Back to Basics: Truth

 At first blush, truth may not be one of the things we think about as a basic building block of our life in Christ. Faith sure. Love, we get that. Forgiveness for our sins—all day long. Being merciful, no-brainer.

But truth? Sure, it’s important, but does it really deserve its own sermon in our “Back to Basics” worship series?

Truth may not make it in our top ten list, but it sure makes it into God’s. In Exodus 20, God gives Moses and the Israelites the Ten Commandments, and at least one commandment is directly related to truth: “Do not testify falsely against your neighbor.”

In Proverbs 6, the Biblical writer lists seven things that are detestable to the Lord. Among that list, three are related to honesty and integrity. The Lord finds detestable “a lying tongue,” “a false witness who breathes lies,” and “one who stirs up conflict in the community.”

In John 8, as he is teaching his followers, Jesus says, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teaching. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Truth matters to Jesus, and he says it should matter to us! Jesus says our freedom—freedom from sin, freedom from evil, freedom for a life marked by salvation—all of these are bound up in the truth. Truth, and its companion virtue integrity, should be something Christians care very deeply about, a basic building block of our faith that we think about and attend to regularly.

As he stands before Pilate on trial in the Scripture we read together today, Jesus proclaims, “I was born and came into the world for this reason: to testify to the truth.”

What is the truth that Jesus testifies to?

Back in the first chapter of John’s Gospel, the writer tells us this about Jesus and his mission: “From his fullness we have all received grace upon grace; as the Law was given through Moses, so grace and truth came into being through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. God the only Son, who is at the Father’s side has made God known.”

God’s love and grace is the truth Jesus came to share. God’s love and grace is the truth Jesus wants his followers to live by, the truth that will set them free. God’s love and grace is the truth Jesus commissioned and commanded his disciples to be witnesses to.

But, as Jesus’ disciples today, we live in a world where people ask like Pilate did, “What is truth?” In a world of the 24 hour news cycle and sensationalist stories, in a world of fake news and conspiracy theories, in a world or viral videos and TikTok challenges, it can be difficult to discern what is fact and what is fiction. Especially in the last few months, as we collectively have faced a worldwide pandemic and an upcoming national election.

A lot in the world is difficult and confusing. I’ve had more than one conversation with church members, with other pastors, with leaders like educators, elected officials, even district superintendents…it’s hard to know who to trust and who is telling the truth right now.

God created us as intelligent beings with minds that look for patterns in the world, because God created the world with patterns to discover and delight in. Yet, in times like these, we haven’t discovered the pattern yet. In March, we knew little about the coronavirus and how it spread from one person to another. Was it safe to be together if we just didn’t hug or shake hands? Was it not safe to get take out or fast food? Could we touch a surface and pick up the virus? Could you be around other people as long as they didn’t feel sick? As time went on, scientists discovered that the main source of spread was from respiratory droplets and that many people who contracted the virus may never experience symptoms, which meant that wearing a mask could protect us from spreading the virus to others if we had it and didn’t know. And medical researchers are still hard at work to figure out the patterns of the virus to develop treatments and vaccines.

Yet, in the meantime, when patterns are difficult to discover, our brains are searching for meaning, anything that will help us understand the frightening events around us.

Perhaps you too have been disappointed in the number of Christian friends you saw sharing false information on social media about the coronavirus—gargle salt water and it will kill the virus, don’t believe the hype it’s all a government plot to control us, ignore the advice of the vast majority of medical professionals because these two discredited doctors made a video on Youtube proving that masks don’t work.

Beloved…we are smarter than that. God created us with the ability to be critical thinkers. We shouldn’t fall for viral videos like Plandemic. We know that legitimate doctors and professional researchers do not post their findings on Youtube or Facebook with captions like “Watch this before it gets deleted!” or “Share this because the mainstream media won’t!” Come on, y’all!

