Post-truth, Oxford Dictionary's word of the year for 2016, is 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."
This word has gained prominence this past year through two world events, Brexit in Britain and the U.S. election. In both campaigns truth was treated as irrelevant. Extravagant claims were made on both sides of the issues that had no basis in reality, but because they were tweeted or posted on social media so often, they were widely accepted as fact. The Economist, a British paper says, "Politicians have always lied. Does it matter if they leave the truth behind entirely?" The article shows that societies become vulnerable when truth is manipulated. George Orwell described this situation in his novel, 1984. Big Brother uses newspeak and deception to confuse the people and keep them oppressed, a favourite tactic of totalitarian regimes in Europe and Asia over the past century. The rise of post-truth thinking and campaigning does not bode well for our future.
Truth is vitally important for the Christian. Jesus claimed, "I am the Light of the world. I am the way, the truth and the life." The apostle John introduces Jesus as "the Word," the very embodiment of God's message, "full of grace and truth. He is "Emmanuel - God with us." The Holy Spirit is the "Spirit of truth," and Jesus calls the Scriptures as truth. Christians base their faith of the certainty of the gospel message - the life of Jesus Christ as recorded in Scripture, his death on the cross for our salvation and his resurrection from the dead. The apostle Paul says that if Christ did not rise from the dead our faith is useless, we are living in a dream world. Christians through the centuries have lived and died, even given their lives in defence of the truth of Christ and his message. We have not always fully understood the Scriptures or lived by them, but have accepted them as truth.
Scripture also emphasizes the importance of truth in living. Paul declares that when people reject God and "exchange the truth of God for a lie," moral decline follows. We are warned not to be deceived, but to be alert, to think soberly and with discernment. We are to "put off falsehood and speak truthfully to one another," "to speak the truth in love." We are to shape our lives by the standards of Scripture, by the ten commandments, and the teaching of Jesus and the apostles. We are to live with integrity in our relations with one another in all of life, in the family, in business, politics or the church family. John writes, "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth."
Even though our world casts truth aside we are to embrace the truth, hold to the truth and live by the truth.
