Foundations For Reconstruction Revised Edition

by D. Elton Trueblood

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

109 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1946

Reviews

[Derek Herrema · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent little book

[Michael David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although certain interpretations, particularly that of the fourth commandment, was disagreeable to me and quite shallow, this was an overall well-written transposition of the Ten Commandments in the modern age. My problem with Trueblood's explanation of the fourth commandment is that "institutional worship" is not exempt from hypocrisy. While I agree that man does tend toward evil, and needs more than his own conscience as a guide, I do not believe that institutions are the answer, seeing that they are also composed of men. The good man, the man Trueblood defines as "interested in keeping promises," is a better guide than thousands of misguided, hypocritical individuals. Discernment does not require institutions.

Other than that, however, Trueblood's arguments make a lot of sense, even in this world today. His perspective on the avoidance of adultery by the recognition of the sacrament of marriage as both holy and a commitment was insightful: "This notion of doing whatever is "natural" is one of the ideas that will not bear up under critical analysis. It might be one man's natural inclination to seduce the wife of a wounded soldier lying helpless in a hospital. Should he therefore do it? It was natural for Hitler and his accomplices to torture innocent man in Dachau and other camps. It is natural for many to murder. But we need go no further. No man, except a lunatic, would uphold these "natural" acts. The word "natural" when used in a moral context means almost nothing. It is natural for man to kill ... How is fidelity, which is so important to our civilization, to be achieved? There is only one practical way and that is the sense of reverence which marriage as a sacrament encourages. Certainly the problem cannot be solved by medicine, important as medicine is. Much has been made in recent years of the prophylactics which make men safe from venereal disease. All that they can do is to enable men to fornicate with relative safety. They do not bear on the question of fidelity and the construction of a sound society of mutual faith." (p. 73, 77)

While that chapter on the seventh commandment affected me the most, his arguments regarding the primacy of the ten commandments remain relevant, even today. This should be read by those who think that the ten commandments are outdated because they were written and created in another time: this is a mistaken belief, as these commandments remain relevant as ever.

[Bracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read! I will read this book again. Here are some choice quotes from my reading Trueblood: 'The real enemy is not irreligion but vague religiosity,' 'The worst blasphemy is not profanity but lip service,' 'The kind of tolerance which obscures choice between competing faiths in an evil thing.'

The author makes the case that societies and cultures cannot be built on shifting moral foundations because all that moral relativism provides is ever changing mores which are quicksand. Societies need moral grounding that provide bedrock principles upon which one can stand on.