The rise of a post-truth culture

Dr. Jim Denison and Dr. Mark Turman discuss the foundation for Denison Forum by first unpacking apologetics (“to make a defense”), which has its roots in the book of Acts. Cultural apologetics refers to giving a defense of biblical truth in the context of cultural issues like same-sex marriage, abortion, or euthanasia. They discuss starting points for those conversations, which need to begin outside of the Bible and with varying assumptions, depending on the audience. 

 

Next, they delve into the origins of Protestants’ split from Roman Catholicism and its further divisions. They recommend the new, recently published podcast called Good Faith, hosted by David French and Curtis Chang, to unpack it further. Evangelicalism is a relatively recent movement, however, beginning in the 20s and 30s, and gaining prominence after WWII. Evangelicalism, in some ways, rose in reaction against a perceived liberal drift of mainline denominations. But, from the start, with people like Billy Graham, the main point was to spread the simple gospel. 

 

Nowadays, the word evangelical has become associated with the political right more than its core biblical beliefs, from the well-intentioned “we want a nation God can bless” acting as part of the Moral Majority, and activism, to its disparaged status in culture. Culture tends to view evangelicals as a political action movement, especially with some preachers endorsing Donald Trump. 

 

Finally, Mark and Jim discuss the earthquakes that Jim outlines in The Coming Tsunami. Denial of biblical truth, the first earthquake, is in many ways the one which starts the fall of dominoes. Many Christians are trying to address these problems by tackling the symptoms of the cultural tsunami. That leaves us blind to the actual, invisible causes of the cultural decline we see today.

 

Each person deals with their own unique presuppositions, so the best way to change the tide is to influence the people where you are as best you can. In the midst of this discussion, Mark and Jim begin to unpack further cultural earthquakes. 

 

P.S. Pre-order The Coming Tsunami today and you’ll be invited to an exclusive, virtual, live Q&A with Dr. Denison discussing whether Critical Race Theory is biblical. Visit TheComingTsunami.com to pre-order and follow the directions on that page to receive your invitation to this book launch event on January 25. 

 

Resources and further reading

 

• The Coming Tsunami, Jim Denison
• Good Faith, David French, Curtis Chang
• Leadership is an art, Max Dupree

 

About the hosts 

 

Dr. Jim Denison CVO and cofounder of Denison Forum and a cultural scholar. He received his Ph.D. in philosophy and Master’s in Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. 

 

Dr. Mark Turman is the executive director of Denison Forum. He received his DMin from Truett at Baylor and previously served as lead pastor of Crosspoint Church.