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Telling the Truth

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This thoughtful cultural analysis probes important turning-points of biblical theology, describes successful contemporary evangelism, and exposes readers to the strategy and practice of Christian thinkers who are reaching the postmodern world.

416 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2000

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About the author

D.A. Carson

339 books742 followers
Donald A. Carson is research professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. He has been at Trinity since 1978. Carson came to Trinity from the faculty of Northwest Baptist Theological Seminary in Vancouver, British Columbia, where he also served for two years as academic dean. He has served as assistant pastor and pastor and has done itinerant ministry in Canada and the United Kingdom. Carson received the Bachelor of Science in chemistry from McGill University, the Master of Divinity from Central Baptist Seminary in Toronto, and the Doctor of Philosophy in New Testament from the University of Cambridge. Carson is an active guest lecturer in academic and church settings around the world. He has written or edited about sixty books. He is a founding member and currently president of The Gospel Coalition. Carson and his wife, Joy, reside in Libertyville, Illinois. They have two adult children.

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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
Profile Image for Lawrence.
103 reviews2 followers
April 3, 2016
Great resource on the subject of proclaiming the Gospel in Postmodernity. Some of the lectures I had to highlight entirely. You can't understate the importance of understanding the postmodern thinking process, the perception and influence of it.
Looking at reading Carson's 'The God Who Is There' soon.
Profile Image for Randy Poor.
5 reviews1 follower
January 22, 2015
A good and in depth look into how to biblically respond to postmoderns which still, 10 years later, is applicable to the life of a gospel concerned person
Profile Image for Chris Wray.
510 reviews16 followers
June 19, 2025
This was a great book and valuable in thinking through how to present the gospel in a post-modern context, but I think it works better as a resource to dip into rather than a book to be read cover to cover. That isn’t a criticism, rather a reflection on the nature of the book, which is a collection of conference papers.

Postmodernism is helpfully summarised as making reality subject dependent, and several shifts in Western culture are identified that have made post-modernism plausible:
- The popularisation of the death of God movement, the bequest of Nietzsche
- The disorienting blow of religious pluralism
- The power to inform through the visual and the blurring of reality and imagination; we are intended by God to see through the eye, but with the conscience. Now we see with the eye, devoid of a conscience
- The lost centre of cultural moulding; there is a vacuum at the heart of our culture. The pursuit of knowledge without knowing who we are or why we exist, combined with a war on our imaginations by the entertainment industry, leaves us at the mercy of power with no morality

The results of these shifts have been:
- Philosophy’s move to the existential
- The artist’s move to the sensual
- Religion’s move to the mystical
- Education’s move to the sceptical
- The individual’s move to the transcendental; he is his own divine being. The reader is sovereign over the author

The challenge we have as Christians is to "communicate the gospel to a generation that hears with its eyes and thinks with its feelings"

A couple of entry points are highlighted, one of which is the meaninglessness that comes from being weary of pleasure. Another is righteousness or morality, which is still a powerful referent in our culture.

On the exclusive claims that Christianity makes, it is contended that "there is no reason to suppose that particularists cannot be culturally sensitive and appropriately tolerant of people from other religious traditions…particularism does not imply that all the beliefs of the non-Christian religions are false or that there is nothing of value in other religions… it is important to point out that although truth is sometimes narrow, this does not make it intolerant."

Pluralism is examined in some detail: "The ethos of pluralism presents a twofold challenge to the Christian faith. First, the idea that one particular religious figure and one religious perspective can be universally valid and normative for all peoples in all cultures is widely rejected today as arrogant and intellectually untenable…Closely related to this is the contemporary tendency to regard religion in highly pragmatic, consumerist terms. One does not expect religion to provide “objectively true” answers to basic questions about the cosmos and human destiny. Rather, religions are assessed pragmatically simply on the basis of how well they meet the desires and felt needs of their adherents."

Another important clarifying observation is the identification of the "tendency in the modern world to distinguish between the public world of facts—most clearly demonstrated in the physical sciences—and the private realm of opinions, values, and preferences with religion being relegated to the latter category…The important question to ask the informal pluralist is, ‘Into which category do these religious claims fit? Are they merely matters of taste, or are they matters of truth?’ It is important to help the pluralist understand that there are many statements regarding the Christian faith that cannot be labelled matters of taste and must therefore be evaluated for their truthfulness. This discussion of the nature of religious truth enables us to answer three of the common assumptions of pluralists: that religion exists merely to meet psychological needs, that sincerity is more important than truth, and that religious beliefs should be interpreted metaphorically."

A particularly interesting and stimulating chapter is "Epistemology at the core of Postmodernism: Rorty, Foucault and the Gospel." It is valuable, indeed essential, to engage with these important non-Christian thinkers.

Another stimulating chapter is on the uniqueness of Christ: "As we seek to evangelise postmoderns today, one of the key issues that calls for discussion is the Christian affirmation of the uniqueness of Christ. This affirmation seems to be out of step with the way that many people are thinking. There are three challenges to this affirmation: first, the tendency to devalue objective truth; second, the charge that those who hold to this affirmation are intolerant and arrogant; and third, the new interest in non-Christian spirituality."

