Truth

Jesus pointed to the source of truth as He taught in John 8:
31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.
32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

There is a desire in our culture today to identify what is true - you hear phrases such as "fake news," "alternative facts," "fact checking."  But, so often, in a media-saturated culture, truth is defined and related according to the agenda or ideology of the messenger.  We need to have reliability in our lives; we need to trust the sources we use for information. That's why God's Word is important - He gives us direction, and He provides discernment, so that we can determine what is consistent with truth; not subjective truth that can be manipulated, but objective truth that can be stable.

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Before he sentenced Jesus to death, the governor Pontius Pilate asked an enormous question.  We
pick up the narrative in John chapter 18:
37 Pilate therefore said to Him, "Are You a king then?" Jesus answered, "You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice."
38 Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?" And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, "I find no fault in Him at all.

What is truth?  Is truth, real, absolute truth, relevant today?

In 1966, TIME Magazine released its iconic cover that featured the words, "Is God Dead?" written in red against a stark black background.  Now, in a variation of that graphic appearance, the magazine has released an issue that features a similar cover question, "Is Truth Dead?"

That question previews a cover story in which the publication questions the truthfulness of no less than the President of the United States.  But, a number of Christian theologians have taken that cover concept to explore some aspects of truth and its place in our society today - you can see their comments in a story on the Baptist Press website, taken from the The Pathway, a Missouri Southern Baptist publication.

Owen Strachan of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary boldly declared, "Truth is not dead..." He relates, "...we who preach Christ have the means of salvation and surety. I believe in days ahead that many will disagree with us, but that our promotion of absolute truth, a coherent worldview, and a Savior will prove irresistible to many left in the wilderness by postmodern education."

The article continues:

That TIME magazine would follow up their talk of God's death with talk of truth's death is no surprise, Strachan added. "The two 'deaths' are directly related. If God is not with us, then we have no foundation for truth."

David Baker, pastor of First Baptist Church in Belton, MO, told The Pathway: "People were alarmed. They were shocked," referring to the cover in 1966, adding, "I remember it. I was 16 years old when it came out. I remember my pastor addressing it the Sunday after it came out.

The article points out that, for Baker...

...it is only natural that, little more than 50 years later, TIME is publishing a cover design that questions the existence of truth. After having questioned the existence of God, TIME, as well as many people in American society, has removed the only foundation for absolute truth.

The article states that John Greever, an adjunct professor of theology at Missouri Baptist University and pastor of First Baptist Church of Fenton, MO, claims the cover is "actually behind the times...since some experts have actually pronounced the death of postmodern skepticism about truth."

What comes next? Greever says: "What comes after the degradation of absolute and objective truth is tyranny and oppressive thought.... That's why we have protests. That's why we have shouting matches. It's no longer about what anyone's viewpoint or perception or perspective is, but about whether or not they conform to the common narrative of life or thought."

There were some instances given in the article: the oppression of Baronelle Stutzman, the Washington florist who declined to provide products for a same-sex wedding, a Missouri counseling student who was kicked out of school because he did not wish to counsel a same-sex couple, the recent flap in North Carolina over accommodating transgender individuals.

The article quotes J. Alan Branch, professor of Christian Ethics at Midwestern:

What TIME really means by 'Is Truth Dead?' is that they want abortion on demand, legalized euthanasia, legalized pot, and abandonment of sexual restraint," Branch told The Pathway. In other words, he acknowledged, they're simply promoting their own brand of truth -- a "truth" based on a liberal, progressive ideology.

Well, one of the apparent threads here is that there are people, organizations, and media outlets who are attempting to define and redefine truth according to their own philosophical agenda and attempting to force those who disagree to go along.  For the Christians, there is one source of absolute truth, and our ideology, our theology, should line up with the principles we find in the word of God.

Truth is certainly not subjective; rather it is objective, based on the teachings of God's Word. As Owen Strachan said for the article, ""People now speak, even in conservative circles, of exclusively personalized truth: 'My truth.' 'Your truth,'" adding, "Truth today is no different than an item on a fast-food menu; you can take it or leave it."  That can cause us to think that truth was never intended to be personalized.

There are so many big and broad questions here, but we have to consider who is determining what is true - if it is according to human wisdom, it is fallible.  But, if it is according to Godly instruction, it is firm.  The Bible, illuminated by the Holy Spirit becomes our compass by which we lead our lives.  He has promised to direct us in the way we should go, and we need His wisdom in order to make reliable decisions.