What does this sound like, to you?
“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof: from such turn away (2 Tim 3:1-5)
To me, this sounds like a description of the present day. There are so many places that one could take an article about these verses. I want to focus on the last part: having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof. The truth has great power and being able to live in and tell the truth to ourselves and others is one of our most powerful weapons.
This comes up in so many places in our lives. How many times have we been afraid to speak up about something that would be deemed “phobic” – transphobic, homophobic, xenophobic, about something that was actually not based in fear but in truth? One does not need to be afraid of those identifying as transexual to not want children to be allowed to make decisions that change their bodies, hormones, and core self-concept when they are not considered old enough to be allowed to vote, marry, or fight in wars; yet doctors and mental health professionals encourage their autonomy in this. As a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), I have seen colleagues write letters for elementary school children to start the transformation process. It is something I stand against for the obvious reasons above and medical reasons such as the increased depression, suicidal ideation, and permanent physical illness that these processes can cause. So, the question is, as Judeo-Christian people, why are we denying the power of the truth and stating the obvious? It is like the story where the emperor was not wearing any clothes, but no one wanted to say so.
A little history on how this started. The DSM- diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders has gone through many revisions since it was first created in 1952. The pivotal year was 1974 in which a split between practitioners lead to homosexuality being removed as a diagnosable disorder. That began a slippery slope in which things that were previously considered pathological became normalized in the mental health world.
Now people are afraid to say that sex is biological, that there are two sexes, that boys cannot ever become real girls and vice versa, etc. What else will we become afraid to tell the truth about? When we pretend or get talked into saying that two plus two is five, we have gone pretty far towards a totalitarian state and 1984 has literally come and gone.
So, what should we do? We can start with being honest with ourselves. Are we able to say that there is a fixed standard of truth: gravity exists whether we believe it or not, and that jumping from a tall building will not end well? Biological sex and gender are the same and they exist whether people believe it or not. Can we all be bold enough to say that the emperor is not wearing any clothes regardless of how “intolerant” others might say we are? What if we made this our truth, that our faith in a God-given order is going to be our guide, that “we might object to what people say but we would defend to the death their right to say it; however their rights of expression end at the tip of our nose” (our own bodies, and those of our children), and we are willing to tell the truth regardless of the consequences? We need to be able to tell the truth to ourselves in all things, not just about sexual orientation or gender. We do not need to hate or hurt people who do not have an understanding of the natural order of things but rather keep speaking the truth until more and more people hear.
The Bible does not say that everyone has to be alike. There were tomboys and gentle men in the Bible. The judge and prophet Deborah was not a traditional woman of her time, and neither was Jael. Gentle men included David’s friend Jonathan, Abel, the Apostle John, etc. We do not all have to look the same or be the same. There are many ways to be real man or woman without needing to change genders or endorse stereotypes. People from all ethnic groups and backgrounds can share beliefs in in family, patriotism, and humanity.
Next we need to be able to tell the truth to others. Being able to communicate one on one is important. In my practice as a therapist, I encourage clients to use “I” statements when they are communicating with friends and family. They go something like this, “I feel_____, because_____, and what I need from you is_______.” For example, “I feel hurt when you don’t ask me how my day went because it makes me feel like I am unimportant to you and what I need from you is to check in with me when we see each other after work.” The statements are designed to communicate feelings and ask for solutions without giving blame or shame. Communicating directly can head off many future problems in a relationship.
Communicating with others goes beyond just one one-on-one communication. We also need to be able to communicate with our local communities. For some of us, it has been a long time since we participated in our neighborhood watch, community holiday events, or local PTA meeting. If we ask ourselves why this is, we might say that we have been too busy or that other people will take our places and keep things going. The problem is when most people in a community make those excuses then there are no longer enough people to keep things going. Human beings were created to be social creatures. In the book of Genesis, it says that God did not think that it was good for Adam to be alone. If the drive for community is that inherent, we ignore creating deliberate communities at our own peril.
Finally, we need to be able to communicate our truth with the world. “The personal is political” is an old slogan from the 1960s that was used by left-leaning activists. What if we all made our personal political by standing with, financially supporting, and working on the campaigns of those who share our values? Have you felt so beaten down that you are not able to reimagine a world that is aligned with loving God and loving people?
Think about steps that you can take today. Register to vote. Sign up to help with someone’s campaign. Donate money. Meet neighbors, adopt kids from the foster system, start reaching out. It has been said that Sunday is the most segregated day in America because every ethnic group tends to go to their own churches. What would it be like to go to a church with people who don’t look like you but who love what you love? What would it be like to do a missions trip or take in a child from another culture who needs a home? I believe that it is possible to make changes to our world and not just accept the way things are or how they have changed in the past 10, 20, or 50 years. We can still determine how our world will be and write the ending we want to the story.
To do that, we need to be conversant with the truth. We need to be plugged into our Bibles, our communities, our churches, our families, and our own gut feelings. We need to be plugged into common sense and the wisdom that comes for it. We can trust ourselves when we are trusting in God. We can trust a common-sense view of life and not be talked out of it by a liberal media. For that matter, we can also choose to turn our televisions off or support media outlets that align with our values. We can use social media wisely and teach our children to do the same. I challenge you to do one thing today that will further your creating a world that you would be happy to pass on to your grandchildren.
A small band of freedom fighters was able to free America from British rule. For a modern revolution, we don’t necessarily need to take up arms but to arm our minds with the idea that there is an absolute truth and an absolute reality no matter who else wants to get on board. When we are sure of the truth and cannot be talked out of it, then real freedom is not very far away. There is no harm in prepping and living a self-sufficient life if we remember that real freedom is not just a place like Boise or Sandpoint, Laramie, or Pensacola. Freedom is the ability to know and communicate the truth. Let’s start.