Over 2,000 years ago, a Roman governor chose to ask a profound question of a man who was about to be executed. “What is truth?” he asked. 

It remains unclear as to whether Pilate ever found the answer to his question, and that’s not uncommon. 

So, what is your answer to Pilate question and how did you arrive at that truth? Sadly, according to the American Worldview Inventory 2025, most adults in the United States do not believe that there are any moral absolutes, and they live accordingly. 

The annual survey of the core beliefs and behaviors of Americans conducted by the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University, explains why. 

An earlier report from that survey noted that two out of three American adults currently reject or doubt the existence of absolute moral truth. 

Even substantial majorities of some of the largest Christian church groups reject absolute morality, including 69% of Catholics and 61% of those who attend a mainline Protestant church.

Beyond that, half of the adults considered to be spiritually conservative and a cornerstone of evangelical Christianity—a niche known as “theologically-identified born-again Christians— admit to rejecting absolute moral truth. The study further reveals that roughly six out of 10 adults (58%) assert that there can be multiple conflicting views of moral truth and yet all of those conflicting views can be completely accurate. 

Logically, that means most people must believe there is not only no such thing as objective moral truth, but also no such thing as subjective truth either, if truth is understood to reflect an indisputable reality.

After reviewing the survey’s findings, the project’s lead researcher, George Barna, expressed concern about the long-term implications for America. 

“Accepting all truths as equally valid cannot help but dig a deep foundation of chaos, confusion, and helplessness,” Barna commented. “In the absence of strong, consistent, logical, and compassionate opposition to philosophies that reject moral absolutes, cultural gravity will lead to the acceptance of an authoritarian political savior or powerful elitist group as the arbiter of truth for the masses.”

“The role of the Church is to both display and promote biblical principles, including the central role of moral truth as defined by God, who is the embodiment of absolute, consistent, and reliable moral truth,” Barna said. 

“A Christian body that waffles on truth has no credibility and cannot bless the nation as it is called to do,” he cautioned. “Local churches that fail to persistently teach reasons why the Bible can be trusted, what moral truth is, why it must be understood as absolute rather than situational, and facilitate accountability for the application of biblical truth in our personal lives are not churches with biblical purpose and power, but merely pawns of the culture.”

Truth has always mattered to God… Deuteronomy 32:4 “He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He.” Joshua 24:14 “Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord!” 

And in John 4…. “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

There are multiple benefits of believing God’s truth. I’ll mention a few from Psalm 119. First, you have stability in the midst of life’s storms (119:98). “You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies; For they are ever with me.” Second, you have insight into life rather being intimidated by life (119:99). “I have more understanding than all my teachers, For Your testimonies are my meditation.” Third, you have a maturity beyond your years (119:100). “I understand more than the ancients, Because I keep Your precepts.”

Why is it so important to understand and embrace the concept of absolute truth in all areas of life? 

Simply because life has consequences for being wrong. Giving someone the wrong amount of a medication can kill them; having an investment manager make the wrong monetary decisions can impoverish a family; boarding the wrong plane will take you where you do not wish to go… the list goes on and on! 

I’ve heard it said, “The fact is, the truth matters – especially when you’re on the receiving end of a lie.” And nowhere is this more important than in the area of faith and religion. Eternity is an awfully long time to be wrong; a serious casualty of our time that defies comprehension is the death of truth. 

By denying absolutes and eradicating all points of reference by which we test veracity, our civilization has entered terra incognita on matters of the greatest importance even for survival.

The one who had the aforementioned conversation with Governor Pilate so many years ago calls each of us to truth yet today. Don’t get played by the prevailing culture, stand firm on God’s truth!

Tim Throckmorton is the president of Lifepointe Ministries.