Charles W. Colson:

"What's really at issue here is a dramatic shift in the prevailing belief of Western cultural elites; we have come into a postmodern era that rejects the idea of truth itself. If there is no such thing as truth, then Christianity's claims are inherently offensive and even bigoted against others. Tolerance, falsely defined as putting all propositions on an equal footing - as opposed to giving ideas an equal hearing - has replaced truth.

Millions acquiesce to the all-beliefs-are-equal doctrine for the sake of bettering their social position in our values-free, offend-no-one culture. But to succumb to this indifference is not to accept a tolerant or liberal view of Christianity; it is to embrace another religion, a belief in some supreme value - perhaps tolerance- but not in the God who is and who has spoken.

President Eisenhower, a great father figure of the post - World War II era, perfectly captured this spirit of the postwar age: "Our government makes no sense unless it is founded on a deeply felt religious faith - and I don't care what it is." In 2007, an Episcopal priest carried this view so far she became a Muslim and remained a priest, while publicly denying there was any inconsistency.

All the while, those making their truth claims are publicly demeaned with impunity. Christians are called "wing nuts" and "flat earthers." or as one major national newspaper famously put it: "poor, uneducated, and easily led.""

Colson, Charles W. The Faith: Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530, 2008, Page 26.

Charles W. Colson:

""The challenges of anti-theism and radical Islam could not come at a worse time for the Church, because most Christians do not understand what they believe, why they believe it and why it matters. How can a Christianity that is not understood be practiced? And how can it be presented in its true character as peace, freedom and joy? How are skeptics to understand Christianity's positive aspects?

Tragically,postmodern culturehas infected and weakened the Church, particularly in the West. Spain, once the most Catholic country in Europe, has become, within a generation, among the most secularized. A recent report among Spain's bishops lays the blame squarely on heretical teaching as to the nature of Christ and His atoning work. Likewise, when I asked a priest friend why church membership was declining so rapidly in once rigidly Catholic Ireland, he answered, "Because the priests don't preach the Gospel."

Even evangelicals, known for their fidelity to Scripture, have not been exempt from postmodernist influence. Both George Gallup and George Barna, eminent pollsters and close Church observers, have in recent years decried the declining biblical literacy in the Church. The majority of evangelicals - whom Barna calls "born-again Christians" - do not believe in absolute truth."

Colson, Charles W. The Faith: Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530, 2008, Page 28.