In speaking of tolerance, the author makes an insightful link to humility, with an implication for apologetics: "Whereas humility was earlier judged on the basis of one’s opinion of oneself, now it is being judged on the basis of one’s understanding of truth. Those who claim to have the truth are regarded as arrogant…A direct result of such thinking is that apologetics—defending the truthfulness of one’s beliefs against opposing views—is considered undesirable and in need of replacement by dialogue."

An antidote to this problem is also identified: "If our attitude to non-Christians is one of friendship, our lifestyle among them is one of servanthood. I believe that such a lifestyle is one of the most powerful answers to the charge of arrogance and intolerance…Just as Jesus showed by his life and ministry that lordship and servanthood are compatible, we must by our lives and ministries show that it is possible for those who have the humility of a servant to believe in and to proclaim the message of Christ’s absolute lordship."

In the chapter on communicating sin, the author reminds us that "postmodern unbelievers have consciences even if they don’t think they do. Because they’re made in God’s image, they do, and Christians should be confident of this fact…People need to grasp not only the theoretical concept of evil and wrong, but also the fact that they are evil and wrong…the real reason people don’t acknowledge the legitimate moral claims of God is not because of any philosophy; it is simply because it is not in their self-interest to do so."

He also contends that "there is a major danger in our contemporary evangelical culture in viewing conversion as a decision rather than as a change of life and perspective. And that danger is growing steadily in our postmodern culture as more and more people have less and less understanding of a biblical worldview…in order for evangelism to result in true conversion in our present culture (this has probably always been true, but especially today) it must include at least the following three factors: (1) it must be content-specific; (2) it must include the notion that Christ is the exclusive way of salvation; and (3) it must result in a radical change of belief and conduct in the convert."

Another memorable chapter is on the Christian as ambassador: "An ambassador whose main interest is in advancing his own position is unlikely to be an effective advocate for his government. This is of great importance in speaking to a culture that is sensitive to the use of truth-claims as a means of exercising power…Two things will be required of us if we are to fulfil this responsibility: to listen as one who is under authority, and to speak as one given authority."

Yet another helpful chapter is "Faithfully relating to unbelievers in a relational age", where the author concludes that "The Christian community is often guilty of simplifying life issues so dramatically that we reduce complex problems to something that is easy to resolve. We need to be willing to admit that we don’t have all the answers. At the same time, we should be able to articulate why we are compelled to believe what we believe. There are crucial issues that the Bible is clear about, and those are the issues we can address with confidence and persuasiveness."

In closing, we are reminded that "A mere quarter of a century ago, if we were dealing with an atheist, he or she was not a generic atheist but a Christian atheist—that is, the God he or she did not believe in was more or less a god of discernibly Judeo-Christian provenance."

The fact that this is no longer the case means that:
- The people we wish to evangelise hold some fundamental positions that they are going to have to abandon to become Christians.
- Under these conditions, evangelism means starting farther back. The good news of Jesus Christ—who he is and what he accomplished by his death, resurrection, and exaltation—is simply incoherent unless certain structures are already in place.
- Worldview evangelism is important and is not a restrictively propositional exercise.
- The evangelist must find ways into the values, heart, thought patterns - in short, the worldview of - those who are being evangelised, but must not let that non-Christian worldview domesticate the biblical message.

In unpacking the idea of worldview evangelism, the author identified some challenges: "First, the challenge of worldview evangelism is not to make simple things complicated but to make clear to others some fairly complicated things that we simply assume…Second, the challenge of worldview evangelism is not primarily to think in philosophical categories, but it is to make it clear that closing with Jesus has content…Third, the challenge of worldview evangelism is not primarily a matter of how to get back into the discussion with biblically illiterate people whose perspectives may be very dissimilar to our own. Rather, worldview evangelism focuses primarily on where the discussion goes."

An appropriate place to close is with this observation on the apostle Paul, who "does not trim the gospel to make it acceptable to the worldview of his listeners. For Paul, then, there is some irreducible and nonnegotiable content to the gospel, content that must not be abandoned, no matter how unacceptable it is to some other worldview."
Profile Image for Justin Daniel.
211 reviews4 followers
September 11, 2018
I think the title of this book is very misleading. What I was expecting was a book full of philosophical arguments on how weak the Postmodern position is. What I got was a book full of useful hints and tips on how to evangelize.

Postmodernism is a philosophical concept that stems from the community: morality is based on the ideals of a community. Further, the dominant thought is that the only absolute is that which there are no absolutes. This has proven to be a monumental task in Evangelicalism in America because how do you convince someone who has no truth except what they believe is truth to believe in absolutes?

D.A. Carson hosted a conference on evangelizing postmoderns in the late 1990’s and the outcome of that conference became this book. Each chapter is a different speaker whose thoughts were transcribed and put into a book form. So you have a really wide degree of opinion and thoughts on this subject. Many of the speakers are with college campus ministries because postmodern ideals run rampant here.

