WHO’S TELLING THE TRUTH?

On Sunday I spoke about a problem I see more and more in our day when we take part in public discourse. Intelligent discussions about religious content or political issues or social realities are becoming more and more restricted because of changes taking place in each of these areas of our "common life."

There was a time when we believed that there was such a thing as "truth." I suppose we refer to that as the "Modern Era," a period of social and cultural history that still lingers in our DNA although the 'Enlightened Ones' of our day consider it to be outmoded. In the Modern Era people liked to think that "things normally work as they are supposed to." When something stopped working, we would take out the instruction manual and look for a "fix." And often we succeeded.

These days, however, we have stopped trying to fix things. In fact, many folks are not so sure that things were even designed to work, especially in the areas of religion, politics, and culture. As a result, they scoff at those who espouse "traditional" values based on Modern Era assumptions, and they are fascinated instead by ideas that go completely against logic and common sense, just because they are "different.

Suppose, for example, that I was managing my home and discovered that my bills were getting too high or that my income was decreasing significantly. What would I do? Perhaps I would review my expenditures, look for ways to reduce spending or save money, and see if there was some way I could also increase my income. If necessary, I might even risk taking out a small loan to fund some measures that would produce a net improvement in the near future.

I would probably not go out to borrow a huge sum of money, increase my spending using all my credit cards including my unused Discover card, and then hope for my problems to go away.

But in our day there are some folks who suggest that this is the smartest way to go, even if it seems totally absurd to me.

But here's my problem. Perhaps my strategy and approach are wrong and going on a wild spending spree is really the best way to solve my financial problems. The problem arises when I suggest that I'm right and they are wrong. They cannot produce any logical arguments that disprove my idea. They oppose me simply because I had the nerve to suggest that common sense is a better guide for moving ahead and I challenged others who know better than I do about what will work best for me.

In effect, they've shifted the focus "What is the truth?" or "Who's telling to truth?" to "Where do you get the nerve to suggest that common sense is better than 'New Think'?" and "Who do you think you are, anyway, to challenge what we all know to be true?"

I know that I'm not the only one with this problem. Ironically, I think the majority of Americans or Christians or others who share common ground with me are treated the same way. Whether something is actually true is considered of lesser value than whether one's thoughts conform to the 'New Think' principles promoted by the more 'Enlightened Ones' who are filled with hope and want to change the world.

If you don't agree with them, your ideas are not simply wrong. You yourself are to be considered as permanently disabled, and your ideas should be pushed aside as irrelevant.

At great risk, therefore, I will still suggest that there is indeed something we can point to that is true. Actually, it's not some "thing," but some "One." Jesus Christ said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life." I have found in my personal experience and in the reports I have heard from others that this good news still "works," even when there are powerful and persuasive forces at work to overthrow it or obscure it. I am glad that for 2,000 years there has already been a Messiah at work in our world. One Messiah is enough for me.