Moral Truth

Best-selling author, speaker, and advocate for Christian apologetics, Dr. Alex McFarland. Best-selling author and apologist, Dylan Burrows. Together bringing you truth.

For a new generation, this is TNG Radio. Does moral truth exist? And if you and I disagree on what is morality, or even if there is morality, does the one who advocates for ethics and moral truth, are they guilty of hate speech for having done so?

Hey, Alex McFarland here with Dylan Burrows. Welcome to another edition of TNG Radio, Truth for a New Generation Radio. Do you know the Bible says that there are moral truths? There are some things right and some things wrong. And the Bible says in the book of Romans that it is written on the heart of all people.

In the Old Testament, Psalm 19, it says that there is no speech or language where truth is not known. In other words, all people everywhere, part of what it means to be a human being is to know moral truth, to know right from wrong. We live in a day, though, where a lot of people would say otherwise.

We're going to talk about this on today's edition of TNG. Dylan, what would we have if our society fully and completely decides that there is no such thing as right and wrong? Well, as a government, you can't function without some sense of right or wrong. There have been people who say you cannot legislate morality. But the truth is, we legislate morality every day when we say something such as murder is wrong or that stealing is wrong.

So you can't really have a functioning government without it. The same is true on a family level, but the same is also true on a personal level. We all have a sense of right and wrong.

And if you look worldwide, that's been true of every culture. We may have differences of opinion regarding what is morally right and morally wrong, but everyone has a sense of what is right and wrong, and that's undeniable. So the question is, what do we use to determine what is morally right and what is morally wrong?

Now, as Christians, of course, we have the Bible that serves as our authoritative guide for spiritual truth, for calling something right, for calling something wrong. And we live in a society in which we have the right of free speech, where we can publicly speak an opinion that may differ with somebody else. But what we're running into now is this issue of free speech is often being complicated by those who say that your free speech right is considered hate speech to me, and therefore it is not permissible.

And so we're running into different issues than we may have in the past, simply because of these kinds of topics that are coming up in our news today. You know, I wrote an article recently for a magazine, and I asked the question, if you and I disagree, does that automatically mean that what I said was hate speech? Because nowadays a lot of people that, you know, frankly don't believe in moral truth, they don't believe in moral boundaries, and they don't know the Lord personally. Oftentimes they're called, in the media, social progressives, but really their beliefs about truth and their rejection of God is really regressive rather than progressive. But oftentimes if they try to advocate for license, and we come back and we talk about moral boundaries, they say that we're being hateful.

And to call somebody a hater is kind of the Trump card. In the news it's been very, you know, public that Cory Booker, he's a Democrat from New Jersey, basically he was grilling Mike Pompeo on a confirmation hearing for Secretary of State. And it came down to this, that Cory Booker says if you don't believe in homosexuality and gay marriage, you're quote, not fit for public service.

This is very problematic on a number of levels, but let's talk about this. First of all, the belief that marriage is between a man and a woman, and the belief that homosexual activity is unnatural. That is not fundamentally a religious proposition, although the Word of God and other beliefs say that homosexuality is wrong. I wonder if Cory Booker would be so quick to denigrate the beliefs of a Muslim, because while we definitely disagree with Islam on the plan of salvation and who Christ is and who God is, fundamentally the moral code of Islam is like the Judeo-Christian moral code, at least in terms of human sexuality and morality.

That heterosexual monogamy is the design of nature and the ideal of creation. But we live in a time, listen very carefully folks, where people have been so desirous not to violate the First Amendment. The First Amendment says that the government will not show preference to one religion over another, will not establish a religion. But in the quest to not establish religion, what has been thrown out, ignored, or even actively suppressed, has been belief in any sort of moral, ethical boundaries whatsoever. Now Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Ronald Reagan, Harry Truman, many of our great leaders, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Samuel Adams, when talking about morality, the law written on the heart, we know right from wrong. And one of the, among the moral truths that we inherently know is we shouldn't lie, we shouldn't steal, we shouldn't murder. People know that immoral acts like homosexuality are wrong. Now, I'm not saying that people always do what's right, but deep down we do know what is right. Jefferson called it self-evident truth, in other words undeniable. Sometimes it's called objective truth or moral objectivity. Or Dr. King called it the Ten Commandments, Exodus 20.

Here's the point though. In our quest to never violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, we are to the point where if you advocate recognition of any morals, they say that you've violated the First Amendment. And what a lot of these leaders, whether it's a Hollywood pundit on The View or whether it's moral libertines like Cory Booker in Washington, they are trying to shout down anyone who believes in moral boundaries. And, Dylan, that's problematic because if we don't have a common moral ground on which we stand, ultimately, unchecked, that will lead to societal anarchy.

