Truth Again

Here I am again; stuck on this question of truth. What is truth? I can not find a way past the initial question. Too many people ask the question, and then, just as Pilate did, leave before getting an answer. So, what is truth?

Truth defined is:

the true or actual state of a matter: conformity with fact or reality; verity: the truth of a statement; a verified or indisputable fact, proposition, principle, or the like: mathematical truths; the state or character of being true; actuality or actual existence.

Do these definitions really help us that much? What actually is the true state of matter? What fact or reality are we suppose to conform to?Which statement is true; which fact, proposition or principle is indisputable? So many use this word so emphatically to try and convince us that their fact, proposition, principle or state of being is true when the reality is this: it is no more true than the last one. There is one who has made a very different claim regarding truth. This claim is not tied to a fact or a proposition. It is not a principle needing to be applied. It is a person!

In John 14:6, Jesus made the claim, " I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." This claim is much different than the rest. It is one that is rooted and embodied by the person of Jesus Christ. He is not merely saying He is a truth; no, he is saying He is "the" truth. All other truths flow out of Him. This is quite a statement and should be easy to refute, even in the book from which it is quoted.

There were 40 authors of 66 books which were written over the span of 1500 years so surely there will be some contradictory seam to contradict and disprove this outlandish claim, right? Well, there not only is not one, but it seems the exact opposite is true. The Greek word for truth used by Jesus in this claim is "aletheia" and used throughout the Bible in other contexts. The word's origin is grounded in this idea of truth and certainty. The word is used 21 times in John, 10 times in the Psalms and 8 times in I John. In no other book is it used more than six times. These three books just happen to be the books that teach us about the person of Jesus Christ, salvation in Jesus Christ and life lived in Jesus Christ. Is it any wonder that "aletheia" would be prominent in these books?

Truth, according to scripture, seems to be directly linked to the person and nature of Jesus Christ. In our current culture, all other truth is accepted or given some validity in the arena of ideas... except this idea of Jesus Christ being truth. But, again, scripture predicts this and warns of this, which is quite amazing considering the 40 authors and the 66 books and the 1500 years. 

What is truth? The reality of the question according to current culture is this: truth is relative and reflective of your deepest held beliefs. Truth is what is most important to you and what is valued most by you. If you are like most people... truth is rooted in yourself and what is important to you. On Sundays and Wednesday nights truth is Jesus Christ, but in the day-to-day living out of everyday life... not so much. Jesus had an answer for those of us living a life similar to this; we will say Lord, Lord and He will say, I never knew you. 

Jesus claimed to be the truth and the life and the way. His claim was absolute with no wiggle room. As C.S. Lewis so famously proclaimed, "He is either our Lord or a lunatic and a liar." If Jesus lays the claim that He is truth, can there be any other? Blessings! 

Ideas

Richard Weaver penned his book, Ideas Have Consequences, in 1948, and those ideas still resonate today. Ideas do have consequences.

If we examine our world we will find that not only do ideas have consequences, but they have power too. Ideas have started revolutions, oppressed many and killed more. That is why it is important to read the thoughts of Weaver and understand the power of ideas.

Weaver helps us understand the story as he writes:

"This story is eloquently reflected in changes that have come over education. The shift from the truth of the intellect to the facts of experience followed hard upon the meeting with the witches. A little sign appears, "a cloud no bigger than a man’s hand," in a change that came over the study of logic in the fourteenth century-the century of Occam. Logic became grammaticized, passing from a science which taught men vere loqui to one which taught recte loqui or from an ontological division by categories to a study of signification, with the inevitable focus upon historical meanings. Here begins the assault upon definition: if words no longer correspond to objective realities, it seems no great wrong to take liberties with words. From this point on, faith in language as a means of arriving at truth weakens, until our own age, filled with an acute sense of doubt, looks for a remedy in the new science of semantics."

But, semantics would not be the end but the beginning. He writes:

"So with the subject matter of education. The Renaissance increasingly adapted its course of study to produce a successful man of the world, though it did not leave him without philosophy and the graces, for it was still, by heritage, at least, an ideational world and was therefore near enough transcendental conceptions to perceive the dehumanizing effects of specialization. In the seventeenth century physical discovery paved the way for the incorporation of the sciences, although it was not until the nineteenth that these began to challenge the very continuance of the ancient intellectual disciplines. And in this period the change gained momentum, aided by two developments of overwhelming influence. The first was a patent increase in man’s dominion over nature which dazzled all but the most thoughtful; and the second was the growing mandate for popular education. The latter might have proved a good in itself, but it was wrecked on equalitarian democracy’s unsolvable problem of authority: none was in a position to say what the hungering multitudes were to be fed. Finally, in an abject surrender to the situation, in an abdication of the authority of knowledge, came the elective system. This was followed by a carnival of specialism, professionalism, and vocationalism, often fostered and protected by strange bureaucratic devices, so that on the honored name of university there traded a weird con genes of interests, not a few of which were anti-intellectual even in their pretensions."

