Faith Reflection

Does the truth matter to us?  As Christians, it sure ought to… it mattered to Jesus. 

Jesus called himself “the way, the truth, and the life.”  What Jesus taught us is not optional if we follow him. What he taught was not a “version” of how we ought to live our lives, when it is convenient. 

Jesus also told us that the truth would make us free. The truth Jesus taught frees us from sin; the truth of God’s love frees us from worrying about how much stuff we have, how powerful we are, if we are good enough to fit the current ideal.

Yeah. Truth matters. 

But telling the truth is sometimes not appreciated by those who are threatened by it. Truth-tellers usually pay a high price for speaking truth. Jesus himself was crucified for telling the truth. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated for telling the truth. History is full of stories about people who spoke the truth and paid the ultimate price for refusing to do anything else. 

The ELCA Council of Bishops recently issued a statement on the importance of truth. 

I suspect this move was prompted by the current political climate where misinformation/ disinformation/alternative facts— let’s just call it what it is, folks—  lies, lies that flow as freely as a mountain stream. 

Those lies make their way to social media, news broadcasts, and other uninformed individuals who “heard someone say…” or read on Facebook…” and assume it must be true. Because “I know the person who shared it and they must be telling the truth.” 

Chances are they are probably not telling the truth, because the source of their information is not telling the truth. See how that works? 

Factual truth is verifiable, or not. Scientists, historians, and others can help us find that truth and we ought to let them. If someone says the sky is gray but we look up and see gray… then we have to challenge the lie and verify the facts. 

Lies can hurt. 

Lies can ruin reputations, destroy families, break hearts.  

Yes, truth matters. 

It matters in politics. It matters in our homes, in our schools, in our workplaces, in our churches. 

Seek the truth. 

It matters.

The NC Synod Bishop's

Monthly Reflections

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