But, if we are smarter than that, then why do we or our Christian brothers and sisters sometimes fall so easily for conspiracy theories? Well first, let’s be honest…everyone loves a good conspiracy theory. It’s usually exciting and it feels like we have information that others don’t. Conspiracy theories cater to our ego to make us feel like we are “in the know,” and they make us feel special. Second, conspiracy theories help us make sense of a chaotic and complicated world. When something new, like a novel coronavirus, comes along…we don’t have ways to explain it or understand it yet. Conspiracy theories give us a way to understand hard-to-predict, rare events that rock our world. Third, conspiracy theories give us an out. Most often, these far-fetched tales give us a reason to say “This is not my problem” or “I don’t have to put in the work and sacrifice.” Christian writer D.L. Mayfield wrote, “People believe conspiracy theories because it is psychologically easier to believe a singular and unlikely narrative rather than engage in a hard and complicated reality where your own long-term participation is needed.” When God tells us that we are our brother’s keeper and Jesus asks us to love our neighbors, conspiracy theories says, “This isn’t real…so you don’t have to do the hard things for the sake of others! Don’t worry about it!” Conspiracy theories seduce us into sinful and selfish behavior that makes our own comfort and convenience more important than others’ safety and health.

As people who claim Jesus as our savior, we are called to care about the truth because Jesus did. Jesus said he came to testify to the truth of God’s love and grace, a love and grace that teaches us to care for others. When we spread misinformation online or in personal conversation without first checking it out to see if it’s true, we are doing harm to other people. It may be hard to see, but our participation in falsehood has a real impact.

Consider one of the recent conspiracy theories that got some traction among Christians. After the Sandy Hook school shooting, some Christians shared the idea that perhaps this was an undercover operation staged by the government in a plot to take away people’s guns. While some who first shared that idea may admit today that it wasn’t true, that doesn’t mean it’s harmless now. To this day, some die-hard believers still harass the families of the first-grade children who died in the Sandy Hook shooting, children that should be figuring out how to be middle schoolers in the middle of a pandemic right now. What a tragedy that families who lost a child have to deal with such disrespectful behavior!

 

So, when our minds are created to make sense out of the world but things happen in life that just don’t make sense, how do we as Christians, the ones who claim the truth will set us free, make sure we don’t fall for falsehoods and spread misinformation?

While it’s always possible we might get fooled a few times, I’ve found this simple acronym helps me.

THINK before you post. Ask yourself:

·       Is it true?

·       Is it helpful?

·       Is it inspiring?

·       Is it necessary?

·       Is it kind?

Before I elaborate a little more on these, don’t think these rules only apply to social media. I know not everyone listening does facebook or Instagram or even gets on the internet on a regular basis! But don’t tune out of the sermon just yet! These questions are helpful for personal conversations, whether at the kitchen table, on the phone, or through text message! These questions are helpful to filter all of the things we put out into the world…whether it’s something we text or say to one friend or something we tweet for thousands to read.

So, first…is it true?

Jesus asked Pilate if he thought Jesus was the king of the Jews or if Pilate had just heard other people say it. Basically, Jesus asked, “Pilate, where did you get your information from? Did you do your own research?”

Friends, do not blindly accept the testimony of others unexamined. God gave you a brain. Use it! Ask questions. Decide if your news source is trustworthy. Is the person presenting you information mentioning other researchers or thinkers who have drawn the same conclusion or are they the only ones with the “real truth?” If someone is trying to convince you that they are the holders of truth and everyone else is a sheep, friends, they are trying to sell you something or profit off you in some way.

Real quick…here’s a pro-tip. There is a website dedicated to fact-checking social media claims about medical facts or political statements called Snopes.com. The next time you are tempted to share a coronavirus meme or story about a politician you don’t agree with…go to Snopes.com to see if they can help you figure out if what you want to share is fact or fiction. More than once the good people of Snopes.com have assured me that Morgan Freeman is in fact alive and well despite the #RIPmorgan’s floating around the internet that day.