And, there it is; the story of mankind's passage from religious beings to philosophical beings. Many will acknowledge this passage as positive and good, but a closer look will reveal another passage. This one is the passage from morality to decadence. And, like it or not, that is where we find ourselves today. Weaver paints an accurate picture of this story. One every Christian should read in order to understand current culture. Blessings! 

Vision

I am more convinced than ever that one of the ideas disappearing today is the idea of visionary leadership. Vision is an extraordinary thing. I am not sure that many people appreciate the power of vision.

Vision is the path forward; it defines why an organization exists. Vision clarifies the purpose of an organization. Schools, churches, organizations and people need vision. The only way to lead is by vision.

I am privy to strategic plans and discussions that take place regarding five and ten year plans for the future. Money is spent on companies who send specialists who spend hours creating a strategic plan without first considering the vision of the organization.

I watch leaders struggle in positions of authority because they do not lead by vision. Reaction, appeasement, compromise and inconsistency are all marks of a leadership that has no vision. A vision statement states, very clearly, to the watching world what the organization, school or person wants to be to that watching world. But, that is only the first step.

The vision must be known and embraced. It must be lived out day after day by the leadership. It must be repeated over and over to everyone in the organization. It must fit the organization well. People also need vision or else they will be doomed to frustration, confusion and inconsistency.

Today, most of the leadership I see is reactionary. These leaders stand back and try to determine which decision is most popular or which will cause the least amount of trouble. Today's leaders make decisions according to their own beliefs, and never consider others or the organization. They rarely seek counsel, spend little time in prayer and reflection and no time in analysis or synthesis. It is a wonder that we ever get any decision out of such a process.

Visionary leadership is a dying idea for many reasons, but one of the most telling is that visionary leadership is leadership that moral, selfless and service-oriented. These traits have been eradicated from our society in the last two decades. Without these traits being instilled in our future leaders, visionary leadership will be the next great idea to disappear. Do you really want to be lead by those who refuse to take responsibility for anything?

I will end with this. I was listening to a news radio show today as I was driving. I listen to talk radio at times, and the show I was listening to was conservative. A man called in clearly in favor of the liberal agenda. As I listen to the conservative argue with the liberal, I felt like I was in high school again because both were that childish. And, do you know why? Both were arguing from a perspective and worldview missing vision. Without vision we are all doomed.

Proverbs 29:18 states, " Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, But happy is he who keeps the law." This is not just biblical truth but current reality! May the Lord help us! Blessings!

  


 

Differences of Opinion

What is wrong with being different? Your answer should be... nothing! Everyone is different and should be. I believe part of our problem today is that we frown on differences, or I should say those in power frown on differences.

What about the whole idea of opinions, what is wrong with different opinions? In DC, differences of opinion spell defeat and loss of power, which is part of DC's problem. They have forgotten two heads are better than one, and many opinions around a table have a better chance at arriving at the right opinion than at the one dominant opinion. This is part of our problem in this country - we have gotten away from the many.

Many of us think our way is always right, and any opinion differing from ours is a threat. This is contrary to the truth. It takes many opinions to find the one that is right and the one that will work for the many. When I push mine over all others I have found it works best for me, but not so well for others. What a revelation, right?

We must all learn to celebrate our differences. We are all different in some way. The push to make us all alike is embedded in oppression and leads to demise. All we need to do is check our history to confirm this truth. But, when we celebrate our differences our eyes are open to more of the world. We meet those not like us and learn from them as they learn from us. Rejecting differences keeps us in the same state, never growing and moving forward in our understanding of the differences in the world in which we live.

When we reject different opinions and different people we reject growth and wisdom. Over the years, most of my growth has come from being exposed to different ideas from those I might not agree with at first. My thoughts and ideas have changed and moved because of the many people God has put into my life. Deep, embedded beliefs have changed because of new relationships and exposure to different views of the world. I believe one of the most dangerous things we can do is to surround ourselves we those who believe exactly what we believe.

What happens when that takes place? Well, one starts to take offense to any idea contrary to those ideas held. One begins to build defenses to protect those held ideas, and those ideas become the identity and existence for those who hold them. Anyone in association with those holding such ideas must first believe those ideas before any relationship is formed. All other ideas are crushed before consideration and labeled accordingly. Sound stagnate, stale and unproductive? No need to wonder any longer why our government can't accomplish anything these days. But, this is not just found in our government; it is also found in our hearts.

Each and everyone of us has this potential. There are so many competing truths out in the world today that have nothing to say to us because they assume that which is false. Look deep into your own heart and consider your own thoughts. Consider those thoughts you have with yourself. Then, consider your current reality and belief system. Do your deepest thoughts match your current belief of what is true? So many reject the belief in God without even really considering it. Belief in God is a different opinion; it is one worth considering before blind rejection because it is the one that will change your life. Blessings!