NowTHINK!AboutIt

Avoiding Hackneyed...Making Sense

On “Taking A Stand”

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Truth is the center that never changes but life is a journey.

There Is A Fine Line
Between Settling
And Taking A Stand

It’s OK to take a stand but it’s best to take it carefully, cautiously and with a bit of humility. The more adamantly you take your stand now, the more embarrassed you’ll be when you later move.

A stand gives us a sense of stability. It makes us feel secure for the moment, like holding a rail on a train ride. But perspectives change and we might eventually find our beliefs challenged by more experience and a different consideration. Those things count.

The foundation has already been laid. We only need find it. Making the assumption you’re there and digging may not be the most appropriate response.

So take your stand but do it without conceit or harsh judgment for opposing ideas. The middle is not always off center.

5 Fears That Didn’t Prevent Isaac Newton Thinking

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Thinking is to ideas what water is to seeds.

You Either
Think Outside The Box
Or Repeat What Everyone
Already Knows

As the story goes Sir Isaac Newton sat in his mother’s garden and observed an apple fall from one of her trees.

Legend says the apple fell on his head. We can’t verify that with certainty but there is good reason to think it might be true.

Apples had fallen from his mother’s tree many times before so this wasn’t new but on this occasion the apple really caught his attention and it stimulated a life long pursuit.

In light of his response, a hit on the head seems likely.

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Newton was puzzled. The experience provoked many questions and being the curious person he was, he did what all inquisitive people tend to do. [Read more…] about 5 Fears That Didn’t Prevent Isaac Newton Thinking

Veritables: All Truth Is God’s Truth Wherever Found

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Everything in the Bible is true but not all truth is in the Bible.

The Bible Focuses On Eternal Truth

It was many years ago but I remember the statement like it was yesterday. I was in Bible college and sitting in the class of one of my favorite teachers.

I loved his nature. He was a straight shooter, never mincing words. If he believed something was true there was no flinching. Everything was absolutely right or wrong and I identified with that mindset. I wanted a clear line demarcating all the good from the bad.

But don’t get the wrong idea. Though adamant, he was gracious. And in his usual quiet but straightforward way, he made the following remark, which made a lasting impression on me.

All the Bible is true and all truth is in the Bible

I love words, especially when used to make a point rhythmically so his remark stuck. But that wasn’t the only reason it resonated. I was emotionally in tune with this statement. It was a very bold line drawn between everything in the Bible and everything else. It was a buy-in for me.

All of that happened a very long time ago – I won’t say how long. Since then I’ve grown, matured, learned a few things, and done a lot of thinking so I’m not so sure about the accuracy of that statement anymore.

Don’t get me wrong. I still believe everything in the Bible is true but I realize now that not every truth can fit in the Bible. All the most important truths are there, the ones that influence eternity, but there isn’t enough room in any one book to include every possible truth.

Not All Types Of Truth Are Equally Important

Just a quick glance at the many kinds of truth and you realize they aren’t all equal. Each type is important, yes, but they aren’t all equal. For example:

  • Individual truth (I have blue eyes)
  • Temporary truth (It’s a sunny day)
  • Moral truth (Its wrong to gossip, lie or steal)
  • Psychological truth (people prefer short reading lines but read longer
    lines faster)
  • Medical truth (diet effects your health)
  • Mathematical truth (2 plus 2 is 4)
  • Physical truth (law of gravity)
  • Historical truth (Israel inhabited Canaan after the Exodus)
  • Eternal truth (God is love, heaven is real)

The Bible does make statements that broadly relate to each type of truth, and what it says about each issue is true, but that is very different to saying it records every truth.

  • It talks about the remarkable way each person is created – we are individually distinct – but it says nothing about my blue eyes.
  • The Bible records variations in weather patterns (Noah’s flood) but says nothing about today’s forecast.
  • The Old Testament is filled with laws that imply an understanding of medical issues but it says nothing about open-heart surgery or different blood types.
  • The Bible includes a lot of ancient history and influenced the way modern history unfolded but provides no historical details following the first century AD.

If you’re curious and would like to read further, Dr. S. I. McMillen has written a great book, None of These Diseases, which shows how Old Testament law reflected a very advanced understanding of many medical issues without actually stating every individual truth associated with each condition. The book can be purchased very inexpensively at Amazon.

God has paid humanity a great compliment by not giving us every piece of truth and every answer to every question. Realizing that, leads us to another truth implied in the Bible but not clearly stated. The truth that God created us with an insatiable desire to understand more truth and the tools to pursue it.

It may feel disloyal to say “not every truth is in the Bible” but once you realize that every truth is God’s truth wherever you find it and that God has gifted us with the art of discovery, it begins to make a lot of sense. And remember. Finding a truth is much more rewarding than having it handed to you on a platter.

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