Dialectic Versus Didactic by Fred Pursley
Lighthouse Trails Publishing posted an article critiquing Rick Warren in an
interview with Charlie Rose. This interview showed very clearly Warren's
dreamto see Christians and Catholics join together, stating that 'minor
doctrinal differences' should not keep them separated. "What I am interested in
is bringing the church together...we are never going to agree on a lot of
things, but I found we do agree on purpose." He talked about the purposes that
all Catholics and Protestants agree on.
Here we see the dialectical thought process over the didactic thinking process. In the past America and the West held to the didactic process in which 2 + 2 = 4 and can not be otherwise. There was right/wrong, light/dark, true/false. This was the way we ran government, education and especially the church. This is God's way. This is shown by the commands, "Thou shall not." If we obey, then this...and if we do not obey, then that...
In the dialectical process, truth or absolutes are not necessary and "minor doctrinal differences" should not keep people separated. What is needed is common ground as in the statement..."we are never going to agree on a lot of things, but I found we do agree on purpose." Once that is established then we can "dialogue" to reach a solution to a problem or crisis. And in this case it is lack of relational unity. The resolution of the problem takes precedent over truth or absolutes. Dialectic (this process of dialogue) was made popular philosophically by George Friedrich Hegel, Karl Marx, and Sigmund Freud as well as others. In it we begin with a premise or thesis as opposed to its antithesis. Through dialogue we find middle ground or synthesis. Then this "common ground" becomes the (new) thesis. Of course the problem with this is there will also arise an antithesis which also will then need to be synthesized to achieve common ground toward the desired result of "peace" or "unity." So we are forever learning, but never coming to the knowledge of the truth. "Truth" is in a constant state of flux or change depending on the culture and mind set of the times. Scriptural truths like "I am the Lord; I never change. I am the Alpha and the Omega, Beginning and the End, the Way, the TRUTH, and the Life" become empty platitudes.
This process is not really new. It started in the Garden when Satan attempted to dialogue with Eve. She understood the thesis (position) God gave Adam: If you eat you will surely die. Satan offered the antithesis: You shall not surely die. In dialoguing with Satan she was deceptively convinced of her desire and his "good" intent rather than God's truth. She began to doubt God and rationalize her own action/desire to eat. Was God holding something back and what could be wrong with wanting knowledge of good and evil (since God evidently had this)? The reality is in "dialoguing" you assert opinions, not facts. Facts are not negotiable so there is no dialogue needed. Eve thought she "ought" to be able to eat from the tree. Mr. Warren thinks we "ought" to all get along, no matter that it is truth that divides us and that all truth comes from God. When he (we) do this, we set "man" as the final arbiter of what ought to be or happen.
God did not dialogue or ask Moses his opinion. He spoke and Moses obeyed. Moses likewise did not come down from Sinai and dialogue with his people. He did not ask them what their feelings were on the Commandments and if they all were in agreement with them. He did not ask what they interpreted them to mean.
This dialectic way of thinking is straight from the pit of hell. It negates the two separate and distinct things - light and darkness - as being just that, separate and distinct, one right and one wrong. It is the thinking of Satan and it is the thinking of fallen man. It is worldly thinking. It seems right to man, but leads to disobedience and therefore a lack of knowledge of the truth which destroys our souls. We should all be aware of this and constantly pray that we will do the will of the Father which is to obey, not dialogue. Scripture warns us not to be ignorant of Satan's devices. "My people perish for lack of knowledge." Yet today most of the church IS ignorant of Satan's main devise, the dialectic thought process, the thinking of sinful man. Father, forgive us.
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