Rev. Dave Rogers

Truth! It is essential for Christianity to thrive. Scripture speaks volumes on the importance of speaking the truth and cultivating a culture—both religious and secular—that is grounded in truth. This is why the 10 Commandments insists on truth-telling, Jesus spoke so vehemently against those who lived in the shadow of lies, deceit, and treachery. Without truth, there can be no peace. Without truth, there can be no justice. Without truth there can be no freedom. Yet, in spite of this foundational Christian reality, many today choose to live in a world filled with lies, fake news, and alternative facts.

It is not that most Christians deliberately seek to falsify facts or distort data. The trouble is that influential forces, charismatic leaders, partisan priorities, and religiously motivated people frequently draw false conclusions, embrace unproven opinions, and denounce factual information that they do not want to hear. In exchange, rather than faithfully facing the uncomfortable truth and irrefutable facts that people wish were untrue, the demonic fabrication of reality sets in. Trusted leaders speak the lies, loyal followers embrace the lies, corrupt media amplify the lies, and the culture of lies takes root in the very soul of the culture. Yet, rather than becoming a culture of freedom, justice, and truth, the culture becomes a demonic façade rooted in lies, conspiracies, half-truths, embellishments, and outright fabrications. Such cannot be considered a Christian culture, nor will it be blessed by God!

An often quoted passage of scripture comes from 2nd Chronicles 7 and reads, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” Many faithful Christians will pontificate on this passage in an effort to bring healing to the fractured and divided United States of America. While truly well-intended in faithful and prophetic proclamation, the words of Scripture ring trivial and insincere when people recognize that those who preach this passage are often the very same people who are promoting, amplifying, and encouraging the falsehoods in this modern culture of lies.

Prayerful and careful discernment is critical and a tool of wisdom that is painfully lacking in much of American politics, cultural religiosity, and religious nationalism. The result of our collective failure to prayerfully discern the rhetoric of the age is the degradation of both religious authority and American authenticity as the land of the free and the home of the brave. Nobody is free when shacked to the lies of the age. Nobody is brave when they cowardly hide behind lies, blame shifting, and unsubstantiated opinions. Christians must stand for definitive truth!

In an ideal world the information presented in the news, social media, and various media outlets would be fact-checked, verified, and determined to be both authentic and trustworthy before discrimination. Yet, in today’s world, people are far more likely to embrace the opinions they want to hear rather than face the hard facts they do not want to hear. In the meantime, manipulative leaders who thrive on their cults of personality and populist charm continue to weave seductive lies, relentlessly amplify unsubstantiated opinions, and promote a political or religious fantasy that is so disconnected from truth that it is a true affront to Christ and all authentically faithful applications of Scripture. If this nation is to be truly healed by God from the hate, division, and rancor that has polarized our once-great nation into unbiblical categories of “red” or “blue,” we all must heed the prophetic call and turn from our idols of lies, half-truths, opinions, and fanciful beliefs and turn to God, God’s truth, and God’s discernment of history!