It threatens the very preservation of the Constitution and therefore our freedoms. Well, it is interesting that even the Constitution, Article 4 says, no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office of public trust under the United States. And yet what you've seen in the case of Booker, this recent news cycle, is the idea that there is a religious test and that if you don't fit the views of a particular view, then you aren't fit for office, which is certainly not the case.

You could look throughout the history of Secretary of States in our country and you would see that nearly all of them would define marriage just as this nominee has been in his questioning. So it's not something that's new in our history of our nation, but it's certainly something that's more controversial now than in the past. But what we run into more and more is now we have an environment in which a Christian worldview is no longer easily accepted. And so we should expect there to be some suffering, to have some repercussion for what we believe. And we're going to talk more about this when we come right back here at Truth For A New Generation. So stick with us.

We'll talk more about it. Truth For A New Generation is here to equip Christians with a biblical worldview through conferences and camps. And speaking about camps, registration is now underway for the TNG Summer Youth Apologetics Camp, happening July 22nd through 26th at North Greenville University in South Carolina.

Alex McFarland will be there, along with Tony Beam. He's the vice president for student services and Christian worldview at NGU. They'll engage your youth on topics like, If God is so good, why is the world so bad? Understanding and applying what God's Word says about gender and a whole lot more. Fifteen apologetic and worldview training sessions in all, along with a field trip to the Billy Graham Center. And of course, outdoor fun and games.

And don't forget about the food, great food, enough to fill them up and keep them going. Find out more about the 2018 TNG Summer Youth Apologetics Camp when you visit truthforanewgeneration.com. If you're a Christian parent, you of course want to instill a biblical view of life in the hearts of your children. If you're a pastor, you want to offer ministry that draws young families to your church. This is Alex McFarland encouraging you to check out my new book and video curriculum, The 21 Toughest Questions Your Kids Will Ask About Christianity. Why do bad things happen? I interviewed hundreds of children, ages 5 to 12, and we address actual questions from actual children, the spiritual issues that are on the minds of your kids.

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Alex McFarland here. We're talking about moral truth, and before we resume the conversation, let me just mention that we have a number of resources on the website, and they are all shipped within 24 hours of receiving your order. But if you go to my website, alexmcfarland.com, there's an e-store, and in addition to my own books that the Lord has allowed us to create, like Stand Strong in College, The Guide You Thought You Knew, Exposing Common Myths About Christianity, one of the books that we did is called Abandoned Faith, Why Millennials Are Leaving the Church and How to Lead Them Home. In addition to all of these and more resources, we've got great things by James Dobson, Josh McDowell, Lee Strobel, and many, many others, all designed to help equip you to stand strong for the Christian faith in this 21st century culture, alexmcfarland.com.

But Dylan, back to the question at hand. You know, I think about Cory Booker, and his litmus test for fitness to serve in public office is that you have to believe in gay marriage. Now really, in the last 25 to 40 years, the liberal position has been pro-abortion, redefinition of marriage, really the abolition of moral truth. And we're to the point that if you are a voice of dissent and you do believe in moral truth, you're going to be shouted down. The Hollywood left and many of the pundits and bloggers will just denigrate you. If you're an elected official, there will be an incredibly intense effort to try to discredit you. But here's the point.

Listen carefully, folks. By that measurement, if you have to agree with progressivism and the gay agenda in order to be fit to exist in 21st century America, you know who is excluded from all that? I think about Jimmy Carter, who, while I don't agree with all of his politics, he is a born-again Christian, and he has named the name of Christ for decades. I think about George Washington. I think about Madison, who has been called the father of the U.S. Constitution. I think about Abraham Lincoln. If you're going to throw out moral law and moral truth and make agreement with the gay agenda as a litmus test for public service, well, you can't have Abraham Lincoln, because he was very clear about his faith and very clear about his belief in morality. In fact, the whole emancipation movement and ultimately the revising of the Constitution to eliminate slavery was based on belief in God, morality, and the inherent worth and value of every human being as endowed by their Creator.

And you know who recognized that? You know who recognized that the civil rights movement and the Emancipation Proclamation was made sense only in the context of Christian morality? Dr. King and his Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Why We Can't Wait. So if we're going to make the litmus test for logic and fitness and morality, agreement with the gay agenda, then you're going to have to throw out many of the greatest leaders our nation has ever known or seen. Now let's talk for a moment, Dylan, about the issue of homosexuality, because oftentimes, and we've had this question posed to us, why do Christians abuse homosexuals and show hate and don't show love? Let's talk about this, because clearly we want to be on record and say no one has the right to hate somebody.

No one has the right to hate or marginalize another human being. But in telling the truth of what God's Word says, and in affirming moral reality, not only moral truth, God's revealed Word, but human physiology and I won't elaborate on that, but in affirming these things, I would say we're not showing hate, but we're merely speaking the truth. And isn't that what God calls his followers to do? Well, it's interesting that in Ephesians 4.15, the apostle Paul tells us to speak the truth in love. Now we don't always get that right as Christians, but that is our goal, is that we speak God's truth, but we do it in a manner that's loving and compelling and winsome to those even who oppose us. And oftentimes you see those who oppose our message saying, hey, Christians are supposed to be loving and kind and accepting, how can you exclude me or my beliefs?

