Living in a Post-Truth Culture

Modernity is now overlapped by Postmodernity. Where once people believed in objective truth and reason, now they believe in subjectivism and feelings. Many, especially the young, no longer believe truth is possible. They speak of "My truth" and "Your truth" as if reality plays favorites or facts are optional. This fundamental shift has produced a Post-Truth Culture, one in which uncertainty, anxiety, and nihilism are daily evident in the streets as people, again especially youth, cast about in chaos and alienation, protesting things that make no sense, shouting phrases that contradict decency, morality, and humanity. This is America 2024, the dawning perhaps of a new Dark Age. Yet Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life," and "the truth will set you free." There is still hope in Christ and always shall be. For more Christian commentary check my website at rexmrogers.com.

Transcript

Have you wondered if there is an explanation for the upheaval we’re witnessing in American culture these past few months? 

Hi, I’m Rex Rogers and this is episode #156 of Discerning What Is Best, a podcast applying unchanging biblical principles in a rapidly changing world, and a Christian worldview to current issues and everyday life.

When I was a teenager and young man, there was a fellow who appeared on television every night – Walter Cronkite. By virtue of his professional endeavors and earned reputation he was known for years as “the most trusted man in America.” For nineteen years, he was the anchor for the CBS Evening News and each evening in his deep baritone he’d sign-off with his famous, “And that’s the way it is.” And we believed him.  We believed he gave us the truth because we believed in truth, and we trusted his presentation as truth.

Now, there are no Walter Cronkites and we’re swamped with “misinformation” and “disinformation,” politically biased information programs we still call “news,” the wall-to-wall angst of social media, “cheap fakes” videos, and A.I. or artificial intelligence making possible “deep fake” videos wherein people are featured saying outlandish things they never said. Now, we no longer believe there such a thing as truth.

In the New Testament, Jesus is put on trial in front of Roman governor Pontius Pilate who eventually asks the question, “What is truth?” (Jn 18:37-38). 

It is an existential question all human beings ask. But as English scholar Francis Bacon noted in a year 1625 essay entitled, “On Truth,” Pilate does not hang around to get an answer.

Fast forward to the period called Modernity, stretching from the Enlightenment to post-WWII, people asked the question because they believed in truth. They believed truth could be researched and discovered, and they believed we could do this using human reason, and later science and technology. The 1960s television program, “Star Trek,” perfectly presented this worldview with each episode’s problem eventually resolved by a combination of Captain Kirk’s plucky leadership and Mr. Spock’s logic. Maybe Captain Kirk would sometimes take a risk by “going with his gut,” but for the most part, emotion played a secondary role, even comic relief, coming from Dr. “Bones” McCoy’s needling of Mr. Spock’s rational mind.

Just a decade later, the movie “Star Wars” hit the big screen and in this film series we’re presented with an enormous shift in worldview. While the characters had science and technology, what they relied upon to win their good vs evil morality play was feelings. Now, truth is suspect. Obi-wan Kenobi, the sort of Christ-figure who eventually sacrifices himself for the characters and later returns in the spirit to help them, shared with Luke Skywalker what he called “Truth, from a certain point of view.” He advises Luke, a fledgling Jedi, to “search your feelings” and to “trust the Force,” an energy field that is in all things, including human beings, and a means by which the Jedi can gain power. Truth is not really knowable. 

Now what matters is subjective mind control via the Force, a pantheistic idea borrowed from eastern philosophy and religion. Not reason, not science, not Modernity’s search for truth, just feelings. This is postmodernity. 

When Oprah Winfrey spoke at the 2018 Golden Globe Awards she said, “Speaking your truth is the most powerful tool we all have.” This is postmodernity. This is the “post-Truth” culture in which we now live.

In this view, as in “Star Wars,” truth is whatever we say it is. Lies then become a way of life.

Lies often have a religious-sounding language, like “Believe in yourself” when Jesus said, “Believe in me.” Like “Follow your heart,” when Scripture says the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked (Jer. 17:9), and Jesus said, “Follow me.”

Like “Live your truth,” when Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” Like “I am free to be me,” when Jesus said, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

For Christians who believe in truth, who believe God is truth, our challenge is greater than ever. Where once, during the Modern period, one could speak to another non-Christian about our belief in truth, and whether they accepted or affirmed or believed as we did, they would at least recognize and generally acknowledge that truth exists.

