Can Truth Be Censored?

Let my cry come before You, O Lord;
Give me understanding according to Your word (Psalms 119:169).




My thanks to Joshua “Kim” Johnson for making this entry possible.

I’ve always wanted to study theology. No, not just study it. My heart has always wanted to study it systematically, thoroughly, understandably, applicably, and wallet-friendlyly (if there is such a word). My answer came in Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology.

I’ve made it a point to try to read a chapter a week (note the empasis, try). If I can do that, I can finish the studying Systematic Theology in around a year.

I think I’m gonna like this book. It is meant for theology students, not theology teachers. It is written with a deliberate attempt to avoid using technical terms or Christian jargon. Its arguments and positions on every doctrine are presented clearly, eloquently, and in an easy-to-understand way. It can be comprehended by anyone who will at least bother to hear them out.

A very good friend of mine has expressed reservations against the author, citing that Wayne Grudem shares a Pentecostal belief on certain doctrines concerning healing and spiritual gifts. In fact, in the dedications page, Grudem acknowledged John Wimber – a very prominent person in Charismatic circles – as one of the 8 people whom God has sovereignly brought into his life.

So, does that mean we have to ban the book from our library? Do we have to throw away the baby along with the bathwater?

After reading the preface, I felt more approving of Grudem’s work. Instead of marking his treatment on Systematic Theology as a forbidden fruit, I think I’ll put it in the “favourites section” in my library (if I can ever have a proper one).

In the true interest learning, any form of authentic education cannot come through a prejudiced mindset. If we pick only the authors whom we fully agree with on every single aspect, aren’t we merely choosing to hear what our itching ears want to hear? If we toss an entire book out of the window just because we can find one, single position on a particular doctrine that we find objectionable or questionable, and scramble to look for another book that we can fully agree with, is that really called learning? Can any form of learning be possible in the presence of bias or prejudice? Can we learn anything at all if we’ve already pre-decided what we want to see or hear?

I think not.

I’m not saying that we should take in anything that false teachers have to say. I’m not encouraging the study of errant doctrines, just for the sake of learning, and try to make some sense out of it. What I’m saying is 2 things: 1, we must take great effort to seek reliable sources to learn from. And 2, when we find something that we do not fully agree with, let it be argued out. Every school of thought deserves a fair hearing, just as every man (guilty or innocent) deserves his day in court. Presuming that we are always right and shutting ourselves off to exploration is an attitude that is by best ignorant, and by worst, arrogant.

That is why I believe censorship may not always be the best way to attain genuinely mature growth. Truth is objective. If something is true, it will always be true. It will definitely stand the test of time, against fallible arguments, and against any faulty reasoning. We do not have to be defensive or fearful to put things that we hold dear to the test, if indeed our quest for truth is more important than our quest for comfortable acceptance. There is no expansion of knowledge in a disconnected pond, any more are there fish in a kitchen sink.

The pursuit of truth, as much as it needs human diligence and commitment, also needs humility. Fervent study will not find fruition if it is without the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, let us be humble before the Lord. Let Him teach us. Let us learn not by the careless emptying our minds, but let’s learn with a non-inflated head firmly screwed on our shoulders while we study about Him.