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As America tries to see through a glass darkly to discern the truth of what's really going on in our country and culture, the noise and the images can be overwhelming.
Who's real and who's fake?
Thomas Jefferson said, "Whenever the people are well informed, they can be trusted with their own government; that whenever things get so far wrong as to attract their notice, they may be relied upon to set them to right."
Be informed.
Bernie Sanders is "the real socialist."
This past weekend, Hollywood filmmaker Michael Moore and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez were out campaigning for Bernie Sanders.
Michael Moore told the folks in Iowa this weekend,
"We don't want the fake and the phony and the fraudulent and the 'well, I'm for medicare for All' and then 'well I'm sort of for Medicare' and then 'Medicare for what?' No. No. No more. No more. No more."
Moore's comments, coming just days before the Democrat caucuses in Iowa, were in support of Bernie and probably directed specifically at Elizabeth Warren, but they underscore the point that regardless of which side of the proverbial "aisle" you're on---Left or Right-- you seek some kind of clarity.
Even if you're far-Left, socialist, you want to support the "honest," the "real" socialist. Not the fake one.
The Trump legal team went on the offensive Saturday, explaining that the Democrats, not President Trump, are trying to mislead the nation.
The President's lawyers in their opening statements defended the President against the two articles of impeachment filed by the Democrats in the House of Representatives.
They claimed it is the Democrats, not the President that is trying to interfere in elections by seeking to remove him from the 2020 ballot for doing "absolutely nothing wrong."
They said it is the Democrats, not Trump, who is doing damage to democracy by trying to undermine the will of American voters. Not only are Democrats asking the Senate to undo the results of the 2016 presidential election, but they want all 2020 election ballots with Trump's name on them torn up, they say.
Trump lawyer Pat Cipollone said,
"For all their talk about election interference, they're here to perpetrate the most massive interference in an election in American history. And we can't allow that to happen."
Frankly, I questioned the wisdom of the Republicans beginning their defense of the President on a Saturday. There's a reason why people in the television industry refer to daytime Saturday (with the exception of sports) "the death valley of television programming." Nobody watches.
However, lawyers Cipollone and Jay Sekulow said their remarks on Saturday were a "teaser" for what is to come.
The Republican defense of the President will continue this morning.
I personally believe that the President's lawyers are right. I believe the Democrats are, in fact, guilty of trying to overturn the will of the people in the 2016 election and to remove Trump's name from the 2020 ballot because they are pretty sure they cannot beat him in an election.
I do not personally believe that the President is guilty of either of the two impeachment articles the House has filed against him.
Democrat and Harvard Professor Alan Dershowitz has made a clear, constitutional case that President Trump is not guilty of any crimes in relation to the impeachment.
However, no question that our nation is deeply divided over this and other issues---mostly moral and ethical issues that are presented as political differences.
Let's take a closer look at Truth.
What is truth?
The question Pontius Pilate asked Christ moments before His Crucifixion, is a question that haunts humanity: "What is Truth?"---it's the question the rest of the Gospels spend answering. This is why Jesus didn't even answer Pilate but stood there as the answer Himself.
Every day Christians are confronted with a bewildering array of choices in ethics, actions, and lifestyle.
For the most part, according to Barna and other research organizations, Christians generally do not have a Biblical worldview.
In fact, some studies show as few as 9% of "born again" Christians have a biblical worldview for a basis of making life decisions.
One study I saw showed that among evangelical pastors, about 71% claimed to have a biblical worldview in their preaching content, only 27% of United Methodist pastors claim to have a biblical worldview. That's why their church will vote to split in a few months.
Everyone has a worldview, but relatively few people have a biblical worldview.
The secular worldview.
- One of the foundational aspects of a Christian worldview is the matter of absolute truth. The Bible rests upon a belief in it. Again multiple studies show that Christians have abandoned their belief in absolute truth and bowed to the notion that no truth is superior to another truth. This has led to situational ethics and a dichotomy of truth.
- We often hear, "That may be true for you, but it isn't for me." Truth has become categorized. Francis Schaeffer used the concept of a two-story building to explain. Science and reason are found in the lower story. Religion and morality can be found in the upper story.
This dichotomy of truth has served to marginalize Christianity. When Christians speak to the issues of the day, the secular Left dismisses their claims as the realm of "private truth"---subjective value assumptions.
The secular worldview embraces fluid, ever-changing moral and ethical beliefs.
Christian worldview
- Mark 12:30 says, "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind and with all your strength."
- Jesus is telling us we cannot live with a dichotomy of truth.
- II Corinthians 10:5 says, "Casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ."
- The Lord is telling us how important it is to have a biblical worldview in the midst of the secular culture of our day. Note that this truth is cast in terms of spiritual warfare.
- Colossians 2:8: "See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception according to the tradition of men, according to the principles of the world, rather than according to Christ."
- Either we take every thought captive (2 Corth. 10:5) or we risk being taken captive (Col 2:8) by false philosophies.
- I Peter 3:15: "But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence."
- Christianity requires both offense and defense.
There has never been a greater opportunity to share Christ with our world because people are trying to sort out the truth on so many fronts. This is the moment. The appointed time. But God's people have got to be informed and committed. And bold in our Biblical worldview.
Be Informed. Be Faithful. Be Discerning. Be Bold. Be Prayerful.