Dear People of Grace,

With Jesus standing before him, awaiting judgment, Pontius Pilate gets to say one of my favorite lines in scripture: “What is truth?” (John 18.38). Culturally we have trouble with the word truth. In our pluralistic society, it is generally held that there is no absolute truth, that, at best, there are only relative truths. This is the common response to issues of religion – you may believe what you believe, and I will believe what I believe – each of us has our own truth, but none of them can be the truth.

The problem with this philosophy is that it undermines the authenticity of religion. Just speaking for Christianity, Jesus did not say I am a way, a truth, and a life, but, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14.6). Relativism, the philosophy which presents all truths as being comparative, is a secular solution to a profound religious problem.

I suggest that relativism is incorrect. We know there are absolutes – mathematics is full of them. For instance, I can confidently claim that there are absolutely no square triangles. Two plus two absolutely equals four, and the ratio of a circle’s diameter to its circumference is absolutely equal to pi (3.14159 etc.).

Can I place God in this absolute category though? Well, it may come as a surprise, but I cannot. This is because we can only know God through faith.

By definition, faith contains an element of uncertainty. If I know something to be true, then I don’t need faith any more. I know that I ate breakfast this morning, because I remember tasting it, but I can only have faith that I will eat my breakfast tomorrow. No matter how certain I am, I cannot state absolutely that I will eat tomorrow morning. In the same way, our faith in God cannot be absolute. As Jesus responds to Thomas after his resurrection, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe” (John 20.29). Our belief is based on faith, not on physical proof.

But note that I am careful to suggest that it is my knowledge of God which cannot be an absolute, not the existence of God himself. I cannot possibly make an informed judgement as to whether there is a God or not. I cannot say “there is no God” any more than you can say “there is a God.” This is where I profoundly disagree with atheists.

So where does this leave us? Can I ever know God?

By my strict definition we cannot know God, but we can experience him. I cannot see God, but what scripture and tradition and my own reasonable mind tells me about this created world and about my life, all of this together points me towards a faith in God. This is at the heart of Jesus’ message. If we strip away the signs and miracles which Jesus performs (physical proofs), we are left with a testimony to the love and commitment of God to the world, a reiteration of the message of the prophets and guidance in adhering to divine law. Peter, Paul and the other apostles continue this framework in the Acts of the Apostles. My own experience of God matches the loving God whom Jesus and Paul present in scripture, which gives me confidence that this is true.

I believe Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, because I have felt God in my heart, have experienced him act in my life, and found that when I align myself with God’s will, doors miraculously open up, obstacles are somehow overcome, and, as Archbishop William Temple once said, “when I pray, coincidences happen.” I believe that scripture tells the story of God’s love for the world, the story of a living God, who is as relevant to me today as when the scriptures were first written down. I believe strongly enough that I would stake my life on this claim. But I can’t prove it; it all comes from faith.

I used the example of mathematical absolute truths earlier, but this is partly the problem. Our culture tells us that, if it cannot be proven scientifically, then it must not be true. We have created a binary system where either something is true and verifiable, or it must be false, or at best, a part of this relativist pattern of semi-truths. Sadly, we cannot object too strongly to the culture of relativism. It exists, partly, as a reaction to our own overzealousness.

Historically, we Christians have done ourselves no favors. We have presented as truth things which we cannot prove. Certain sects of Christianity still try to represent ideas like Creationism as an absolute truth. Is it any wonder that so many people today reject religion outright when this is the Christianity with which they are presented?

As Episcopalians we have a mature, reasoned approach to religion and to the God in which we believe. Our voices need to be heard, too. We cannot really state absolutes about God, because we are a people united by faith, not knowledge. Even if we could, we can more accurately describe what God is not, than what God is – because he is simply beyond our intellectual capacity. What we can articulate are the ways in which God impacts our lives every day. We can show the absolute benefits of our faith: our strength and resiliency, the joy we experience from being in relationship with God, and the positive impact it has on our lives. These are the fruits of our faith.

This is the truth which stems from an active faith in God. It’s a different kind of truth – not absolute, but not relative either, more of a pragmatic truth born out of faith. Jesus said, ‘If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free’ (John 8.31-32). We cannot scientifically prove this truth, but that does not make it false. It simply means that we can only encounter it through faith.

Next week, I turn my attention to what this means for other religions. How do we escape relativism when world religions appear to claim different truths?

Blessings and peace,
Deacon Nick