The Heresy of Conscience

Last updated on: October 6, 2016 at 3:07 pm by Guest Contributor

The Heresy of Conscience 2016-10-06T15:07:16-04:00 Guest Contributor

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

by Jonathan Ashbach

Evangelicals and the Infiltration of Moral Relativism

If the current election cycle has disclosed a number of disturbing truths, one of the more disturbing is the pervasive manner in which moral relativism has infiltrated the evangelical church.

It’s a shocker because one would expect theologically conservative Christians to have resisted this particular modern infatuation better than most groups. Indeed, approach us directly with the assertion that some things are good for you and others are good for me and you are not likely to make much headway. But throw one seemingly innocent word into your explanation, and suddenly the blessed fullness of divine grace seems to illuminate this post-modern falsehood: conscience.

It is not the purpose of this article to tell readers how they should act in relation to the upcoming elections. But it is important that we confront a habit of thinking that those elections have made disappointingly clear: We have ceased to think of conscience as a generally reliable but potentially faulty guide to objective moral truth, and have deified it, instead, as the much more comfortable source of subjective, relativistic truth-for-me.

Pay any attention to the debate surrounding the question of Christian voting and chances are you will hear something like the following: “Ultimately, it’s not really important who we vote for. What’s important is that you do what your conscience tells you to do, and I do what mine tells me to do.”

The problem, of course, is that Christians are committed to belief in an objective moral order. What is right is eternally defined by the character of God. It does not change on the basis of our feelings, and it is not self-contradictory—it does not tell us both to do and not do a given action in relevantly similar circumstances.

But conscience does. One person’s conscience tells him to do one thing. Another person’s conscience tells her to do the opposite, in relevantly similar circumstances. They cannot both be right. At least one is wrong. Which means that at least one is fully capable of following his or her conscience while doing what is wrong. Given the amount of disagreement between the consciences of different persons that is evident in the world around us, this is not a hypothetical. It is an everyday reality.

If we are serious about seeking to do what is right—to please God—then it is imperative that we recognize this fallibility and do what we can to correct it. We will not achieve perfect judgment in this life, but we must strive to know and do God’s will as we are able. That means turning from a moral epistemology based on a naïve trust in conscience to a healthier one admitting a chastened trust in conscience, but ultimately based on reason and revelation, rather than simple emotion.

Reason tells us that scripture is a reliable source of knowledge. Scripture tells us that conscience is a divinely given indicator of moral truth. It is the law written on our hearts (Romans 2:15). But scripture also tells us what that law is: Love of God, self, and others. All of revelation is intended to illustrate this great moral rule (Matthew 22:37-40).

To love a person is to seek that person’s good. Not just his or her material good. Not just what that person wants. But the real, holistic, spiritual and material good. Conscience gives us some indication of what that looks like. So does scripture.

There are many gray areas where it is hard to judge what actions will be most conducive to the good of those around us. But the important point is that we recognize that we are making a reasoned judgment about an objective reality. Some actions are loving. Some actions are not. A reasoned moral choice is an attempt to rationally judge what form of action is most loving on the basis of what we know from scripture and conscience. It is not blind and absolute adherence to what-feels-right-for-me. The fact of widespread disagreement should not lead us to conclude that there is no right answer. Instead, it should give us pause and cause us to carefully reevaluate our own judgments in hopes of achieving a better understanding of the moral truth toward which we all so messily aim.

Perhaps the parishioner who says that there is no right answer and we should all just follow our consciences simply means to recognize the understandable nature of the fact that judgments will differ. If so, the point is well taken: We should all be intellectually humble enough to recognize the fallible condition of ourselves and of those around us, neither confident of perfection in our own judgments, nor expecting it from the judgments of others. Good people will come to different moral conclusions, and we should not generally allow that fact to interfere with the greater unity of the family of Christ.

But let us also be humble enough to admit the implications. If my moral judgments are wrong, my actions will be wrong. That may be understandable, but it does not make them right. Appealing to conscience is not an escape valve that magically makes everyone’s behavior okay even when it isn’t. It is time to excise the strain of moral relativism that has crept into the church.

Jonathan Ashbach is a Ph.D student in Politics at Hillsdale College. He holds an M.A. in Christian Apologetics from Biola University and a B.A. in Politics and Economics from Humboldt State University. Homeschooled K-12, Jonathan has taught small co-op classes in Politics and Church History at the high school level for members of his group, and holds a Citation Award from AWANA Clubs International. He has also worked in the hospitality industry and as Assistant Editor for the Humboldt Economic Index.

Previous Post

September 15, 2016

Truth Matters: A Response to Gregory Shane Morris

Next Post

October 19, 2016 I Am Conservative And I Am Not Voting Trump (Or Hillary)

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Culture Slideshow Uncategorized

Select a Month April 2026 October 2025 July 2025 April 2025 February 2025 October 2024 August 2023 June 2023 March 2023 February 2023 November 2022 April 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 January 2020 December 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 January 2019 October 2018 August 2018 June 2018 May 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz