True Lies and Lying Truth

Is it really the loving thing to support someone’s belief in a lie? A Christian friend recently told me that he wears a mask at his retail job not because it is required or even because he thinks it reduces the spread of COVID. He knows the mask fiasco is based on lies, yet he wears one to make his customers feel more comfortable. During the pandemic of 2020, most state governments instituted mask requirements on some level even while the scientific support for them wavered and fell. I am at a loss to understand why masks became so critical.

The “woke” attitude that is sweeping our society as a result of critical race theory’s rising popularity creates a similar situation. Critical race theory (CRT) insists that all white people, especially white males, are inherently racist by virtue of their identity. CRT says that the history of America is a record of white domination over all people of color. While it is true that early treatment of Native Americans and enslavement of African peoples leaves stains on the pages of our past, these conditions have been systematically legislated out of existence. If anything, we now have reverse discrimination in that minorities are given opportunities that are denied to whites. It is a blatant lie to insist that America is currently a racist society.

The discovery of email communication by Anthony Fauci during the early days of the COVID pandemic reveals that the architect of America’s response was not only hiding information about the virus’ source; he was trying to cover up the fact that he may have had a hand in its generation. A false narrative was created by people at the highest levels of the scientific and governmental apparatus which steered our COVID response in the wrong direction in an effort to protect their interests. We will never know how many lives were unnecessarily lost due to the lies we were told about the true nature and origin of COVID 19.

We are also being lied to on a global scale concerning gender identity issues. The foundational lie here is that gender is a social construct. Hormone balances and genitalia are not social constructs; they are physical realities that are present in the womb from earliest stages of life and obvious to all after birth. Telling children as young as kindergarten that they can choose their gender is cruel manipulation by ideologues in positions of power. Allowing men to use women’s rest rooms puts perverts and predators frighteningly close to our private lives. Allowing transgender men to compete in women’s events is lunacy.

Ever since the 1970’s we have been told that a homosexual lifestyle is an acceptable, even healthy alternative for those so inclined. This too is a lie. Homosexual behavior, especially among males, carries its own judgment: HIV/AIDS and rampant STD transmission significantly lowers the life expectancy of practicing homosexuals. We are told that same-sex parents can raise normal, healthy children. Some do. However, even apart from the biblical standard of two-gender parenting, social science has demonstrated that having one parent from each gender increases the child’s chances of healthy development.

In Christian circles we are being fed that lie that God is all about love, and hell is a myth. To hold this position, one has to assume that the Bible is lying – that even Jesus told lies about hell. The Bible clearly teaches throughout that God will eventually judge all people. That judgment results in some spending eternity in God’s presence, and some spending eternity elsewhere. The exact location, dimensions and character of hell may be up for debate, but its existence is a certainty. To say otherwise is a lie of the most heinous kind.

It is not popular to talk about judgment and hell. Rob Bell used to say that it makes for an unappealing story. Too bad; that’s the truth and no amount of lying will change it. I think it is A.W. Tozer I am paraphrasing to say that if we are too concerned about causing offense, we will probably not be giving the true gospel to the lost. Similarly, we will not have a healthy society if we keep spreading lies. There is good reason why Jesus is called the stone of stumbling and the rock of offense. He also called Himself the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one gets to the Father except through the Truth. We must tell the truth even when it hurts.

In the last year I have been officially un-friended, strongly criticized and even excommunicated for presenting what I thought was a biblical view of the lies we are being told. It was suggested that I review the life of Jesus to determine what His view of current events might be. Over the last few months, I studied a harmony of the Gospels as my daily devotional reading. The strongest impression I came away with is that Jesus was a very critical person. He was a stickler for the truth and a warrior against lies. He called His arch enemy the father of lies. I think we do our Lord a disservice to suggest that He would stand meekly aside while a wave of lies washes the shores of our society.

Paul counsels believers to speak the truth in love. It is a struggle to know how to do that when the most loving proclamation is branded as hate speech. Those who suggested I look to Jesus for my example will be disappointed to hear that I think Jesus would be on my side. Failing to counter a lie has the same effect as telling a lie. As I wrote in a recent post, if we don’t stand for the truth now, we may lose the right to stand for anything.

