Caption: Image from Lorenzo T. Neal’s website (Courtesy of Lorenzo Neal)
The phrase “You can’t handle the truth!” has become a part of American pop culture and we say it without even thinking about it. We expect the truth from media and our public officials. However there are many in the public sphere who believe the line from the movie, and think that Americans cannot handle truth. They have bought into the belief that alternative facts and misleading headlines and storylines are the only thing people can understand. They go out of their way to ensure that people stay in ignorant bliss while they continue providing lies and misinformation plaguing our daily news cycles and political rhetoric. One way to counter this great miscarriage of knowledge is by taking the Pro-Truth Pledge.
I happened upon the Pro-Truth Pledge after having Dr. Gleb Tsipursky as a guest on my Zera Today radio show. After hearing of his experience and expertise, I was convinced that I needed to take the pledge. The Pro-Truth Pledge exists to reverse the tide of lies by encouraging everyone including politicians and other public figures to commit to truth oriented behavior. Through the Pro-Truth Pledge, individuals are encouraged to honor truth, encourage truth, and share truth. They are encouraged to verify information before sharing on their social media, defend those who share truth even if it doesn’t agree with their personal beliefs or opinions. They are encouraged to educate by informing others in their sphere of influence to not use unreliable sources and courageously demand retractions when untruths are presented to the public. The Pro-Truth Pledge is all about holding everyone to the same level of accountability.
As a pastor in a Christian faith community, I am held to a higher standard of communicating truth. I also identify as a conservative politically (a classical liberal with libertarian leaning) and expect those in public service are held accountable to the promises they make on the campaign trail. Proverbs 10:32 says that a righteous person speaks things that are true and acceptable from their lips but the mouth of a deceitful person is perverted. Jesus of Nazareth spake some pretty famous words in John 8:32 when he “you will know the truth and the truth will make you free.” Furthermore in James 5:12 and 3 John 1:4, truth is strongly encouraged against all falsehood. Whether one is religious or not, truth should be the synonymous moral standard for all individuals.
If we fall prey to the ongoing pursuit of alternative facts and lies by public officials and celebrities, we may lose our democracy. If we don’t hold government officials and people of influence to the truth, it will be hard to fight against corruption in government. The Pro-Truth Pledge brings everyone together around the commitment to the ideal of truth without consequences. It promotes true liberation from those who wish to maintain the status quo through a plethora of lies.
I am committed to promoting truth. That is why I took the Pro-Truth Pledge. My life and ministry is about empowering others to knowing and impacting the world around them. You can do more than protest. You can do more than vote. You can take the Pro-Truth Pledge and help others do the same.
Thank you, Pastor. We might have some differences but can agree on the need for integrity and sticking to the truth. That kind of integrity is the only way to find common ground and move forward, which is how democracies function. I hope we can convince everyone of the need for truth in public life.
Thanks for your words. However, you equate the “Truth” to Christianity. If you REALLY were devoted to the truth, you would also delve deep into what the non-religious are saying. Peace.
https://understandrealitythroughscience.blogspot.com/p/questioning-religion-or-need-help.html
I find the inter-mixture of truth and religious “Truth” very problematical. I can’t see how rationalism can be improved this way. However an effort by theologians to be tied to a pledge to truth appeals to me. Pastors should be open to question about the truth along with everybody else. It relies on the critical thinkers amongst truth-lovers to stay away from ancient or historical holy books and I think that may be achievable.
Thank-you so much for embracing the Pro-Truth Pledge!
It demonstrates a commitment not only to truth, but the paths that leads to truth.
It is a journey. It is important to realize that we are all at different points in that journey.
May the journey continue for each and everyone of us!
Thank you, Pastor. Others here have argued that Christianity is incompatible with the Pro-Truth Pledge; I find that dichotomy irrelevant. What we should all fear is a President who governs with “alternative facts.” It is more imperative than ever that the citizens of this country be informed and aware of the forces at work in shaping opinion and policy. As they were growing up I told my children, “Always tell me the truth. I can deal with anything if I know what I am dealing with.” I believe the same applies to a nation.
A very wise person once said, “There is a vast land that exists between the kingdoms of Ignorance and of Knowledge. That land is known as Opinion.” As I grow older I realize we mostly live in Opinion.
I pray for the day that we can live in Knowledge.
I guess my feeling on this can be divided into three simple parts:
1. First part is: For the Pastor’s willingness to interview Greg on the PT thesis, and then post this about it – it’s a first step, and something most ‘conservative Christian evangelical pastors’ haven’t done- and, I think, probably won’t, do. So, good on him, to that extent.
2. Others have noted that there is an honest issue here, in that the Pastor- in all honesty- like most believers in imaginary (ie not evidenced-based) deities in the sky, refuses to apply the PT principle to his, well, ‘blind’ religious belief. The reason I let that pass is that, as an ardent supporter of our Constitutional stricture on strict separation of religious belief, and non-belief, and maintenance of a mandatory secular government….so long as no one, including the Pastor, violates those inviolate bedrock Constitutional principles, the whole religion argument is best left to to our own personal arguments over beer/ice tea/the picnic table, etc.in future.
3. Having said all that; The Pastor’s short, well-written and welcome, homage towards truth, is free of mention of specific actions. His self-description as a conservative evangelical pastor, however, does leave a question: What actions/words has he actually been doing, in practice? There are, in my opinion, far too many self-described ‘conservatives’, ‘evangelical Christians’, etc. etc., who, while saying all they want is the truth, do, in fact, the exact opposite; eg, watch only Fox, blindly repeat what it says without checking, attacks anyone who disagrees with that dogma, etc. So, is there anyone familiar enough with the Pastor’s actions to bring us some perspective here? Thanks. Dave huntsman
It’s great to have you as a fellow Pro-Truth Pledge signer – member – advocate – whatever we are. I enjoyed reading your reasons for becoming one of us. They are valid to us all, whether we share your faith or not. We’re in this together.