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Truth Journal
Foreword
Dr. William R. Bright
Founder and President, Campus Crusade for Christ, International
Chancellor, International Christian Graduate University
G. K. Chesterton, that famous Christian man of letters, once remarked, "My friend
said that he opened his intellect as the sun opens the leaves of a palm tree,
opening for opening's sake, opening infinitely forever. But I said that I opened my
intellect as I opened my mouth, in order to shut it again on something solid."
These vivid words seem to me to form a precise portrait both of the true intent of
all inquiry and of the pursuit and study of truth that will characterize
Truth, An International, Inter-Disciplinary Journal Of Christian Thought.
In an age when absolutes have been abolished and relativism-the idea that there is
no right and wrong, good and evil, true and false-is running riot, the urgency of
such a journal is apparent on a natural plane. The urgency is even more apparent on
the supernatural plane, for if man loses trust in the intelligibility of reality
and his capacity to know reality, he will hardly be inclined to consider the claims
of Him Who said, "I was born for this, I came into the world for this: to bear
witness to the truth and all who are on the side of truth listen to my voice."
(John 18:37) In this respect, Truth is of tremendous importance for all those who
seek to present the Gospel of Jesus Christ to modern man.
But Truth is not concerned only with consolidating the foundations of
knowledge and affirming the objectivity of truth. On another level, it heralds the
emergence of an era in which contemporary cliches and superstitions, such as the
views that science has made religion irrelevant and that, intellectually, the
Christian Faith belongs to the Dark Ages, will be swiftly laid to rest. This is so
because the Directors and Advisors of the journal include some of the most creative
and influential minds of our time who are at the cutting-edge of modern thought.
They include Sir John Eccles, the Nobel Laureate who is one of the leading living
authorities on the human brain, Professor Henry Margenau, who was president of the
American Association of the Philosophy of Science from 1950 to 1960, and Professor
at Yale University for 40 years, and whose book Foundations of Physics was
listed by a Harvard committee as among the "books of the century", Dr. Allan
Sandage, a renowned astronomer who has been described as one of the 25 greatest
American scientists of today, Professor Nikolaus Lobkowicz, past President of the
University of Munich, now President of the University of Eichstaett, and author of
the celebrated Handbook of World Communism, Professor Alvin Plantinga,
past President of the American Philosophical Association, who has been invited to
give the Gifford Lectures, the most prestigious lecture series in Europe (he will
be the seventh American to do so after William James, John Dewey, Paul Tillich and
others). These men see no contradiction between their faith in Jesus Christ and the
data of their disciplines: only confirmation (and not a few of the Directors came
to their Christian convictions from an atheistic background). In his chapter in
this issue, "Why I Am A Christian", Professor Margenau writes, "There exists a
widespread view that regards science and religion in general as incompatible. Let
me therefore point out, first of all, that this belief may have been true half a
century ago but has now lost its validity as may be seen by any one who reads the
philosophical writings of the most distinguished and creative physicists of the
last five decades. I am referring here to men like Einstein, Bohr, Heisenberg,
Schroedinger, Dirac, Wigner, and many others." In his message for this issue, Sir
John Eccles writes, "I am happy to be associated with a Journal that is devoted to
the immense and paramount theme of Christian thought in the modern world."
At one time, Christians were accused of being narrow and inflexible and turning a
blind eye to the facts. Today, however, we face a situation in which many of the
high priests and prophets of the intellectual establishment are just as narrow and
inflexible in restricting all knowledge to the senses and refusing to accept data
that does not fit in with their preconceptions. It is to be hoped that the eminent
thinkers who will be contributing to this journal will help change such attitudes
and perceptions. But Truth does not seek to be negative and
confrontational. Rather, it will focus on the positive task of presenting classical
Christian theism and "baptizing" all that is best in modern thought while remaining
loyal to the definitive divine self-revelation in Jesus Christ.
On another level, Truth is also distinctive in being the meeting-place for
Christian minds representing a variety of Christian traditions, Protestant,
Catholic, Orthodox, who yet work within the bounds of what C. S. Lewis called "mere
Christianity" (L. merus: pure, undiluted) and who will only deal with issues on
which orthodox Christians from different denominations are in fundamental
agreement. And these Christian thinkers, it must be recognized, are interested also
in promoting dialogue and understanding between Christians in the intellectual
community and those at the grassroots.
In his chapter on "The Intellectual and Spiritual Crisis of the University",
Professor Charles Malik, former President of the United Nations General Assembly
and the United Nations Security Council, writes "The state of the mind and spirit
of the university pervades and controls the whole of contemporary civilization.
This is only to say that education dominates the world and the fountainhead of all
education is the university . . . And if the intellectual and spiritual source of
all power, vision and dominance in the world today, namely, the university, is
itself determined by such a radical alienation from Jesus Christ, not only in terms
of its central academic policy and general spirit, but in terms of the material
contents of the courses it teaches which feed and form the mind day after day and
year after year, is there the slightest doubt that only disaster-international,
political, economic, social, moral, intellectual and spiritual, awaits us all? . .
. If the displeasure of Jesus Christ with the university should continue . . . then
the Christians of the world would have to bear primary responsibility before the
judgment seat of Christ for the disastrous consequences that would ensue so far as
history and human destiny are concerned."
Campus Crusade for Christ was begun in 1951 in response to the very concerns so
eloquently expressed by Professor Malik. Our vision and thrust has been universal-
we are now working in 151 countries-and, more important, our concern is not just
temporal in scope, but embraces the eternal dimension of human destiny, salvation
through Jesus Christ.
But this focus on the Transcendent must not obscure the fact that Campus Crusade
for Christ seeks to be as effective as possible in the service of Jesus Christ here
and now. And, recognizing the crucial significance of intellectual formation in the
modern world, our ministry has begun a university, the International Christian
Graduate University, which seeks to bring God's truth to the intellectuals of the
world. Like the original charter of Harvard University, we hold that, "Everyone
shall consider the main end of his life and studies to know Jesus Christ which is
eternal life." It is in this context that the International Christian Graduate
University, in cooperation with the Institute For Research in Christianity and
Contemporary Thought, the International Institute for Mankind, Truth Inc. and
Dallas Baptist University, would like to take the lead in publishing
Truth, an International, Inter-disciplinary Journal of Christian Thought,
and distributing it worldwide. We realize that the work of the Holy Spirit is not
limited to or by specific individuals or institutions and, therefore, in all our
endeavors, we seek to unite our efforts with those who are working towards a
renaissance of Christian belief throughout the world, with confidence in the
promise of Him who said "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life": "You will learn the
truth and the truth shall make you free."
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© 1995-2008
Leadership U. All rights reserved.
Updated: 14 July 2002
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