Related posts: Critical Race Theory; Truth Dysphoria; Disagree Agreeably

Christian Responsibility

“Are they Israelites? so am I.” 2 Corinthians 11:22

“We have here a personal claim, and one that needs proof. The apostle knew that his claim was indisputable, but there are many persons who have no right to the title who yet claim to belong to the Israel of God…. O let us prove our gratitude by our devotion, and live as those who, having claimed a privilege, are willing to take the responsibility connected with it.” (Excerpt from Charles Spurgeon, Morning and Evening, June 6.)

One must ask what responsibility Spurgeon is referring to here. I suspect that few Christians think of their claim of faith in Christ as a responsibility. An honor, yes; a gift, certainly; but a responsibility, not so much. If God leaves believers here, in but not of this world, He must expect something of us. The command of Jesus to make disciples as we go about our daily lives in the world is a large part of why we are still here. Astounding as it may seem, God wants us to further His kingdom by adding disciples to it.

God could have continued to send angels to proclaim the kingdom like He did at Jesus birth. But, in fact, we are completing God’s mysterious plan of the ages by becoming the kingdom on earth, and the angels are the witnesses. The Old Testament saints didn’t know the whole plan of God. According to Peter, before the Cross of Calvary, not even the angels knew exactly what God was doing. The church, the Israel of God for this age, is tasked with gospel proclamation.

Simply put, the gospel is the good news that God is calling a people to Himself. The tough news is that He is using the faithful to do it. I say it is tough based on my observation of the reluctance of most believers to become fully engaged in disciple-making. As I said in my book, Lead a Horse to Water, making disciples means making God look good to non-believers. In the book, I suggest many ways to overcome the reluctance to do the job we are called to do. The Scripture is clear that the primary way we do the job is to demonstrate love for one another. And I would add love for the lost.

There is another aspect to the responsibility of being a Christian. The day may not be too far distant when taking a stand as a Christ-follower in America will cost something. Forget for a moment the call to share the gospel; just living the gospel in our own lives is already being challenged as racist and un-American by many on the political left. The anti-religious feature of Marxism is an integral part of the neo-Marxist critical race theory that is being force-fed on all levels of American society. If you look closely into critical race theory, you will discover that it claims Christianity is one of the foundational sources of racism in this country.

In all levels of government and many corporate jobs you can be fired for expressing biblical truth. Instead of using class struggle for its basis as historical Marxists have, the new Marxists use identity. Identifying as part of the “Israel of God” can get you fired. This puts weight on the responsibility Spurgeon spoke of to live, “as those who, having claimed a privilege, are willing to take the responsibility connected with it.”

Hebrews chapter eleven is often called the hall of faith. In it we read of many who took responsibility for their faith in spite of dire consequences. “[They] were tortured… And others experienced mocking and flogging, and in addition bonds and imprisonment. ³⁷ They were stoned, they were sawed in two, they died by murder with a sword, they wandered about in sheepskins, in goatskins, impoverished, afflicted, mistreated, ³⁸ of whom the world was not worthy, wandering about on deserts and mountains and in caves and in holes in the ground.”

There are Christians in various places around the world who are experiencing that kind of treatment today. I pray that we may never reach that level of persecution in America. I pray the church will rise up and take the responsibility that comes with the privilege of calling Christ her Lord. If we don’t stand up now against the rising tide of anti-religion and anarchy that is flooding the public square in America, I fear we will find ourselves in company with the stoned, the sawn, the murdered wanderers.

Related posts: Critical Race Theory; Truth Dysphoria; I Pray for America; America Held Captive; How Can They Think That?

WOKE TV

Several years ago, I wrote a series of articles called “How to Watch Television.” (See below) In those articles, I referred to the shocking amount of time research says we Americans spend in front of the TV. I doubt that the intervening decade has brought much reduction; with the pandemic “sheltering” mandates, it has probably gone up recently. Everything I wrote back then still applies; we would all be healthier physically and spiritually with less TV in our day.

