Speak Truth
In our quest to bring ‘peace’ and ‘love’ to individuals, societies and nations, we have created a culture where people’s opinions are more important than truth. Those of us who once held to the truth have given into the onslaught of relativism, post-modernity and individualism. We have unwittingly accepted that catering to the needs and divergent worldviews (wrong or not) of others is humanity’s chief ambition, forgetting ourselves in the process. Time and knowledge have corroded our thoughts and perceptions.
There is obvious benefit to discussions between ideologically opposed peoples. We are able to see the perspective of another and understand how their mind relates and thinks about the world. We may even decide that their ideas are “superior” to ours, and integrate their thinking on the subject into our own worldview. There is a sincere need to respect, love and have empathy for others with differing opinions. This is not in contention.
What we really need to think about is what Jesus came to this Earth to do. Ultimately, there are two goals that were accomplished through the life and death of Jesus: he gave humanity a concrete image of who God is, and he died to pay humanity’s penalty for sin. Through his life, Jesus demonstrated unconditional love to everyone he met, including the despised and the oppressed. But Jesus did not stop there. He loved, and he spoke the truth. This meant that although he had disciples and many people followed him, there were also people who hated and persecuted him.
The point here is that we must follow Jesus’ example. We must be aware of our culture, and the systemic disillusionment that it creates. We must love one other, as Jesus did, but we must also speak the truth.