A week ago today, most Christians around the world observed what is widely called Good Friday. It was on that day that Pilate said to Jesus, probably scoffingly, “What is truth?” (John 18:38). He may not have meant the question seriously; yet that remains an inquiry of profound importance that deserves deep reflection.
Philosophers have discussed the meaning of truth for millennia. In
the Western world, that question dates back at least to the sixth century BCE, and even further back in the Eastern world of India and China. In the
philosophical formulation of responses to the question, the following are the
most common.
** Correspondence theory — truth is what matches reality. For
example, “it is raining” is true if, in fact, one can clearly see or feel
raindrops falling.
** Coherence theory — truth is what fits consistently within a
web of established beliefs, like interlocking puzzle pieces with no gaps.
**Pragmatist theory — truth is what works in practice, proving
useful and yielding real-world results.
These three theories are all correct and useful in answering the
question regarding what truth is on the second of the three levels of reality about
which I wrote in my February 28 blog post (see
here). But they are not sufficient for comprehending “ultimate truth,”
which is what I called the third/top level of reality in that article.
Ultimate Truth must be known by personal encounter rather
than by abstract thought. Emil Brunner (1889~1966) wrote Truth as Encounter, and that is
a primary emphasis of some of the philosophers I have studied most. Brunner
rejected classical mysticism, but I am using that term here to refer to
personal contact with God rather than intellectual reasoning about God.
Here, briefly, are three philosophers/theologians who emphasize
mysticism the way I am defining it:
** Blaise Pascal (1623~62). On November 23, 1654, that highly acclaimed French
mathematician and physicist wrote about his unexpected, life-changing
experience: “FIRE. GOD of Abraham, GOD of Isaac, GOD of Jacob not of the
philosophers and of the learned. Certitude. Certitude. Feeling. Joy. Peace.” That
was surely a “mystical” encounter of the highest level.
** Søren
Kierkegaard (1813~55). That famous Danish philosopher, widely regarded as the father of
existentialism, deepened Pascal’s vision by insisting that God’s existence
cannot be proved by reason but rather must be personally encountered as the
living God in whom one is brought to faith, repentance, and worship. His
emphasis on the “leap of faith” is easily linked to “mysticism.”
** Richard Rohr (b. 1943). This
noted Franciscan friar and Roman Catholic priest authored The Universal
Christ (2019), one of the most valuable books I have read in the last ten
years. He embraces the mystical label himself, and his emphasis on
contemplative, non-dualistic knowing fits comfortably within the broader
mystical tradition.
** Michael Polanyi (1891~1976). This scientist turned philosopher is not a
religious thinker as the previous three are, but he can be thought of as an epistemological
ally rather than a fellow mystic. He demolishes the pretension that objective,
impersonal, propositional knowing is the only legitimate form of knowledge, so
he is a philosophical apologist for knowing truth by encounter.
Knowing Ultimate Truth is far more complex than
understanding truth on lower levels. In everyday life, “truth” can be considered
whatever works pragmatically (as in the third theory listed above). In that
sense, truth can be “relative.” What works for me may not be the same as what
works for you—and that is all right.
In considering both what is real and what is truth, though, we must
seek both in the higher/universal realm. And we need to remember Jesus saying
that “you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).
In John’s Gospel, Jesus does not present truth as a set of detached
propositions but as a relationship that unfolds in ongoing encounter. Those who
“abide” in his word “know the truth,” not in the sense of embracing correct
ideas, but by entering into living fellowship with the One who declared, “I am
the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6a).
The freedom Jesus promises is the freedom that comes when Ultimate
Reality—whom Christians confess as God—is no longer an object of discussion but
a personal Presence who addresses us, claims us, and sets us free.
With relation to the contemporary world, on every level, people of this country and around the world need to be freed from the lies of the current POTUS, who, for more than a decade now, has been misleading the public with lies and deceptive statements daily.
