Cultural relativism is the idea that no culture should be seen as superior to another. It is the inevitable concomitant of the postmodern mindset which denies the possibility of truth which is true for everybody.
John Benton
The evidence of cultural relativism in social policy — multiculturalism we call it — is all around us in our land today. At one level it is a concept with which Christians should be very comfortable. We believe that all people of whatever race or culture are created equal in the image of God. We believe that God loves the whole world. A proper tolerance is, therefore, something for which we should work. The idea generally that minorities from different backgrounds should not face unfair discrimination and that all people should be treated with respect is something the Bible argues for very clearly, e.g. Exodus 22.21; Psalm 94.3,6,7. And, indeed, cross-cultural interchange can be a very healthy and rewarding enterprise. But at another level there is a different kind of multiculturalism. It is an ideology which looks not just to respect other cultures but insists they must be actively promoted. This kind of multiculturalism is beginning to cause big problems to surface.
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The Editorial
Multiculturalism?
Cultural relativism is the idea that no culture should be seen as superior to another. It is the inevitable concomitant of the postmodern mindset which denies the possibility of truth which is true for everybody.
The evidence of cultural relativism in social policy — multiculturalism we call it — is all around us in our land today. At one level it is a concept with which Christians should be very comfortable. We believe that all people of whatever race or culture are created equal in the image of God. We believe that God loves the whole world. A proper tolerance is, therefore, something for which we should work. The idea generally that minorities from different backgrounds should not face unfair discrimination and that all people should be treated with respect is something the Bible argues for very clearly, e.g. Exodus 22.21; Psalm 94.3,6,7. And, indeed, cross-cultural interchange can be a very healthy and rewarding enterprise. But at another level there is a different kind of multiculturalism. It is an ideology which looks not just to respect other cultures but insists they must be actively promoted. This kind of multiculturalism is beginning to cause big problems to surface.
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