In classical literature they used a method to communicate called dialogues. Plato famously dialogues with Euthyphro, and much later Augustine dialogues with his friends including his son in his famous book City of God. It was a Socratic as well as entertaining way to discuss issues in life, politics and philosophy. I am going to attempt to use it here to discuss a small part of meaning in life. Using the characters of myself Cliff and the fictional character Til Toc. The themes revolve around the increasing interest in the Bible, the search for meaning in life, and contrasting perspectives on morality and purpose. Basically, it is what playwrights, poets, and other artists do all the time as we sit and listen to prearranged conversations, with prearranged dialogue.
Cliff: Til Toc, have you heard the news? Bible sales in 2024 have surged remarkably, with first-time buyers leading the way. It seems that many are reaching for something beyond themselves.
Til Toc: Yes, I’ve seen reports of this trend. They say it’s driven by anxiety and a desire for hope. But do you think these people will actually find the answers they seek in a book as old as the Bible?
Cliff: Without question. The Bible speaks directly to the deepest yearnings of the human soul. As St. Augustine wrote, “Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in God.” These buyers are seeking hope, but what they truly need is purpose—and only the Author of all life can provide that.
Til Toc: Purpose, you say? Isn’t that just a construct to help us cope with the randomness of existence? Aldous Huxley would argue that life has no inherent meaning, and in that very meaninglessness lies our freedom.
Cliff: Huxley’s perspective is intriguing, but it seems to have led to despair in the past and is doing so again. Even he admitted that his rejection of meaning was driven by a desire for unrestrained indulgence. Can a morality built on such a shaky foundation truly liberate anyone?
Til Toc: But isn’t that freedom precisely what many seek? Liberation from the constraints of tradition, rules, and, yes, morality. Why should we embrace boundaries when they feel like chains?
Cliff: Because those boundaries, far from being chains, are actually guideposts to flourishing. God, as the Creator, knows our design better than any created being. His moral laws are not arbitrary—they are for our good, much like a craftsman’s instructions for a finely made instrument, He knows the best use.
Til Toc: And yet, so many balk at the idea of submitting to such a design. They would rather chart their own path, no matter the cost.
Cliff: That path often leads to emptiness, Til Toc. As a recent Dallas bookstore owner observed, people are reaching for the Bible because they sense the insufficiency of their own answers. When life’s storms come, the house built on sand collapses.
Til Toc: Are you suggesting, then, that meaning is impossible without God?
Cliff: Precisely. If there is no God, there is no ultimate purpose—only fleeting pleasures, and a diminishing capacity in life to even perform and enjoy them, leading to a spiraling abyss of meaninglessness. But if God exists, then life has profound significance. We were made, as the Pilgrims wrote, “for the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith.”
Til Toc: That kind of faith is so foreign to many today. Do you believe people can truly return to it in a world that prizes autonomy above all else?
Cliff: They can and must. The surge in Bible sales is a sign that people are beginning to see through the vacuous mirage of modern autonomy. Our restless hearts will never find peace in chasing shadows. Only in the light of God’s Word can we find lasting hope, joy, and purpose.
Til Toc: A compelling argument, Cliff. Perhaps I should take another look at the Scriptures myself.
Cliff: You won’t regret it Til Toc, my friend. For in those pages, you will find not only the meaning of life but the One who gives life meaning.
