The Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year in 2016 was 'post-truth' – an adjective defined as ‘relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief’. In other words, truth is no longer attached to objective facts but rather truth is determined by how one feels. If you feel something to be true then it is true for you despite the evidence pointing otherwise. How did we get here? Ravi Zacharias makes a pointed observation. “Manipulators of the truth know that truth is only subjective when one has victimized others and needs a fabrication.” The objectifying of women as sex objects through pornography isn't bad, it's simply a marital aid. Stealing from my neighbor is good when you give to those in need (me). In other words, in part, what gave rise to the post-truth era was a need to justify one’s harmful actions upon another. The post-truth era is quite a time to be a follower of someone who calls Himself "the Way, the Truth, and the Life…" Christianity rejects the entire premise of post-truth thinking because it leads people away from the means by which one comes to know God.
In John chapter 18 Jesus tells Pilate he came to bear witness to the truth. Pilate responds, "What is truth?" And then he walks away without waiting for the answer. The truth was right in front of him. Pilate asks, "Are you a king?" Jesus replies with yes and no. He is not a political king but rather he is the the king of truth. Truth is more powerful than politics. It's what made the early church such a force. Christians acted on the truth and this affected the Roman empire. It became less violent and more compassionate. Let's not forget the same is true today. Our influence comes when we separate lies from truth and then pursue the truth for the betterment of our family, friends, neighbors, city and world.
The truth is uncomfortable to a world that has exchanged it for a lie. Even Christian believers are still prone to hide from truth. Paul feared that the Galatians would view him as an enemy when he offered truth intended to correct their belief and practice. Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth? (Galatians 4:16) Yet the likelihood of conflict is no reason to withhold truth. Moreover, to do so would be unloving — no one benefits from persisting in a false reality!
