TRUTH
for the classroom
By Bryan Smith, Ph.D.
IN
THIS UPSIDE DOWN WORLD, we are told the
idea of absolute truth is behind the times. It is old-
fashioned. No, it’s worse than old-fashioned. It’s dangerous.
But I will state emphatically that there are absolute truths.
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).
He also said, when praying to the Father, “Your word is truth”
(John 17:17). There is truth because there is God—and He
is not a silent God.
Postmodernism teaches that truth is relative and that we
should learn to appreciate different perspectives—especially
non-traditional ones. The Christian view of truth, they say, is
dangerous. If young people are taught that there is absolute
truth, they will enter life trying to force others to see things
the way they do. The good life, they say, is the live-and-let-
live life.
The end result of this thinking is that long-standing
biblical truths get discarded by millions of people. In fact,
many professing Christians have abandoned the teaching of
absolute truth. 91% of teenagers claiming to be born again
say they do not believe in absolute truth for morality. 1
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Little wonder so few people believe in absolutes. How can
they think biblically about all of life unless they are taught
to see how the Bible is relevant to the subjects they study in
school?
How can the Bible be integrated into the classroom?
Christian schools and homeschools can use textbooks
from a Christian publisher. BJU Press has been publishing
Christian educational materials for 40 years. The Bible is
integrated into every subject. And it makes a difference.
Think of the difference it makes in U. S. History.
For some teachers (especially those under the influence
of postmodernism), U. S. History is about listing all of the
wrong, cruel things that Americans have done. Such teach-
ers hope to show that America is full of contradictions, and
it needs to be deconstructed. From the beginning Ameri-
cans claimed to be for freedom and equality. But Americans
have owned slaves, broken treaties, stolen lands, and denied
the rights of their fellow citizens just because of the color
of their skin or their decision to love someone of the same
sex. Nevertheless, they say, there is hope for America. If