Some students struggle to write a six-page paper for religion class. Junior theology major Payton Arnett just churned out a 141-page book. The subject he decided to tackle is hardly a trivial one: “What Is Truth?” asks the title of his new volume.
The native of Bonney Lake, Washington, admits that this is a passion project. “I tend to go all in on things, and right now I am into apologetics,” he says. Arnett wants to confront his generation with the reality of Jesus.
“With Generation Z, the issue is subjectivism and relativism,”
he says. “Those concepts are the opposite of what Jesus taught. If Jesus claims to be the truth, you can’t have your own truth.”
The first part of the book applies the question, “What is truth?” to different world religions. The second part asks the question “Who is truth?” In this section, Arnett tells stories of people like Lee Strobel and C. S. Lewis, who started out as atheists and came out the other side believing the declaration of Jesus that He is the way, the truth and the life.
Arnett’s passion for apologetics shows up in his Wednesday night small group called Evidential Faith.
“Other students tell me it is the highlight of their week,”
he reports. “It’s a place to defend the faith as well as providing a safe place for students to bring their doubts and questions.”
“What is Truth?” is available at the Adventist Book Center in Lincoln or on Amazon.
Kim Peckham is the director of communication strategy at Union Adventist University.