And that is not the idea. We want to love all people, but not be accepting of all behaviors and all beliefs. Our teachings in the Bible limit us to certain things that we can accept as true and certain things that are excluded as sinful. And if you look at human sexuality, it's presented in the very first book of the Bible, Adam, Eve, the origin of marriage, God's ideal situation for human sexuality within the boundaries of marriage between one man and one woman. That is what we proclaim as Christians. That's what Jesus confirmed in the Gospel of Matthew, and therefore that is what we teach. This is not a matter of hatred. It's not a matter of my opinion against yours. It's us seeking to have an opportunity to speak God's truth into the context of an issue in which some people may oppose our message. And you know what? Sometimes when I speak at universities, a person will counter back and they'll say, you know, what right do you have to disagree with the way I define myself?

You are correct. I, in and of myself, don't have a right to pass judgment on somebody else. But the Word of God most certainly does stand in a position to judge and evaluate all of us.

The Bible says that God's Word is like a sword that uncovers the motives and the intents of the heart. But the other thing that I want to speak to is that we really don't have the right to create our own reality. We don't have the ability to create our own truth. And we certainly don't have the right to define ourselves in a way that stands completely diametrically opposed to how God has created reality and revealed himself to the world and revealed his Word. And so our calling as human beings, if we're humble enough to do it and wise enough to recognize it, what we must do is amend our life in light of God's revelation, not argue against God's revelation. You know, Dylan, when Saul was on the road to Damascus and the risen Jesus appeared to Saul of Tarsus, and Saul became the Apostle Paul, God said to Saul, it is hard for you to kick against the goads in fighting human biology, in fighting God's revelation, in suppressing the conviction of conscience. Aren't the activists of today really like Saul of Tarsus kicking against an immovable thing, which is God and his character and his truth? These have been interesting topics to talk about. We'll be right back in just a moment.

Stick with us. For centuries, the Bible has inspired humanity and shaped the very world we live in. But how do we know this book is the Word of God and not merely the words of men? What we believe about the Bible is based on what we believe about its source. The God Who Speaks explores the evidence of the Bible's inspiration and authority through some of the world's most respected biblical scholars. We have essentially a dual authorship. So it's true to say that Paul wrote Romans. It's equally true to say that God wrote Romans.

He says we saw this, and that sets the Bible apart from almost everything else in the ancient world and its religious pantheon of gods and goddesses. The God Who Speaks is a feature-length documentary from the American Family Association, available now at thegodwhospeeks.org. First Peter 3.15 tells us to be ready always to give an answer for the hope we have.

We're instructed to be prepared to defend our faith. This is Alex McFarland for the Life Answers Teams, students we train at North Greenville University, a leading Christian college in South Carolina. The Life Answers Teams are made up of students who will inspire and equip your congregation. These apologetics teams we train speak in churches to youth groups and train Christians of all ages to address key issues of our times from a biblical perspective. Like is there a God? Is the Bible true?

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Oh, if God is for us, who can be against us? So if you feel weak, just hold on to the promises. Hold on to the promises. Jesus is alive, so hold tight. Hold on to the promises.

Welcome back to TNG Radio. I am so glad that we have the promise, the reality that heaven and earth will pass away, but God's Word will never pass away. Matthew 24, 35. Why will God's truth never be out of date? It's because God himself is eternal, and God will never go out of existence, and his revealed truth will never have an expiration date.

Welcome back to the program. We've been talking about moral truth, and one of the moral issues of our time has been the mainstreaming of homosexuality. And as I said right before the break, that just as Saul could not overthrow the reality of Jesus having risen from the grave, and Christ being the Son of God, and what I would pray for our country is that rather than fight God's truth, we would amend our lives in light of it. I think it's interesting that if you look at 1 Corinthians, there's a point where the Apostle Paul mentions same-sex activity among some of the Christians in that congregation, but he doesn't do it in a present tense.

He says, such were some of you. That was something that was part of their past before they followed Jesus, but since they had turned to Christ, they had sought to live a different way. So we're not necessarily saying that we expect every person who's not a Christian to change in this area automatically. It's one of these things that we want people to come to faith in Jesus Christ, but when you do, know that that requires a change in your actions, and this is one of those areas where God calls us to a different way of life than our culture deems popular nowadays. So we are seeking to represent God's truth in a way that is accurate, in a way that is helpful, in a way that we can apply to our lives and use in a way that honors God and makes an impact in our communities around us. It's interesting to me that just the idea that you would be one man, one woman in a faithful marriage and a lifelong partnership is becoming a rare thing to see.