Now, in the Postmodern, “post-Truth” era of moral relativism wherein it is believed nothing can be known for sure and the best one can do is, like Oprah, speak “your truth” or “my truth,” now our challenge is to interact with people who likely do not even acknowledge that anything can be known, that truth is even possible. They are left only with their subjective feelings, uncertainty, and often, anxiety.

And it gets more complicated because by now at least two generations of American youth have attended public schools wherein God, truth, morality, purpose, accountability, and hope have all been undermined, deconstructed, rejected, or destroyed. Gen Z and maybe also many Millennials no longer are certain about anything, least of all truth.

Live your truth versus live the truth. It’s a big difference. No God, they say? Then no truth. No truth? Then there is no morality, science, education, law or order or justice or mercy, aesthetics=beauty or art, trust, purpose or vision or aspiration or meaning or achievement, respect for life or individual dignity, civility, freedom. There is only division, confusion, lawlessness, chaos, insecurity.Post-Truth culture – possibly a new Dark Age. This is America 2024.

America is experiencing Romans 1 come to life via “ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools” Rom. 1:18, 21-22.

Our culture’s view of freedom is somewhat similar. Now it is believed “freedom is the ability to do whatever I want, whenever I want, with whomever I want!” Each individual becomes his own God, master and decider of good and evil. But what the culture promotes as freedom is really addiction and indulgence. It is as Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin” John 8:34. Consequently, there is less freedom and for many, no freedom. 

God warned us about how easy it is to get trapped by an Ism, a set of beliefs, values, and choices that lead us onto the broad road to destruction. God said, “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ” Col 2:8.

Jesus warned us about the Devil, the Father of lies. The Word of God warned us about false prophets and teachers, and about the sinful inclinations of our own hearts.

But as Christians, truth-seekers, truth-believers, we know God is truth. We know truth is the unchanging, reliable, ultimate standard by which all things are measured. moral compass, guiding actions and attitudes Truth cannot be relative. It is not a matter of opinion or perspective. If perceived truth is relative, it is not truth. To say there is no truth for all people is to declare a truth. Truth is not subjective or relative, not an opinion or preference. Truth is inescapable because reality is inescapable.

How then do we live in a post-Truth culture? 

1.    Anchor yourself in Truth. “The Gospel is the antidote to a post-truth, post-fact culture.” “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist,” Eph 6:14. Christianity is based upon objective truth. Jesus died and was resurrected. 

2.    Keep your politics in submission to your faith.

Politics is important and can be influential based upon righteous values, but politics is not a panacea for our problems primarily because our problems are mainly spiritual not political.

3.    Still called to be salt and light.

4.    Speak the truth in love.

5.    Be prepared to suffer. 

In 1 Peter mentions the word suffering 16 times. Suffering = persecution, trials, temptations, insults, and evil acts intended to harm and destroy, 2 Tim 3:12. If we live as truth-tellers, then we can expect pushback. Jesus said, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you” John 15:18.

6.    Hope. 

“Our hope comes from outside any system or person because it comes from Christ. Hope is the ultimate antidote to cynicism. In a world that’s growing more cynical by the minute, hope is one of the most radical things you can do.”

In Roman times, soldiers developed a phrase for conveying their highest commitment when they said “Goodbye” or went into battle. They said to one another, “Strength and Honor” and tapped their chests. Perhaps Christians should develop a phrase to that conveys our beliefs. We could say, “Truth and Freedom” and tap our chests.

Well, we’ll see you again soon. This podcast is about Discerning What Is Best. If you find this thought-provoking and helpful, follow us on your favorite podcast platform. Download an episode for your friends. For more Christian commentary, check my website, r-e-x-m as in Martin, that’s rexmrogers.com. 

And remember, it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm. 

© Rex M. Rogers – All Rights Reserved, 2024    

*This podcast blog may be reproduced in whole or in part with a full attribution statement. Contact me or read more commentary on current issues and events at www.rexmrogers.com/, or connect with me at www.linkedin.com/in/rexmrogers or https://twitter.com/RexMRogers.