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."