Morality as a Matter of Taste

One of the most astute cultural critics I’ve come to know and follow is Dr. Carl Trueman, a professor of biblical and religious studies at Grove City College. In a recent article in First Things magazine, Carl makes this observation: “our culture is more taken than ever with the notion that morality is a matter of taste.” In other words, we are living in a world where we no longer appeal to a commonly-held transcendent authority by which we are to judge our beliefs and behaviors as moral or immoral. Rather, we are all left to ourselves to decide through our emotions and intuition what is right for me, and what is wrong for me. And because my emotions and feelings are never stable, my understanding of right and wrong is always morphing and changing. Parents, this is what our kids are being raised to believe. As Christians, we know that God has spoken through his incarnate word Jesus Christ, and through his written revelation of himself in the Bible. God’s Word is the moral standard within which we find true freedom.