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Discipleship, Worldview & Truth

A Conspiratorial Worldview

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Conspiracies seem to be popping up with growing frequency these days, and to be honest, many of them seem quite credible.  But recently I felt cautioned by the Lord to avoid the trap of a “conspiratorial worldview.”  It’s a little nuanced, but let me explain.  

Our worldview is revealed by the way we answer the most foundational questions of life:

• Who is God?   
• Who is man? 
• What’s the problem with the world? 
• How can the world be fixed?  

It’s the third question, “What’s wrong with the world?” that can lead us astray.  Politicians, pundits, and podcasters often identify people and groups as the problem: Palestinians, Israelis, Communists, political parties, secret societies,  globalists, the Deep State, the media, blacks, whites, immigrants, and the list goes on …  It’s a subtle temptation to scapegoat, and begin thinking “If we could just eliminate these people the world would begin to heal.”

To be clear, people and groups can and do complicate our problems, but according to the scriptures these are not at the root.  The real problem with the world is sin: that cursed rebellion and blindness that wars in each of our hearts, including my own.  The writer of Genesis tells us that “sin is crouching at the door.”  *  

To identify groups and people as the problem is to miss the truth and open the door to resentment and blame.  

It’s the easiest thing in the world to fall into subtle anger and bitterness towards others: Racism, political enmities, antisemitism, phobias and bigotries of every sort.  Hostility will never solve our social problems.  It only pollutes and poisons what might have been redemptive.  “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you and abuse you.” * Redemption and change will happen only when we embrace the love of Jesus.

Likewise, blame is no less destructive.  It deflects the focus from our own culpability and kicks it into the court of others.  “Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” *  The only way forward happens when each of us recognizes our own sin. The problem with the world is not “out there” in others, but rather hiding in my own heart.        

In the worldview of Jesus, (who actually created the world, and knows exactly what the problem is), our task is to differentiate between people and sin: hate the sin and love the sinner.  


* Genesis 4:7
* Matthew 5:44
* Matthew 7:3

Worldview & Truth

Knowing Truth, part 2

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(This is a follow-up from my April 29th post: Knowing Truth)

As a first step in knowing truth, we must be willing to change our mind and go where the facts lead. Apart from that openness we will never know the truth.  Whether we’re assessing the character of a politician, testing the veracity of the Gospels, or trying to figure out what really happened on 9-11, we MUST follow the evidence wherever it leads.  

In both classical education and historic Christianity there are three universally recognized paths to discovering the truth: Reason, Experimentation, and Revelation.  These three ought to validate each other like three stars in perfect alignment.  If one of them fails to align with the other two, we will lack confidence, and need to continue investigating.  We’ll look at them one at a time in no particular order:

1. Reason: “Come let us reason together…”  – Isaiah 1:1

If a person were hiking through the woods of South Dakota and he came upon the above scene, his reason would tell him immediately that this was the work of a designer and not the product of erosion.  Mount Rushmore is far too detailed and complex to have just “happened” on its own.   Reason is never an enemy of the Christian, but rather our friend and ally.  Therefore we must learn to handle it well,  “…always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that is in you.”  1 Peter 3:15.  

2. Experience and experimentation: “Test all things, hold onto what is true.”  – 1 Thessalonians.5:21

We learn by experience. Infants enter the world as little scientists, testing this and that to discover information about the world.  We learn that touching a hot burner is painful every single time.  I remember biting into a horseradish when I was five and experiencing a pain so profound I thought I would die.  It was a learning experience that has informed me for a lifetime.   To Thomas Jesus said “…reach  here with your hand, and put it into my side.”  (John 20:27)  That’s an invitation to  discover truth by experience.

3. Revelation: “… this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.”  – Matthew 16:17

But there are some things which cannot be known by direct experience or reason alone.  These things must be revealed to us by God himself.  Apart from the scriptures there is no way, for instance, we could know that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”  – John 1:1-2   The good news is that revelation has been given to us in the sixty-six books of the Bible.  And when acted upon, it will be confirmed by both reason and experience.

In a culture that questions the very existence of Truth itself, we disciples of Jesus must learn to recognize, value, and defend it at every opportunity.