Cover of Time Magazing week of March 26, 2017
Christianity is built upon truth. It has it’s roots in Old Testament revelation and it’s fulfillment is made complete in Jesus Christ who said unambiguously, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no man comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6) To think that Christianity is a subjective philosophy which can be synthesized with various other philosophies, religions or worldviews is simply wishful and erroneous thinking. Christianity teaches exclusivity with regards to salvation through Jesus Christ not because we are hateful, intolerant bigots, but rather we take serious what the Scripture has revealed. Christian orthodoxy maintains that truth can only be found in Jesus Christ and the totality of Scripture. There may be overlaps of truth found in other philosophies and religions, but that does not validate the entire truthfulness of those worldviews. It is only in the Scriptures where we can find a personal and corporate standard by which there is an assurance that we are building our lives and our communities (nation) on a solid foundation.
Our problem is that we are living in an era which no longer subscribes to objective truth. Truth has become the latest object of relativistic condescension in the public square. There is no longer THE truth, but rather there is YOUR truth and MY truth. What may be true to you, may not be true to me and visa-versa. Therefore, truth is subjective depending upon our feelings, whims, environment, or culture you may be functioning within. This is why there can be multiplied gender options for each human being. This is why there can be multiplied sexual options. This is why sex outside of matrimony is permissible. The list is long but the reasoning is the same…truth is subjective. Unfortunately, this relativistic shift has begun to infect Christian believers. Take for example the ease with which many believers and churches have accommodated homosexuality and transgenderism. This started years ago when the church began to accommodate singles “living together” or easy, no-fault divorcing. We didn’t wake up one day and simply decide that today was the day we shall all be relativists. No, relativism has been relentless and insidious in the culture because we have accommodated much of it in the Church under the pretense of “love” and “grace”. We have feared the epithet of “judging” cast upon our own Christian walk, so we have ostensibly found a way of becoming practical relativists and universalists which allows us (in our minds) our walk with Christ but releases us from speaking objective truth to the culture.
To be candid, the Church has developed a theology of enablement under the guise of grace. It is really a false compassion because it appears as if it loves or cares for the individual, but in reality it enables them. This false compassion isn’t leading them to an objective truth and Person Who can set them free (John 8:32), but rather is leading them to a subjectivity which attempts to “manage” their bondages and sin. We prioritize our “relating” to them rather than our “speaking” to them. Do not misunderstand, as Christians we should indeed be relational, but our relationships influence people with the truth, not accommodate people with ambiguity. Grace leads us to true holiness and freedom, not bondage and accommodation.
To rebuild a Christian civilization there must be a passionate attachment to objective truth. The recent Time magazine cover unveils this very need. Granted, the article is critical of the new administration’s lack of truthfulness, but to this point almost every administration has had a strained relationship with the truth. This must stop and the Church must require that it’s civic leaders be truth tellers and truth receivers. I have in previous blogs clearly stated that no matter the person or party in power, we must be committed to objective truth and its application. Paul writes, “Therefore, putting away lying, “ Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another.” (Ephesians 4:25)
What does this look like?
Since my calling and concerns primarily surround the pastor being activated to his role as an “elder at the gate” of his city or community, my applications naturally drift that direction. That being said, the pastor’s influence in modeling this engagement would and should flow down to his congregants and release them to do many, if not all of these suggestions. For example:
– Submit to your local news paper opinion pieces and letters to the editor carefully challenging your community to the truth.
– Call into local (or national) talk radio forums and voice your opinion based upon objective truth.
– Offer your insight and worldview to your local college so that its students might hear all sides of a debate or cultural question.
– Contact your local TV station and offer your opinion with regards to current cultural questions or values.
– Start a blog page and market it on social media for people to be influenced by your perspective. Be creative in its use.
– Use social media and post articles that you can affirm and those you may disagree with with a short critique contrasting a Christian worldview from humanism.
– Preach on texts from the Bible which have easily applied civic precepts. It doesn’t have to be every week, but a couple times a year wouldn’t hurt.
– Don’t be afraid about notifying and holding press conferences with other pastors if a local concern arises.
These are all starting places for becoming a “truth-teller” in your community. Listen carefully, there will be “blowback” in these regards. Our communities and nation have been so lacking in loving, truthful confrontation that you will be challenged … vehemently. I have a couple of great friends who follow along and monitor my writing exploits and should I get hostile pushback, they are willing to dive into the comment sections for me and engage with the culture. Perhaps if your pastor wrote an editorial, you could do the same for him in those regards. No one ever feels qualified to do these sorts of things, but God doesn’t ask for the qualified, He asks for the willing. Be willing to learn as you jump in and gain experience. The only way our civilization can ultimately be turned is when truth gains sway again in our culture.
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