What was disappointing about the book was it eventually just became a “how to” guide for evangelism. I suppose I could have figured that it would given the title, but the glimmer of hope I had for real substance was not to be. The main concept that kept coming up was one of community. Since the community is the force in which morality is disseminated in the postmodern thought process, much emphasis is placed on bringing people into Christian communities for evangelism. A lot of the advice is similiar: get college youths plugged in at a campus ministry in a type of community. This opens the dialogue process up and helps young Christians gain a community that will ultimately lead them into a positive direction. Much is weighted on the idea that you can’t full out tell people you’re a Christian anymore, or even try to point out their sin; rather you have to form a relationship with an open dialogue that people will come to you for questions. There is some merit to this I think. But on the other hand, this point is so well documented in this book I thought I was re-reading things over and over again.

What is also frustrating is that this was written in the late 1990’s. The authors reference cultural phenomenons such as the movie “Titanic” and other late 90’s cultural references. I don’t mind that as much, but the problem is that it is so archaic, I wonder if some of these strategies are so outdated that they will no longer work. Take for example the sexual revolution: 20 years ago, not a lot of people were talking about gay and transgender rights. Today, that is a topic of heated discussion, and particularly for the Church who, for the most part, will push against claims that those things are morally acceptable. Of course, this book does not address those topics. Which makes me wonder if we have entered into a new age in regards to the dominant philosophical thought of the day.

This isn’t a bad book. I just think the view of evangelism taken here is too constructed: it makes evangelism out to be a system that works for our modern culture. Like if you do A), B), and C), you’ll enter into a dialogue with someone about God and get them thinking. I’m not sure there is a “system” like “lifestyle evangelism” or “the way of the master” that is necessary. 1 Peter tells us to have an answer for the reason of our hope; that means certainly we need to study and know our culture, but it doesn’t insinuate that 1) we need to perfect a certain system in order to be successful in evangelism or 2) that this particular system will work better than what we’ve been doing. And I think that’s my biggest problem with evangelistic “systems”.
Profile Image for Bob.
342 reviews
August 21, 2014
Telling the Truth is a great book on evangelism. It is must reading for any Christian wanting to reach the New Age Movement & post modern movement of our day. This book explains in detail the understanding of the Post-Modern Mindset for the times we now live in & does so without getting bogged down. If you read or attempted to read “The Gagging of God” by DA Carson you will greatly appreciate “Telling the Truth”.
The various authors explain our postmodern culture, and how Christianity fits into this worldview. More specifically the authors answer the challenge of applying a Christian worldview into a culture that has lost its foundations and is sliding down the slippery and illogical slope of moral relativism. Also the way the book is laid out one can take their time & work through each chapter giving careful thought to what each author brings to the table.

This book really is a must read on the subject of apologetics and postmodern culture, and is done in a way (as in Gagging of God) which doesn't require the effort and concentration level of most other postmodern discussions.

This book will be most helpful to preachers who want to ensure that they are addressing the spiritual needs of their parishioners & are effectively communicating the Word of God in a relevant & beneficial way to those who listen to us.
Profile Image for Mike.
88 reviews2 followers
March 5, 2016
Thought Provoking

This book is a compilation of essays regarding the task of sharing the gospel in a postmodern era. Many contain great insight and wisdom for Christians who desire to engage a new generation rather than hold onto old systems. It is refreshing to hear some leading conservative minds thinking very progressively. On the other hand, some essays sounded like infomercials for their materials. Otherwise, I would have given it 5 stars.
Profile Image for Jeremy Lee.
98 reviews3 followers
August 18, 2015
The beginning of the book was excellent. In the second half, I lost interest because it deals with practical issues for college ministry. Since I'm not involved in this type of ministry, I skipped some chapters. No doubt this section would be very helpful for those involved in college ministry.
18 reviews
August 3, 2007
A book of chapters based on a conference on evangelizing postmoderns. Most chapters are very good, some are less than memorable.
Profile Image for Jeff Noble.
Author 1 book57 followers
Read
April 17, 2009
Telling the Truth by General Editor D. A. Carson (?)
Profile Image for Dottie Parish.
Author 1 book10 followers
December 7, 2012
Telling the Truth, edited by D.A. Carson, gives excellent insight into communicating Christian truth in today's culture with chapters by a variety of prominent evangelical leaders.
Profile Image for Stinger.
234 reviews6 followers
March 27, 2013
Didn't read the whole thing, primarily the articles by Ravi and Carson as well as a few others. Excellent info on evangelism.
Profile Image for Rafael Sales.
122 reviews
November 20, 2017
O livro trata sobre a comunicação do evangelho em meio às filosofia fundamentais de nossa era. Carson não edita um livro sobre "a verdade" no sentido lato, mas "a verdade" como sinônimo do Evangelho. No decorrer do livros podemos perceber métodos (alguns estranhos por sinal), fundamentos, perspectivas e exposições que nos ajudam a compreender a importância de expor a verdade nos mais diferentes lugares (embora o livros se mantém bastante ativo nas regiões acadêmica, não na linguística, mas na apresentação). Basicamente o livro estabelece o ponto que as faculdades disseminam o conhecimento. No geral um bom livro sobre a comunicação do Evangelho!
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