After you ask if it is true, ask “Is it helpful?”

Believe it or not…not everything that is true is always helpful. This question is definitely open to subjective interpretation, so here are some others ways I ask myself if something is helpful:

·       Does it help elevate or add to the public conversation?

·       Does it help others know my heart or communicate who I am at my core?

·       Does it help share God’s love and grace?

If I can answer yes to those questions, then I think it’s helpful.

Next…is it inspiring?

Not everything we post on social media or share with each other right now has to be informative about what is happening in the world. We should be careful to share true things that we have independently researched and verified. But sometimes we just want to share a little bit of sunshine on a cloudy day, like a funny story or an encouraging thought or a photo of our children, grandchildren, or pets, just something to brighten someone’s day.

And I’m here for it! I want to see ALL the pictures of your babies and pets! I want to hear about the things that bring you joy right now! The world needs to hear about the places you have experienced God and love and grace! What a powerful tool social media and personal conversations can be for sharing God’s light and our faith witness!

After these questions, ask yourself, “Is it necessary?”

Some of the best advice I ever got was from my professor and mentor Dr. Meeks who said, “You don’t have to tell someone everything you know.”

Man, I really wish I could go back in time and tell teenage Amanda that she doesn’t have to correct every friend’s grammatical errors because, in fact, that will not make her look smart…it will just make her annoying to other people.

Sometimes the knowledge we have, while true, may not be necessary to share with others. Now, I’ll agree…it may be hard to know when is the right time or the wrong time to share something. We all might think differently about what is necessary. So, I ask myself this question in a way that mimics John Wesley’s 3 rules:

·       Will sharing this do harm? Or will the negative impact of sharing this fact, thought, or opinion outweigh the potential good impact?

·       Will sharing this do good?

·       Will sharing this communicate the love of God?

·       If I can’t answer yes to at least one of those questions, and most of the times if I can’t answer to all three, then I probably won’t post or say something, because for me…it’s not necessary.

Lastly, before you click share or hit post or say it out loud, ask yourself this last question…“Is it kind?”

Now, let’s distinguish the difference between kind and nice.

Kind is not nice.

Nice tells half-truths and white lies to make ourselves and other people feel better. Kind tells the truth even when it’s hard.

Nice will says “It’s fine” to your face and talk about you behind your back. Kind is clear and honest and upfront.

Nice will say “I’m so sorry” or “You’re in my thoughts and prayers” while holding your pain at a distance and never trying to understand the world from another person’s point of view.

Kind is compassionate, the kind of compassion that reflects the root meaning of the word, to suffer with another.

Kind is what Jesus did…get down with you in the ditch, into the messy but beautiful parts of your life, weep with you when you are weeping, celebrate with you in moments of joy like a wedding.

Jesus’ brand of kind seeks to see the world through another person’s eyes to understand their hurt, their pain, their hopes, their dreams!

I think these questions are important because the way we communicate with others and about others is a direct reflection of our own character, our integrity, our commitment to the truth of God’s love and grace.

As people of God who testify to the truth of Jesus Christ…what we post on social media and say to each other MATTERS! Our words, whether spoken out loud or written in a facebook post, are a witness to the Gospel if we call ourselves Christians.

This week take inventory. Are your posts reflective of your faith in Jesus…or your faith in a politician, a lifestyle, a beauty product?

Am I asking you that every post you make be about Jesus and faith? No…I still want to see your cute puppy pics and read your funny stories and celebrate with you your milestone achievements!

But what I am saying is that what you post on social media reflects your faith. It reflects on our church. It reflects on Jesus. When our posts are filled with hate or judgment or misinformation, we are harming our witness to God’s kingdom. Pilate, the man who asked “What is truth?” is the same man who condemned Jesus to die on the cross even though Pilate admitted he couldn’t find a crime that Jesus was guilty of. Truth matters. The Bible told us so.

Let’s be people who share the truth of God’s love and grace with everything we do…even what we post on social media.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.