Since the beginning, philosophies have arisen to provide alternatives.  They all have one thing in common:  deviation from the truth, the Word of God.  The original counterfeit is found in Genesis 3:1, when the serpent asked Eve, "Has God indeed said...?"  The ultimate goal of every alternative philosophy is to "break their bonds in pieces and cast away their cords from us" (Psalm 2:3 NKJV).  When confronted with these philosophies, we should always remember to test the spirits (1 John 4:1-6).  We will discuss two belief systems from which most others stem, Universalism and Postmodernism/Humanism.  For our purposes, Postmodernism and Humanism will go together because both essentially ascribe the role of a god to man. Universalism in its most liberal form holds that all belief systems are equally valid and ultimately lead to God.  Universalism is popular because it validates whatever I want to believe.  It is alarmingly popular from within the church because it allows for peace of mind for those who have lost loved ones who died without having trusted Jesus.  It is popular for both groups because it excuses us from confronting wrong, and it does not require us to have the humility to acknowledge our sin.  All of these reasons for belief in Universalism are driven by emotion, and have no basis in anything factual.  Some may become angry, insisting that our response is cold-hearted.  But to encourage people in their self-destructive behaviors is the depth of heartlessness.

We can look at recent news to see this belief system at work.  The June 12th Orlando nightclub terrorist attack was covered by virtually every news outlet in America.  Many of the major news outlets refused to acknowledge the terrorist's motivation, because they had to uphold, at all costs, the notion that his religious beliefs were as good as anyone else's.

“U.S. Seeks Motive for Orlando Shooter’s Deadly Rampage”-Reuters

“Investigators Seek Motive of Orlando Club Shooter”-Fox 35 Orlando

“Possible Motives Emerge for Orlando Club Gunman”-CBS DFW

Keep in mind that we knew immediately what his motive was as he shouted it out in the hearing of eyewitnesses.

When making an appeal to a Universalist, we should point out that logic does not allow for mutually exclusive religions to both be true.  If the Universalist is a professing Christian, it is also important to point out that if his beliefs are true, then Jesus' sacrifice was meaningless and unnecessary.  Anyone who holds such beliefs is not a Christian as it is defined by the Bible (And does any other definition matter?).

Postmodernism, Deconstructionism, and Humanism are all very similar in that they all seek to style man into his own god.  Postmodernism in its purest form is not a belief system, but a strategy for questioning the nature of reality.  Deconstructionism began as a strategy for interpreting literary texts, but was quickly adopted by Postmodernists as a means by which to tear down reality, which they like to call "societal construct." Humanism is the belief that man is god, that we created ourselves through evolution, and that we are all-powerful.  (Think "We are the World"...You know what?  Don't think about it.)

All three of these challenge the nature of truth, reality, and right vs. wrong.  These are the favored philosophies of atheists, communists, and many who find it difficult to get a job (in other words, people who are discontented with reality and truth).

Jean-Francois Lyotard coined the term "postmodern" in 1979.  Even he admitted that his hypotheses had no "predictive value in relation to reality, but strategic value in relation to the questions raised" (Lyotard 1984 [1979], 7).  It is important to note that a strategy, by definition, is a means to an end.  So, what is the end for which his hypotheses have strategic value?  To destroy truth.

We do not have to look far to see these strategies at work in our own culture.  The postmodernist will attempt to rewrite reality into what he thinks it ought to be.  We have gotten very good at ignoring obvious truth and insisting that alternative "realities" exist.

We call AIDS an epidemic in America, even though the Center for Disease Control reports that very few Americans contract the disease each year, and that almost all cases are homosexual men or users of illegal drugs.  In order to not acknowledge the consequences of wrong, we pretend that there is an epidemic and that all people are at equal risk.

We ignore the statistical correlation between children raised without fathers and crime, poverty, and emotional disorders.  That way we won't have to confront the problem of the broken family and what it does to children.

The most obvious example is the debate over sex vs. gender.  Trans-gendered people commit suicide at the rate of 41% (the national average is less than 5%).  That rate holds before and after sex-change surgery.  Their suicide rate is higher than that of Jews during the Holocaust, and slaves in pre-Civil War America.   Some assert that the suicide rate is the result of an intolerant society.  But if we look at Sweden (universally recognized as the most trans-gender-friendly nation in the world) we can see that the suicide rate for trans-gendered people still holds.  Rather than addressing the problem and helping those in need, we rewrite reality.  And, statistically,  we do so knowing that it will claim the lives of almost half of them.

Part of the appeal of Postmodernism is in its fresh avant-garde appearance.  Because it challenges its culture, it always appears to be edgy and new, even though it's been around since Genesis 3:1.  It also holds an appeal for those who want to believe in something that they know not to be true, because it questions reality itself.  It equates fact with feeling.  Postmodernism allows for you to win the argument on the basis of fact, but for me to still be right.  The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy asserts that "where the expert knows what he knows and what he doesn't know, the philosopher knows neither, but poses questions." And therein lies the essence of Postmodernism.

Nietzche remains a hero to many postmodernists.  He spent his adult life on a "crusade against morality."  Nietzche infamously said "God is dead.  God remains dead.  And we have killed him."  He also insisted that "there are no facts, only interpretations."  He also said:  "That which does not kill us makes us stronger."  He went on to demonstrate that syphilis does not make us stronger.

Nietzche's tragic life teaches us that we can deny reality and its consequences all we want to, but we are still bound to it.  So, when we are confronted by someone who holds these beliefs, it is always important to remind them of that fact.  We can also point out that their belief system only exists to tear things down; it offers no solutions or alternatives.  We can point out that they do believe in morality, even though they might deny it.  If he protests, then ask him how he feels about murder, rape, pedophilia, etc.  If they say that any one of these things is wrong, then we should ask him on what basis he makes the judgment that it is wrong.  He has no answer since his belief system is based on the denial of morality.  He may try to skirt the issue by saying that if it hurts someone, then it is wrong.  At this point, we remind him that his atheistic views require that he hurt others, because it is the fittest who survives.

If he still refuses to acknowledge the existence of the corner that he has painted himself into, then we can boil the whole argument down to logic.  He breaks his own rules if he makes the absolute statement that "there are no absolutes."

Under most circumstances, winning an argument is not our primary objective.  Remember that "our struggle is not against blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12 NASB).  We are not out to win arguments, to outwit, or embarrass anyone.  We are out to expose the deceptions, by which they are being held captive, to the light.  And if we'll keep reading in Ephesians 6, we'll see the armor of God that is necessary for the fight.

Lyotard, J.-F., 1984 [1979], The Postmodern Condition: A Report on Knowledge, Geoff Bennington and Brian Massumi (trans.), Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.