“They do not see the radical claim of truth on the shaping of their lives.” 

– Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Bonhoeffer pinned those words in about 1930 while he was on a visiting trip to Union Theological Seminary in New York. It was the time of the battle between the liberals and the fundamentalists. At the center of this battle with the authority of scripture and the basis for truth. Most all of our great colleges had been taken over by this liberal thinking that rejected the authority of scripture as the basis for truth. Here is the fuller quote by Bonhoeffer about the state of the American culture at the time, 

“This is characteristic of all American thought, particularly as I have observed it in theology and the church; they do not see the radical claim of truth on the shaping of their lives. Community is therefore founded less on truth than on the spirit of fairness. One says nothing against another member of the dormitory as long as he is a good fellow.” (Bonhoeffer, by Eric Metaxas, p.104) 

Does that sound familiar? Thank the Lord we have seen some amazing and impactful ministries and churches in the New York area since this time. However, the disregard for the authority of the scriptures and an honest seeking of the truth are still the cancer that keeps eating away at our schools, churches and culture in America. We are currently experiencing another wave of assault upon the truth and it is primarily being fought inside the evangelical Church. The part of the Church that came out of the liberal and fundamentalist battle standing on the side of the Bible is now waffling. Our foundations are being exposed and sadly for much of the church a very weak biblical foundation is being exposed. And this is primarily because of a deficit in discipleship within the church. As a result much of the church today is like in the 30s, “They do not see the radical claim of truth on the shaping of their lives.” Culture and media have shaped the American mind and even Christian America. 

Here is how Bonhoeffer explained the void in Germany that was filled by Hitler and the Nazis, 

“He began by explaining why Germany was looking for a Fuhrer. The First War and the subsequent depression and turmoil had brought about a crisis in which the younger generation, especially, had lost all confidence in the traditional authority of the kaiser and the church. The German notion of the Fuhrer arose out of this generation and its search for meaning and guidance out of its troubles.” (p141)

The younger generation lost confidence in the church and the state and as a result they were vulnerable for a political messiah and a whole new political system to put their hope in. This breakdown began with a breakdown in the authority of the scriptures being upheld as the truth and that truth being radically lived out in the culture. Jesus said in John 8:31-32, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” The last part of this verse can be found inscribed upon stone in several of our capital buildings and older colleges. However, the first part was always left out, which was the prerequisite for knowing the truth and being set free – we must first learn to abide in Jesus’ word and truly be His follower. 

Today, the secular progressives have adopted deconstructionism and this has a hold even within the church today. They believe this old way of seeing the bible needs to be torn down and that a new revival is upon us where the lines of orthodoxy (right beliefs) and orthopraxy (right living) will be blurred so that there is no longer right answers to big questions but only preferences. Another common heretical teaching has left higher education and is now being preached from many pulpits today is the unbiblical idea that God is not punitive but only redemptive. This is just a complete rejection of the clear testimony of God within the scriptures and history. This is also ultimately a denial of what Jesus rightly accomplished on the cross for us and the world. Again, much of the church today is no different than when Bonhoeffer experienced it, “They do not see the radical claim of truth on the shaping of their lives.” They have become deaf to scriptures like Romans 1:18, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.”

“Bonhoeffer wrote…that the ‘outlook is really exceptionally grim.’ He felt that they were ‘standing at a tremendous turning point in world history ,’ that something was about to happen. But what? In his prescient way, Bonhoeffer sensed that whatever lay ahead, the church would be threatened. He wondered if it would survive at all.” (p121) 

I know many within the church today are wrestling with fear and great worry about the future. We need to make sure that we are taking in greater doses of scripture and truth than media and news. We need to gather together regularly to encourage each other in the truth that we have a kingdom that cannot be shaken and that Jesus promised that He would build His Church and the gates of hell could not prevail against it. We need to get serious about the Great Commission and our call to make disciples that make disciples that see the radical claim of truth as shaping their lives.