Skip to main content

Where Humanity and Truth Meet

The issue with us believers who are engaged in political discussion here in America is that sometimes we are willing to bury the truth or simply glose over it in order to advance what we think is most important. We would do so in order to support our preferred candidate or political party or merely to win an argument. Truth-being and truth-telling at all times is a virtue we only espouse when it is convinient.

The danger is that this lack of charater breeds nothing less than bondage. By not being honest and truthful with ourselves in accordance with God's Word, we handcuff ourselves and allow political peddlers and exploiters to lead us blindly to the dark dangeons of servitude. Hidden in the candy of political expedience is the deadly poison of devilish deception.

I see this in our talk of "choosing the lesser of two evils" language. In other words, we would gladly paint over a lie thereby become liars for political expedience. The God that I know from Scripture is a God who is consistent in his resistance of evil. He does not choose to endorse "the lesser of two evils." Nor does he overlook one evil in dealing with another. He deals with evil decisively. His hatred for it is absolute.

So what is this talk of us choosing "the lesser of two evils?" Aren't we by so doing--- co-opting evil, glosing over evil, becoming evil ourselves and therefore enemies of God? If none of the candidates espouses our values, why can't we be simply honest and say that our preferences are simpy that...our preferences as human beings who live in a fallen world and who by virtue of our humanity participate with other human beings in the political process and that it doesn't always have to be spiritualized. Why coat our choices in "lesser of two-evils" language?

The great value of truth lies in its liberating power. Truth and freedom are inseperable. Jesus tells us that knowing truth sets us free (John 8:32). When we are truthful with God, with ourselves, with our family and friends, and in being and in facts, then we are a truly free people.

When we are dishonest with God, with ourselves, and with society around us, regardless of how free we look in the natural, we are in bondage and are seperated. The lie always leads to bondage and seperation from God and from others. Ultimately, it leads to death.

The Hebrew and Greek traditions that shape our Judeo-Christian understanding of the nature of truth taken together give us a comprehensive picture of what it means to be truthful. In the Hebrew or Old Testament tradition, the basis of truth is more in terms of a reliable person rather than it is of mere facts of the case. Reliability is an attribute of God whose truth "reaches to the clouds" (Ps 108:4). God is true. He is consistent both in his loving care for his children (Gen 32:9) and in His implacable hostility against sin (Ps 54:5; 119:151).

Truth is also demanded of humanity as its response to God in obedience to the law and in its inmost nature (Ps. 51:6). Truth is portrayed as the bedrock of all human relationships (Ex 20:16; Dt. 5:20). In Greek literature, the words for truth, (aletheia, alethes, alethinos), depict truth as being facts rather than its moral and personal understanding of the Hebrew thinking... as in Judicial language. The New Testament combines both the Hebrew and Greek understandings of truth. Ultimately, it is personified in the very person of Christ who is "the Way, the Truth and the Life." Jesus points to the knowledge of truth as the key to human freedom. For a follower of Christ, truth must be both moral and factual/judicial in expression. We cannot articulate one without the other. To compromise in any way is a much more grave lie in the sight of our God. Truth must be both truth-being and truth-telling. And yes, truth-being and truth-telling includes what we choose to forward to our friends on-line. Ultimately, where truth and humanity meet, there is freedom.

Comments

  1. I'd also argue that one of the problems us native Americans (meaning, born and raised) have is that we have such a high loyalty to our country and our historical tradition that we place it on the same level as Scripture. We have equated "not voting" with an act of sin. As such, we've been led to compromise on many issues. And while compromise is not a dirty, four letter word, it is also not an option when dealing with God's truth.

    Compromise is however in the nature of God, but it never ends well. HOWEVER...the irony is that without God's compromise we would never have had King David.

    I'm guessing your blog post was more of a shot at the "lesser of two evils" slogan than an actual political essay, however.

    Still waiting the Obama edition, lol.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you for your post Sammy. I have been struggling with the whole "lesser of two evils" thing--working it through in my head--and I agree with what you have written.

    On a different note...

    So excited for your wedding tomorrow! I know that it will be a grat day and that Jesus will be glorified! So happy to celebrate with you and Suzi!

    Blessings,
    ~Amber

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

No Room in the Inn...21st Century Version

It is the Christmas season 2009.  Like Joseph and Mary 2000 years ago, a young couple are on the virge of the birth of their first baby boy.  Although they are doing everything to prepare for the big day, it still catches them by surprise.  Instead of the regular 40 weeks, the baby is arriving six weeks early. Because they are not expecting it this early, their bags are not packed nor is the nursery fully furnished.  Safe for an early morning warning in a dream to the father to prepare to be in a delivery room and with assurance (from the Lord) that it would be o.k, the day started off as any other day. At 6:00 AM, the couple prays together for about 40 minutes in their home in Victoria.  They take showers.  At about 7:30 AM, the husband goes to work briefly from his home office while the wife prepares something for their breakfast together. Within a couple hours they will have a routine prenatal doctor's appointment.  Later in the evening the wife's sister and her two beau

A Medical Doctor With a Passion for God, a Love for People, and an Enduring Faith

Our Mission in Kenya Continued well. He is humble, he is joyful, and he works hard to make a difference among a Kenyan rural town's community.  That is Dr. Nathan Matasi, a gynecologist serving in Kitale town, Western Kenya.  There are hardly any hospitals in this part of the world.  The one government operated hospital in Kitale town serves a population of over one million people from the town and the surrounding rural farm communities.  Sammy and Gary share a moment with Dr. Matasi next to a corn field in Kitale on Tuesday morning before heading out for the prayer service in Nairobi, some 400 miles away.  Here you will find patients sleeping on the floor in overcrowded hallways, pregnant mothers sharing beds, and daily lines forming at the out-patient unit.  There are hardly modern equipment available for the few qualified doctors and nurses to use for diagnostics or treatment.  Majority of the patients can hardly afford to pay for quality medical attention. Yet it is

The Other Frontline in the Battle for Souls- By Suzanne Wanyonyi

I've learned quite a bit while Sammy's been away in India. Other wives have told me over the years, that when their husbands are gone for ministry for extended periods of time, the enemy tries to attack during the husband's absence by causing the garage door to break, or the toilets to break or the hot water heater to go out. So, from the very beginning of our marriage I anticipated those things and shared my concern about them with Sammy. He understood. We've always had a plan in case something breaks around the house while he's away. Well, none of those things have ever happened. Other things have happened.  During this latest mission, while nearly 80,000 people were being won to Christ, the attack came in a way I wasn't expecting: The kids. There were more than a few nights where I had about 2 hours of sleep because the kids kept waking up. With Malaika it's not so uncommon, but Junior has slept from 8-8 for as long as I can remember. He'