Contrasts Between the Attestation of Scripture and Competing Systems of Thought

Part 2

Please review last week’s article here to read part 1.

To create a compelling contrast between the attestation of Scripture, and here’s an outline of the contrast between Scripture and ten systems of thought.

1. Natural Law  

Natural law theory posits that moral truths are embedded in the natural order and can be discerned through human reason. While Scripture acknowledges that God’s moral law can be seen in nature (Romans 1:20), it teaches that sin distorts human reason (Romans 1:21-25). Therefore, while natural law might offer some moral insight, it is incomplete and unreliable without the special revelation of Scripture. We can only fully understand the moral law through God’s Word, as sin has blinded humanity from fully discerning truth through nature alone.

2. Postmodernity and Deconstruction  

Postmodernism rejects the idea of absolute truth, arguing that all knowledge is socially constructed and contingent upon language, power structures, and personal experience. Deconstruction further destabilizes meaning by questioning the reliability of texts, including sacred texts. In contrast, Scripture declares itself to be God’s infallible and unchanging Word (Isaiah 40:8, 2 Timothy 3:16). It affirms that God has communicated absolute truth to humanity through divine revelation, not subject to the shifting tides of cultural interpretation or linguistic play.

3. Open Theism  

Open Theism asserts that God does not have exhaustive foreknowledge of future events, particularly human choices, because they are genuinely free and undetermined. In contrast, Scripture attests to God’s omniscience and sovereignty, declaring that He knows the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10) and works all things according to the counsel of His will (Ephesians 1:11). It also states that “the lamb of God was slain before the foundation of the world” which rebuts the notion that God was surprised by the sin of Adam in the Garden of Eden (Rev. 13:8 Gen. 3:9-11). The Bible presents God as both transcendent and immanent, fully in control of history while remaining intimately involved in human affairs. Open Theism undermines this Biblical portrayal of God’s ultimate knowledge and authority.

4. Asceticism  

  Asceticism promotes a worldview in which spiritual purity and closeness to God are achieved through severe self-discipline, often involving the denial of physical pleasures. While the Bible calls for self-control and discipline (1 Corinthians 9:27), it rejects the extreme practices of asceticism as unnecessary for godliness (Colossians 2:20-23). Scripture affirms the goodness of creation (Genesis 1:31) and teaches that sanctification is achieved not through self-denial alone but through the transformative work of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).

5. Darwinism 

Darwinism, particularly in its atheistic forms, asserts that life emerged and evolved through natural processes, such as random mutation and natural selection, without guiding intelligence or purpose. In contrast, Scripture teaches that God is the intentional Creator of all things, designing the universe with purpose and order (Genesis 1:1-31). The Bible affirms that humanity is created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), with inherent dignity and value, in stark contrast to the Darwinian view, which reduces human life to the product of blind evolutionary forces.

6. Hegelian Dialectic  

Hegel’s dialectical method suggests that truth emerges from the synthesis of contradictions, a process of thesis, antithesis, and synthesis. In this system, history and thought are seen as evolving toward greater understanding. Scripture, however, reveals a God immutable (Malachi 3:6), whose truth does not evolve or change over time (James 1:17). The Bible presents divine revelation as consistent and complete, not subject to dialectical change. While human understanding may grow, the truth of God’s Word remains fixed and eternal.

7. Karl Barth  

Karl Barth’s theology emphasized the transcendence of God and God’s Word, but he saw Scripture primarily as a witness to God’s revelation rather than being revelation itself. Barth suggested that the Bible becomes God’s Word when proclaimed and heard. In contrast, classical Christian theology, following the Bible’s own testimony, holds that Scripture is the direct revelation of God, authoritative and inspired in all its parts (2 Timothy 3:16-17). God’s Word does not “become” true based on subjective experience but is objectively true in and of itself.

8. Plato    

Plato’s philosophy posits a dualistic worldview in which the material world is inferior to the world of abstract Forms or Ideas, where ultimate truth resides. In contrast, the Bible presents the material world as part of God’s good creation (Genesis 1:31). While the Bible acknowledges spiritual realities beyond the material (Colossians 3:1-2), it does not devalue the physical realm. Moreover, Christian theology does not see truth as existing in abstract Forms but as revealed personally through the Triune God, most fully in Jesus Christ, who is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).

9. Aristotle  

Aristotle emphasized empirical observation and rational deduction, concluding that knowledge is built from the ground up through sensory experience. While Scripture recognizes the value of reason and observation (Proverbs 25:2, Psalm 19:1), it asserts that the fear of the Lord is the true beginning of knowledge (Proverbs 1:7). Human reason is a gift from God, but it is limited and affected by sin. Therefore, the Bible teaches that true wisdom and understanding must come from divine revelation, not human investigation alone (1 Corinthians 1:20-21).

10. John Dewey (Pragmatism) 

John Dewey, a key figure in pragmatism, argued that truth is not fixed but is determined by what works in a given context. For Dewey, truth is functional, determined by its practical outcomes, particularly regarding social progress and education. Scripture, however, presents truth as absolute and grounded in the nature of God Himself (John 17:17). It is not determined by its utility or societal function but by God’s eternal nature and His Word, which is true regardless of human experience or outcome (Psalm 119:160). 

My prayer in this brief article is to illustrate how these contrasts with major systems of thought highlight how Scripture provides a coherent, unified, and divinely revealed foundation for knowledge and life, in stark opposition to various human-centered systems of thought, each of which falls short in accounting for ultimate truth and meaning.

For more on this subject, read Always Ready by Greg Bahnson.