EMQ » April–June 2019 » Volume 55 Issue 3
By Abdu Murray
Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2108
243 pages
USD $14.99
Reviewed by Mark A Strand, professor, School of Pharmacy, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND.
Abdu Murray, author of Saving Truth: Finding Meaning & Clarity in a Post-Truth World, is the North American director of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries, and his intellectual approach is similar to that of his mentor, Ravi Zacharias. Raised a Muslim, and trained in law, Murray spent nine years wrestling with the claims of the gospel before embracing Christ as his Savior. He is thus well qualified to address audiences from a variety of backgrounds in a way that reflects this rational approach to truth.
In Saving Truth Murray sets out to defend the gospel in the face of a cultural slide into what he calls a Culture of Confusion. The confusion to which he refers has two modes. The “soft” mode is seen in individuals who accept that truth exists, but do not allow it to get in the way of their personal preferences. The “hard” mode is seen in individuals who deny the existence of absolute truth and blatantly propagate falsehoods. Murray is most concerned about the former. Murray considers the soft mode to be driven by a desire for unfettered freedom. Wearing the mask of personal freedom, the soft mode is, in fact, built on autonomy, or “self-law.” This reckless autonomy makes everything subject to one’s own personal preferences. It sacrifices people’s ability to reason, their moral accountability, and some aspects of human value. Murray calls the reader to reclaim true freedom and its source, Jesus Christ.
Once he has explained the way out of the Culture of Confusion, Murray goes on to present well-developed chapters on freedom, human dignity, sexuality, science, and religious pluralism. Murray explains the dual trajectories of freedom, freedom from and freedom for. Many people focus on the freedom from aspect of freedom; that is, the freedom from interference and constraint. But true freedom also has freedom for, freedom for those things which are excellent and virtuous. Many people are crying out for freedom from restraint, but once grasped, its vacuity is felt. Only when a person’s freedom compels them to a vision and a purpose is it fulfilling.
Saving Truth is not written for missionaries, but it has application for missions. People the world over are striving for freedom. Think of the Arab Spring, the Saffron Revolution, and the Orange Revolution. For missionaries serving in countries where people are struggling for freedom from oppressive forces, Murray’s book provides an intellectual framework for casting a vision of freedom for among these people. One of the weaknesses of the book from a missiological perspective is Murray’s assumption that a logical or apologetic approach will be persuasive across cultures. It has been this reviewer’s perspective that sharing the gospel in collectivist societies is often more effective beginning with shared concerns and interests in life, than beginning with differences in thought. Having said that, the logical argument of Saving Truth can be used in many cultural contexts.
For Further Reading
Newbigin, Lesslie. The Gospel in a Pluralistic Society. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdman’s Publishing, 1989.
Kraft, Charles H. Christianity In Culture: A Study In Biblical Theologizing In Cross-cultural Perspective. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2005.