No one denies that television viewing influences behavior. The billions advertisers spend on TV commercials is proof that behavioral change is expected. There have also been numerous studies documenting the fact that watching violent video dulls the natural repulsion to such acts, and it may lead to more violent actions in some people. I believe behaviors and attitudes in morality are also greatly affected by popular media.

To see how far we have come in this, I will first use an example from sexual mores. Rob and Laura Petrie of the Dick Van Dyke Show (1961-1966) were portrayed as sleeping in separate twin beds wearing full-length pajamas. True, Laura’s capri pants were thought immodest by some, but the show generally represented wholesome family values as did most TV offerings of that time. These days it is not at all unusual to see TV dramas picturing unmarried couples copulating naked with camera angles barely hiding their nudity. I am not a prude, but I cannot see how that kind of portrayal builds good moral character. Given the fascination, dare I say idolatry many have towards Hollywood icons, it is no wonder sexual promiscuity has lost the stigma it once had.

The same kind of evolution has occurred with the portrayals of homosexual behavior. Philadelphia, hitting theaters in 1993 starring Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington, was one of the first mainstream Hollywood films to acknowledge HIV/AIDS, homosexuality, and homophobia. While I agree with the major premise of the movie that workplace discrimination is wrong, it is noteworthy that the “hero’s” gay lifestyle was portrayed as perfectly acceptable. Everyone was saddened by the death caused by HIV/AIDS, but there was no suggestion that the victim was morally wrong to have committed the homosexual act that resulted in the disease.

Will and Grace came to the TV screen in 1998. Will’s homosexuality caused little controversy except among the gay community who thought the show promoted gay stereotypes rather than challenging them. I believe that bringing homosexual behavior into the plots as a comic element did more to relax the general attitude towards gays than the controversy that may have come from a dramatic challenge. Laughing at sin of all kinds has become a staple of the television sitcom. I doubt that God is laughing. The writers of today's TV dramas seem to be required to positively portray at least one homosexual relationship in every episode.

Even the commercials aired on TV are leaning toward social engineering. Gay couples and single-sex parents are appearing more and more in advertisements. One commercial by a pharmaceutical company closes with two men kissing passionately. Another announcer informs us that taking a particular drug will make it possible to engage in homosexual behavior without fear of HIV/AIDS transmission. Ads promoting contraceptives have been openly advocating sexual promiscuity for some time now. The message is clear: with pregnancy no longer a possible outcome, sexual intimacy is now “safe.” No one is advertising the shattered lives and emotional trauma that results from serial couplings.

It is not news that Americans have become desensitized to sexual promiscuity and homosexuality through popular media. I mentioned in my earlier articles that bad morals are often overlooked or even lauded in certain programs. Lately, I am noticing subtle and not so subtle representations that promote another agenda we should guard against as Christians. I am referring to the presentations of critical race theory and the WOKE attitude that pervades many popular offerings. (See “Critical Race Theory”)

On a recent episode of the crime drama, Chicago PD, a character referred to a fellow-officer’s “WOKE” attitude in a derogatory way. As the scene played out, it became obvious that WOKE-ness was good; being opposed to the WOKE attitude was bad. The talking heads on news programs regularly promote the cause of critical race theory. One guest recently excused black looters by claiming that stealing was their legitimate right and represented reparations due them. The host did nothing to counter this ridiculous claim.

Whether it means being awakened to sexual freedom or becoming ashamed of so-called white privilege, WOKE TV is just another way the enemy uses the world and the flesh to accomplish his goals. We cannot applaud discrimination of any kind whether against people of color or homosexuals. Our founding documents rightly enshrine equality of opportunity for all people. However, the equity touted by critical race theory openly promotes blatant discrimination against white people in particular and Christians in general. It is time to, “wake up, sleeper,” as Paul exhorted; it is time to, “consider carefully how you live, not as unwise but as wise.” I fear WOKE TV is putting us to sleep.

How to Watch Television (1); How to Watch Television (2); How to Watch Television (3)