And I look at the news recently of Barbara Bush, who passed away, former first lady, and despite what people think of her, one of the things that stood out to me is that she was married for 73 years. That is a noble goal to have. I think if more of our young people today, myself included, were to look at marriage and say, my goal is not to get rich or to be famous, but is to be faithful in lifelong marriage to a spouse, that would make a difference in our families and our communities in a dramatic way, wouldn't it, Alex?

It really would, Dylan. That's a great point. I was at Biola University in California a couple of years ago, and one of the great Christian thinkers of our time, J.P. Moreland, was there, and I'm sure you're familiar with him and his books, one of which is called Scaling the Secular City. But Moreland is a great thinker. He was a professor at Liberty when I was there doing a couple of degrees, but we're in a room with several hundred college students, most of whom were Christians, and one of the students asked, you know, how can I make a difference in the world? And I'm sure that many of the students probably thought Dr. Moreland, this great thinker, would set forth some grandiose thing that we were supposed to do, like earn a PhD or publish a book, which that's a fine thing to do if you're doing it for Christ. But you know what he said? How can we change the world? He said, love Jesus and live right. And there was this silence.

And he, like a good teacher that he is, he kind of let it lay there for a minute and create a moment of cognitive dissonance. He said, if you want to change the world, number one, love Jesus Christ, and then live a godly, righteous life. Be true to your family, be true to your spouse.

He said, give your employer a good day's work. Build a friendship with your neighbor, and invite them in for a meal, and then show them the love of Jesus, then tell them the truth of Jesus. And he basically said what you're saying, that God may set before you some grand thing, or at least grand in the eyes of the world, but our calling every day is to be conformed to the image of Christ. And that will build seven-decade-plus marriages wanted.

That will build children that go the distance. And so I agree with Dr. Moreland that his admonition comes right out of the pages of scripture that if we're wise, like Proverbs 1-7 and Proverbs 3-5 and 6 and Psalm 37 verse 4, we will commit our way to the Lord. And that is a witness that the world, for all of its spin and posturing, can't really argue against. And whether the issue is moral truth, homosexuality versus traditional or natural marriage, what we've got to do is courageously but consistently, forcefully but lovingly, prayerfully, we've got to speak truth, but we've got to model and live truth, shouldn't we? Yes, Alex, and it's been said that for many people, you are the only Bible they will ever read. And if they are reading the Bible that you are presenting, what kind of version are they getting?

As we wrap up in these last couple of minutes, Alex, I want to talk about this idea of how to apply what we're talking about. Sure, we can seek to speak the truth in love, but how do we live the truth in a way that makes an impact among those around us, especially those who are outsiders and still do not follow Jesus Christ? One of the things that we need right now, our culture, is in dire need of Christians who have courage. The Cato Institute recently said that in a representative survey of American adults, 71 percent have convictions and beliefs that they're afraid to articulate. And even college students in late 2017, more than 60 percent of college students, feel that the climate on most American campuses prevents them from saying things that they believe.

Here in this land of free speech, oftentimes people, rather than having to go through the hassle of being shouted down or intimidated or bullied, people just don't speak their convictions. We have to be Christians of courage. And let me say a word to the pastors out there, and I've been a pastor, and I know, Dylan, you've been in ministry for years, and between the two of us, I think we've served in about every type of position that you can within the church and within parachurch ministries. Let me say, the clergy of this nation have got to have the courage to preach what thus saith the Lord.

People are hungry for it. People not only need to hear it, in most cases people want to hear it. And so I would call on my brother pastors out there, my fellow ministers, to not worry about popularity, but focus on faithfulness, because it is time, in fact it's a very desperate time, that we need the truth of God's Word, and that is not only the truth about salvation, but the truth about morality and how life should be lived. Yes, and Jesus never said to look forward to the time where he would say, Well done, my good and relevant servant. He said, Be faithful.

That's our calling, to be faithful to what God has given us. We thank you for being with us here at Truth For A New Generation Radio. Please check us out online at truthforanewgeneration.com, or get our app to stay connected. We look forward to hearing from you again and being with you next time.

Thanks. Truth For A New Generation, in association with Alex McFarland Evangelistic Ministries, exists to equip Christians with a biblical world view through conferences and camps. For information about upcoming events, visit truthforanewgeneration.com, or give us a call at 877-YES-GOD-1. That's 877-YES-GOD and the number 1. TNG radio is made possible by the friends of Alex McFarland Evangelistic Ministries, P.O. Box 485, Pleasant Garden, North Carolina, 27313. That's P.O. Box 485, Pleasant Garden, North Carolina, 27313. Or give online at alexmcfarland.com or truthforanewgeneration.com. Thanks for listening and join us again next time as we bring you more truth for a new generation on TNG radio.