An important book for all who are concerned with the impact of Christianity on today's world, Truth To Tell affirms the gospel as the truth - not only for personal life but also for life at the public, societal level.
In emphasizing the Christian gospel as the truth that calls for radical conversion, Lesslie Newbigin runs counter to the prevailing subjectivism and skepticism in our society regarding the possibility of knowing ultimate truth. Societies like ours that have undergone "modernization" tend to regard the world's religions as agencies for the cultivation of privately held religious opinions -- agencies that can be studied with the tools of sociology, psychology, and other secular disciplines.
But, says Newbigin, the Christian church is not simply an agency that stands for good personal values. In three pointed chapters -- "Believing and Knowing the Truth," "Affirming the Truth in the Church," and "Speaking the Truth to Caesar" -- Newbigin develops the argument that the Christian gospel is a statement of objective, historical truth, and all other modes of thought are to be evaluated in the light of the gospel truth.
Directed especially to ministers and concerned laypeople, Truth To Tell consists of the Osterhaven lectures delivered by Newbigin at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan.