Published 20 years ago, it was thought of as an instant classic then: I heartily agree with that assessment. Pearcey is a trenchant thinker and writer. Total Truth is filled with piercing analyses, exhibits wide reading and study, and is worth re-reading on a regular basis until the subject has enabled you to develop your own worldview. She is an evangelical but does not hesitate to refer to atheists, agnostics, Catholics and others from a wide variety of backgrounds. Whether she is commending or critiquing, her ideas have weight and substance.
As a Christian philosopher, she takes pains to integrate theology into her work...and it is a practical theology that should make a difference in how one leads one's life. She is unsparing in her denunciation of the fact-value split in modern thought and shows how Christians have contributed to this false kind of dichotomy that ultimately relegates our faith to a secondary, pious role in a second storey that is irrelevant to "the real world" when it is factually, provably, the ground of all truth.
Yes, I am convinced of her thesis and believe that this book will change the direction of your life, if you will apply it appropriately, carefully, thoughtfully. That is my personal intention.
Oh, I do not agree with every word she writes, but the overall direction is solid, sound and unimpeachable. ( )

Case 14 shelf 4

Truth is seen through our world view. Understanding our world views is like tying to see the lens of our own eye. False beliefs lead to false world views. Historical movements of thinking are discussed. These help explain how we have gotten to the point we are now. Total truth doesn't just come from study, but from submitting our minds to Christ. We have to be willing to talk to people about the real basis of belief - the Bible.
Take your time reading this book. It will be worth your time but it requires effort and thought. ( )

Katie and Josh

Written by Nancy Pearcey and published by Crossway Books in 2004, Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from Its Cultural Captivity is part history, part philosophy, and part religious consideration. Pearcey constructs a well written, easy to read apology on the overall effects of scientific and philosophical models on the whole of human epistemology, and Christian thought in particular.

A primary motif in the work is related to the early distinction of a two-story thought process that has become more pervasive in our culture’s everyday worldview. The basic premise relates to the idea that one has a religious and a secular side to the thought process that creates a dichotomy. The upper level is composed of those thoughts and ideas that relate to subjective thinking and values, while to lower level is comprised of those thoughts and ideas that can be empirically quantified and considered public knowledge. Consider …

Personal preference; Choice; Nonrational; Subjective
Scientific Knowledge; Binding on everyone; Rational; Objective

This two-story split is in part the offspring of the Enlightenment. Although many of the early scientists perceived their work as verifying the presence and hand of God in the world, as the stockpile of information increased and rational conclusions were drawn, the scientific process became the higher goal; The ability to present verifiable information from a naturalistic examination of the world assumed a higher authoritative place than the truths presented in the Scriptures. A fact/value dichotomy ensued.

The thesis of the work appears to be bound into a consideration of worldview. As Pearcey asserts, “We have to insist on presenting Christianity as a comprehensive, unified worldview that addresses all of life and reality. It is not just religious truth but total truth” (111).

The central portions of the work centers around a discussion of the development of thought and logic patterns. Beginning with the Greek philosophers and proceeding through to present day, the treatment of how mankind has developed certain thought patterns makes for very interesting reading. There are obvious points at which Christian Apologetics take the driver’s seat, and from a Christian worldview these discussions do nothing but strengthen a Christian’s ability to answer and defend the truth. Interesting in the discussion is the effects of the American democracy on Christianity, especially in the early days of the Republic. It is fascinating to see the incorporation of the principles laid down by the Founding Fathers into religious thought, and how those thought patterns entered the stream of American Christianity. Another section documents the role of women and how they have significantly affected the stream of American culture and thought. The early feminists are noted to have less animosity towards men than the fact they were being excluded from the increasing opportunities given men in the public sphere. Sadly, as both men and women entered the work force to pursue achievement and personal fulfillment, it has been the home that has “suffered from the general devaluation of the private sphere” (343).

Of interest was an assessment of those characteristics that developed from the evangelical thrust of the First Great Awakening. First, there was a focus placed upon an emotional conversion experience that became an effective tool for bringing people to the faith, but sadly contributed to a neglect of theology and doctrine. Second, preachers began using more of the common language and simple songs that proved highly effective in reaching ordinary people while making fun of the educated clergy “back east.” Third, addressing congregants apart from their family or church was effective in forcing a crisis of faith. Fourth, revivalism resulted in a new style of leadership wherein the preacher or pastor was better known as a celebrity able to inspire mass audiences. Amazingly, aspects of these same ideas can still be seen having their influence upon the contemporary evangelical community (liberal and conservative), and even more distinctly among the Pentecostal wing.

Although not in the scope of this work, one feels that the overall consideration of Christianity’s presentation of Total Truth is totally focused on Western thought. Regardless, a highly recommended read for those that seek to understand and answer to an increasingly secularized world. Buy it; Read it.

Some quotes from the book:

“Most secularists are too politically savvy to attack religion directly or to debunk it as false. So what do they do? They consign religion to the value sphere – which takes it out of the ream of true and false altogether. Secularists can then assure us that of course they ‘respect’ religion, while at the same time denying that it has any relevance to the public realm” (21)

“Thus the religious professionals took over the spiritual duties of those deemed unable to fulfill them for themselves – saying prayers, attending mass, doing penance, going on pilgrimages, and performing acts of charity on behalf of the common folk” (80).

“Darwinian evolution is not so much an empirical finding as a deduction from a naturalistic worldview” (170).

“When we consider the growth of religious affiliation in America, then, the most striking thing is that it did not take place among the respectable or established churches, but among the evangelical groups – the ‘upstart’ groups, as they were called at the time” (265).

“The Enlightenment claim that science can operate without any philosophical premises proved, in the end, to be a cover for discarding Christian premises while smuggling in naturalistic ones” (308).

“We may do a great job of arguing that Christianity is total truth, but others will not find our message persuasive unless we give a visible demonstration of that truth in action. It is all but impossible for people to accept new ideas purely in the abstract, without seeing a concrete illustration of what they look like when lived out in practice. Sociologists call this a ‘plausibility structure’ – the practical context in which ideas are fleshed out. The church is meant to be the ‘plausibility structure’ for the gospel” (354-355).

“If there is one prevailing characteristic of modern culture, it is moral relativism. Yet this is one of the ‘isms’ that is easiest to shoot down. Why? Because, despite what a person says he believes, no one faced with genuine cruelty remains a moral relativist” (396). ( )