Living in the Truth

I read a pretty good post yesterday by Michael Kruger entitled "Would You Take the Red Pill or the Blue Pill?" This of course comes from "The Matrix" movie in which the main character, Neo, is given an opportunity to either embrace reality as it is, cold, dark, and unforgiving; or return to the "fake world" he previously lived in--permanently. The movie is about how truth, even harsh truth, is worth living in over and beyond any alternative reality, no matter how enjoyable or controllable that reality may be. Why? Because the truth is the truth, and as Kruger says in his post: "What matters is not personal pleasure but truth."

 

Kruger than speculates that the new movie he saw the previews for entitled "Ready Player One" embodies a cultural shift in thinking from embracing truth because it is true--to embracing whatever reality we choose (true or false), provided it suits our fancy. Supposedly "Ready Player One" consists of a dreary, dystopian world where individuals escape from the real world and find meaning and excitement in a game--in which the experience is simply superior to real life. Where people were trying to escape the fake world for the real world in "The Matrix," people are now trying to escape the real world for the fake in "Ready Player One."

 

Do you see the parallels to today? What matters now is not the uncomfortable fact "that there are two genders", but that you can choose any gender from the cacophony of ice cream flavors, as long as it makes you happy. You no longer have to be married to cohabitate with your boyfriend, you can live with whomever you like, as long as it makes you happy. You can bend the rules of God; no, you can completely rewrite the rules--as long as the new reality makes you happy. And this robotic refrain "whatever makes you happy" reverberates endlessly in our postmodern world. What matters is not archaic structures of right or wrong, or even biologically objective facts. No. What matters now first and foremost is that "you be yourself."

 

Preference transcends truth.

 

What is particularly curious to me is when Christians use this same argumentation as reason or justification to live a certain lifestyle, watch a certain TV show, or do: "fill in the blank." I have heard individuals who claim the name of Christ respond, "who are you to judge me?" to any suggestion that their conduct is not worthy of Christ. This is the official trump card to any bulky, obstructionistic truth getting too close. I have heard other Christians celebrate the quite objectively sinful lifestyles of others with: "I am so happy that you are now happy!" This just goes to show that no worldly philosophy occurs in a vacuum. We are all influenced by the sweeping effects of postmodernism, even those of us within the walls of the church. And the scary part is most of us do not even notice it.

 

One of the reasons that I listed Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment as my favorite book that I read last year is because it addresses these exact same issues. What if we bend the rules of morality? What if we escape from these archaic structures of the past (A.K.A: truth) and make our own new, bold, alternative truth? What will happen? Dostoyevsky is convinced that any rewriting of the rules of God will reap judgment on the individual and the society at large. And as Raskolnikov, the main character, tries to convince himself that his cold blooded murder is a good thing, something that will both help others and advance backwards Russia into a brave new future, the law remains graven on his heart--and he cannot get away from the weight of its burden.

 

We are going to find in our similarly progressive day that the alternate realities we embrace are not sure ground to stand on. No different than Raskolnikov, eventually the pseudo-foundation will give way and we will each of us come face to face with truth. Harsh, unforgiving truth. It is not a question of "if", but only  "when".

 

As Christians we have to be people of truth. Hard as it is, and as elementary as it sounds, our personal preferences can never supersede the law and commands of Christ. Furthermore I believe we must be careful to not allow counterfeit realities or reality numbing narcotics (often in the form of entertainment) to distract our focus and our affections from the real world we now live in. In order to be a voice of truth to a post-truth world, we have to have both feet standing squarely on solid ground. And when the inevitable collapse occurs--when the alternatives fail to pay out what they promised to those caught in its web, we will be there to give them the real Truth: Jesus Christ, the reality greater than anything our world below can conjure up.