The contrast between foundationalism and relativism can be delineated in their answers to two questions: is there an authoritative reality, and can we know it authoritatively? To both questions the foundationalist answers yes and the relativist answers no. Michael Mangis argues, from a contemporary psychoanalytic perspective, that a responsible Christian hermeneutic must maintain a position of tension between these poles. Mr. Mangis is associate professor of psychology at Wheaton College.