The Death of Truth

by Dennis McCallum

A book for ordinary readers who want to understand the maze of multiculturism, inclusivism, and the new postmodern diversity that daily impact us.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1556617240
• ISBN13: 9781556617249
• Release Date: January 1996
• Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.81 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

White male dominance justified in a biblical context.

A well-written book, coming from a position of white male privilege, which only shows why we desperately need more inclusive action within the Christian community. Determined to make us think that all good and righteous things like art, literature, and science comes from the European tradition, we're led along the path of least resistance. That which allows ourselves to classify others as less deserving and worthy of our respect and consideration. I'd be interested to know the authors thoughts after the age of Donald Trump, book banning, and the hateful rhetoric against those that are desperately trying to follow Jesus' command to love others as ourselves. That's the real death of truth.

A Must Read

Dennis McCallum has done a great job explaining why nothing in our society seems to make sense any longer. The book is, mildly stated, a masterpiece, though it does demand a better than average I.Q. and an academic background. It is not for feather brains and airheads. The first few chapters are heavy slogging, but well worth the trouble. Near the end, McCallum fits the puzzle together, and the book makes a great deal of sense. I recommend this book not only to Christians, but especially to secular thinkers,who are now beginning to ask themselves what has gone wrong in our Western world view .

Illuminating.

I found this book to be quite interesting, despite its repetitive style. Written by several Christian educators, it compares theism, modernism (or secular humanism), and postmodernism. They believe that postmodernism undermines all objective truth (i.e., truth that is true whether one believes it or not) and, therefore, is the death of truth, as we know it. Their thesis is that theism believes in objective truth as revealed by God; modernism believes in objective truth discovered through experience and observation, and postmodernism believes truth is subjective and determined by individuals. They aren't fans of modernism, but they believe postmodernism is downright perniciousThe basic tenants of postmodernism are:· Reason and rationality are cultural biases, and truth, especially God's truth, doesn't exist.· All lifestyles, religions, and worldviews are equally valid.· The only real sin is criticizing someone else's views or moral choices.· Opinions matter as much as evidence.· Reality is in the mind of the beholder.The authors believe postmodernism is the source of:· The political correctness movement.· Lower academic and discipline standards in public classrooms.· Tolerance gone extreme and the rising lack of personal responsibility.· The black community's rising separatism.· The increasingly widespread belief that every hurt is intentional and legally actionable.· Radical victimology.· History is slanted in favor of white males.· "Male" and "female" are socially created categories intended to enslave women to men.· Hostility towards science.To quote from page 20, "Postmodernists believe that truth is created, not discovered. They think things like reason, rationality, and confidence in science are cultural biases. They contend that those who trust reason -- and things based on reason, like science, Western education, and governmental structures -- unknowingly act out their European cultural conditioning. This conditioning seeks to keep power in the hands of the social elite." Well, I like my European conditioning.The authors take us through different subjects -- health, religion, science, history, literature, education, etc. -- and compare these 'isms. Not surprisingly, I find myself in agreement with parts of all three of the 'isms, on most subjects. For example, I accept the idea of cultural relativism, or paradigms. Moreover, I've often touted the idea that "reality is perception," not in an absolutist sense, but in the sense that what a person believes is true will govern that person's actions. In that sense I agree with the postmodernist view that people are never objective or rational. "Where we stand depends on where we sit." I also believe that words (semantics and syntax) have power, and how you describe something -- the words you use -- can influence others. However, I take this only up to a point, albeit that point may be where my ethnicity and class kick in. (That's certainly the case in the authors' view.)I do not

Please read and understand our culture!

First of all, I appreciate it so much when authors will write books on very difficult, abstract subjects in such an easy to understand way. Don't let the title or subject material scare you...you'll probably be able to get through it with no problem. They explain the common views (modernism, post modernism, and christian) on some of the most important areas in life (religion, law, health care, education, etc). There's also tons of references for further reading. I was very unfamiliar with these subjects, and feel that I now understand the basics of how they developed, the present impact and the future impact of these ideologies.

Excellent resource

I am impressed with the effort of this work. The authors have certainly made clear inroads to a lay explanation of postmodern philosophy. The book contains more than opinion and cites sources so that statements can be verified.

Excellent reading!

After reading this book, it is now clear to me what the driving force is behind what is taking place rignt now in Washington D.C.. If you have been mystified by the justifications for the sordid actions of many of our leaders not only in politics, but also in law and education, read this book. It will be a mystery no more!