8. What is Relativism?
“True for You, But Not For Me”

9. 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

10. 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

11. oBJECTIVE AND SUBJECTIVE
“True for You, But Not For Me”
tRUTH cLAIMS

12. 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

13. Subjective TruthMarch
The Challenge
of Authority
Part 1
Relativism
Personal preferences and tastes
Things that are true “of you”, not of the
world itself.

14. Subjective TruthObjective Truth
Yourself
Exists because
of you
We Determine
Reality
Exists apart
from you
We Discover

15. Three Kinds
“True for You, But Not For Me”
of Relativism

16. “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.”

17. “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”.

18. “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”.

19. Tonight

20. How Do WE reSPOND?

21. tACTICS FOR rELATIVISM
“True for You, But Not For Me”

22. 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

23. Self Refutation
Tactic #1 for Relativism:

24. 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”

25. 1. Self RefutationMarch
The Challenge
of Authority
Part 1
Relativism
“You Christians shouldn’t push your
morality on others.”
Response: “Why Not?”

26. 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?”

27. 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?”

28. 1. Self RefutationMarch
The Challenge
of Authority
Part 1
Relativism
The key:
Listen for absolute statements
“Never”, “always”,
“you shouldn’t”

29. Press their hot Button
Tactic #2 for Relativism:

30. 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

31. 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!”

32. 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?”

33. 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.

34. 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

35. March
The Challenge
of Authority
Part 1
Relativism
The key:
Listen closely for
“should’s” and “oughts”
and “wrong”.
2. Press Their Hot bUTTON

36. Force The Tolerance Issue
Tactic #3 for Relativism:

37. 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

38. 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

39. 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

40. 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

41. 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

42. 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

43. 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

44. 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

45. What is the difference between
Tolerance
Small Group Question:
and
Approval?

46. (06 Tolerance and Approval)

47. toLERANCE AND Approval

48. ToleranceApproval
“Permitting”
To not fight
against
Passive
“Endorsing”
To give your
blessing to
Active

49. ToleranceApproval
Requires
Disagreeing
Requires
Agreeing

50. ToleranceApproval
Excludes
Disagreeing
Requires
Agreeing

51. 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

52. 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

53. 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

54. 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

55. 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

56. Can a relativist complain about
the problem of Evil
Small Group Question:
in the world? Why or why not?

57. Conclusion

58. 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

59. 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.

60. If we are not the
standard
of good and evil, then what is?

61. Next Week:
“The Bible is written by men, and men make mistakes.”
thE bIBLE