Before getting out of bed this morning, I checked my phone for missed calls, texts, and emails. I also scanned the weather forecast and radar imagery. I checked the World-o-meter Covid numbers from yesterday. I looked at satellite pictures of Russian troop movements along the Ukraine border and read an article about diplomatic negotiations taking place in Germany. I did some quick research on concepts I would use in today’s article. I checked my schedule for the day — and then got out of bed.
As I made my morning coffee, I scanned the usual cable news channels to find out how our Olympians did yesterday and to listen in on what the talking heads were fussing about — neighborhoods on fire in southern California, Canadian truckers blocking bridges, Russia, January 6, rising crime and inflation, Trump investigations, President Biden’s cognitive challenges, Covid protocols, Super Bowl predictions, yadda, yadda, yadda.
At 6:30 a.m., I sat down at my computer to begin writing this article. This morning I received more detailed information and political opinion about the world than Lincoln would have received in a week of presidential briefings. We are awash in information, but how much of it is actually true? And how am I supposed to know the difference between truth, spin, misinformation, and outright lies? Will Rogers once quipped, “If you ever injected truth into politics, you would have no politics.” And how about this timely sarcasm from Mark Twain, “Often the surest way to convey misinformation is to tell the strict truth.”
You and I will make a lot of decisions today based on our understanding of the truth. For me, those decisions will affect my precious family, my faithful congregation, and the thousands of beautiful people who will read this article — including you. That’s a lot of responsibility, and it weighs heavy on my heart and mind. One thing is certain: Hartzell better get truth right.
Truth is so important that Jesus identified it as the reason He came to earth:
“In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth.” John 18:37
Paul the Apostle affirmed for Timothy, his ministerial protégé, the need to get truth right:
“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” II Timothy 2:15
But what exactly is truth? What is the nature of it? How do we define it? How do we discern it? How do we live together in peace and unity even when we do not agree on it? The answers to these questions are vitally important. They will guide how we choose to live.
In the movie, A Few Good Men, Colonel Jessep and Lieutenant Kaffee take part in a courtroom exchange that has become iconic when talking about truth: “You want answers? I think I’m entitled to them. You want answers? I want the truth. You can’t handle the truth!”
Gaining the truth is difficult — and handling it once you have it is even harder. Why? Because truth has an enemy. Jesus identifies the culprit in John 8:44, “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” Jesus, John 8:44
The devil is deeply vested in concealing and distorting the truth because evil cannot succeed where truth is known and obeyed. This is why Jesus declared, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32. Knowing truth, handling it correctly, and humbly choosing to live obediently in it offers humanity the highest opportunity to experience divine unity and glorious freedom.
Sadly, we tend to be eager participants in the devil’s schemes. Winston Churchill recognized the challenge truth faces, “A lie makes its way halfway around the world before truth has a chance to get its pants on.” Many of us just don’t like the truth because it’s inconvenient or it doesn’t match the narrative we are spinning. Truth is up against a lot.
The primary tactic of the devil is to keep us fighting with each other over truth. Every form of human interaction is experiencing increased levels of division — marriages, families, churches, and political parties. Truth is the answer — it always has been, and always will be.
But again, what is truth? Simply put, it is a statement that agrees with reality. Here is a true statement: you are reading this article. It is a statement that agrees with reality, so it is true. That seems easy enough, right?
It would be, except for the fact that each of us perceives reality in different ways — and that leads to differences in our conclusions about truth. Sometimes those differences are nuanced — and sometimes, they are vast. Regardless, good luck finding anyone who agrees on the topic of reality.
Next week we’re going to explore three types of truth based on our perceptions of reality. Between now and then, take some time to ponder your perceptions and why you have them. Are they different than your spouse’s perceptions? What about your kids or your mother-in-law or your crazy uncle? How about the talking heads on Fox News and MSNBC? Do you see differences between your perceptions and theirs? How can all of them claim to have the truth while coming to vastly different conclusions? Give it some thought, and we’ll explore truth in tension a little further.
Note: This is the second installment in a series of articles. Previous articles are always available online at http://www.webbweekly.com.
