There is theological truth, truth about God and his work, and empirical truth, truth about nature. The former comes through inspired revelation, and the latter by experiment and observation. The scriptures teach one kind of truth, and science another. Both truths derive from God and yet they cannot be measured by the same standard or criteria. They are incommensurable: having no common measure or standard of comparison. They are as different as seeing yourself in a video or an MRI.

The whole Bible unfolds the divine scheme of salvation from the beginning of creation, the chosen people and the promised Messiah. Since salvation is through the Savior, Christ Jesus, the Bible focuses its attention upon Christ.

St. Paul characterizes society in these last days of the Messianic era - the days since the resurrection, ascension and the coming of the Spirit: "People will be lovers of themselves....rather than lovers of God - having a form of godliness but denying its power." (2 Timothy 3:1-5, NIV) "People are going to be self-absorbed...and allergic to God. They'll make a show of religion, but behind the scenes they're animals." (The Message)

Many observers of the contemporary church have sounded the alarm here. One thinks of the trenchant and incisive works by Os Guiness and David Wells, to name but a few. Writing in the 80s and 90s, they offered important critiques of the church-growth movement, of mega-churches, and the Christian embrace of modernism.