The Remedy for Today’s Culture of Deceit
Pastor’s Perspective, Stevens County Times
May 2024
By Pastor Tim White
The reporter asked the Columbia University student why she was protesting on the New York University (NYU) campus and specifically asked her, “Is NYU doing something?” The exchange, now viewed by millions, went like this: PROTESTER #1: “I don’t know. I’m pretty sure there’s something about Israel [then she turns to the other person]. Why are we protesting?” PROTESTER #2: “I don’t know; I wish I were more educated.” Then, PROTESTER #1 admits she needed to be better educated about the reasons for the protest.
These students do not need more education, but they need better education.
I am amazed by the level of ignorance of so many Americans when they protest against Israel as if they are the ones committing genocide. Israel is fighting to stop the genocide of their own people by Hamas (and Hezbollah and their financial backer, Iran). The genocide of the Jewish people is what Palestinians are calling for when they chant, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” October 7 was a snapshot of their barbaric lust for killing all Jews.
Today, America’s educational institutions have been systemically replacing education with indoctrination and academics with activism. These well-intentioned college students do not realize how a demonstrable lie manipulates them as a puppet master pulling their strings. Our public schools have begun to follow the same playbook, and parents are standing up locally and nationwide. This moment may be our one shot at stopping the tsunami of deceit washing over our society and many of its institutions.
There can be no doubt – we are in a day prophesied by Isaiah, who warned, “Woe to them who call evil good, and good evil” (5:20).
We have heard the shocking story of a student who was suspended for wearing a shirt to school that said, “There are Only Two Genders” and “Men Cannot Get Pregnant.” People have lost their jobs for using the word “illegal” when commenting to a co-worker about foreigners who entered the country illegally. A medical assistant was fired for not using the proper pronoun with a patient, and another healthcare worker lost his job for asking someone besides himself to inject a minor with sterilizing puberty-blocking drugs. Then, there is the topic of women’s sports.
George Orwell was correct in his (prophetic?) novel “1984” when he wrote, “In a time of deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” We need “revolutionaries” today.
As I consider the dizzying display of deceit and confusion in America today, I hear the words of the prophet Isaiah as if he were speaking to us through chapter 59.
In verse one, we read, “Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.” Good News! God longs to hear our prayers and to save our society from the destruction awaiting us because of our foolish ways. The Bad News is in verse two, “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you so that he will not hear.” It is not that God does not want to hear and deliver us; instead, we have no desire to hear Him. Nor are we willing to let go of the catechism of lies we use to justify our following our worldly passions and sinful lifestyles.
In verses nine to eleven, we read of the consequence upon a nation for embracing lies and deceit: “So justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. We look for light, but all is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows. Like the blind, we grope along the wall, feeling our way like men without eyes…We look for justice but find none; for deliverance, but it is far away.”
Ultimately, we must realize that we are not facing a political crisis but a spiritual one. When our political leaders, legislatures, and courts of law embrace lie and encourage participation in actions that oppose God’s righteous standards, then, in the words of verse thirteen, it is nothing other than “rebellion and treachery against the LORD, turning our backs on our God, …” Here is the root of the social and cultural crisis we are facing – namely – we have turned our back on the God who birthed this nation and put His blessing upon her.
Our society deteriorates consequently. We see displayed on the nightly news what the prophet said in verses fourteen and fifteen, “(14) …justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter. (15) Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.” As George Orwell said, “Truth is treason in an empire of lies.”
The Bible says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” We know that our founding fathers did (fear God), and legal scholars today marvel at their wisdom and foresight in creating the U.S. Constitution. Therefore, the opposite must be true: The rejection of the Lord is the beginning of ignorance and delusion that grows like a cultural cancer.
Oh, but do not be dismayed - All is not lost. There is a remedy.
In Micah 7:18, we read, “Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.” The Lord desires to show mercy on our nation, region, and any individual reading this column (as in John 3:17 – Jesus came to save, not condemn).
One vital ingredient is needful – we must come to God on His terms – with all our hearts, we must turn away from our old ways and toward Him (repentance). If we will, God promises to hear and save in grander ways than we can imagine. The closing verses of Isaiah 59 promise that God’s blessing will extend to our children and their descendants
Therefore, for the sake of our children and grandchildren’s generations, let us humble ourselves before the Lord and reject the lies and deceit foolishly called wisdom today. Then, the Lord will hear us, forgive us, transform our current reality for the better, and set our children on a path of hope for their future. So, what are we waiting for?