OFFICIAL SUNDAY OPEN THREAD

The Abandonment Of The Truth Comes At A Painfully High Cost

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he 21st century is different from all other centuries, at least in one particular way: We are living in the first era of a widespread, international campaign to suppress moral knowledge. I am referring to the widespread cultural abandonment of belief in “natural law.”

In the classroom, through media, in our entertainment and via rigidly enforced corporate policies, accommodation of clear moral truth is being squelched with each day with unrelenting pressure. America’s founders (and thought leaders throughout history) often referred to our knowledge of right and wrong as “natural law.” Phrases like “self-evident truth, higher law” or “the laws of nature and nature’s God”—were used to describe the awareness of right & wrong known to all people.

The Ubiquity & Source Of Moral Knowledge

Knowledge of Natural law doesn’t mean people will always do whatever is right. However, deep down within our conscience, everyone does really know the difference between right & wrong. This knowledge has been amply documented throughout History by many scholars who persuasively argue humans are a species uniquely hard wired with the ability to distinguish right from wrong. In his 1943 classic “The Abolition of Man,” C.S. Lewis documents precepts of the moral codes held by major cultures throughout history, all of which strongly echo & mirror the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20.

We can’t help but admit to ourselves we are moral creatures. And no scientific theory can account for the reasons why human beings are born inherently knowing right from wrong. However, the Bible points out the moral awareness universally embedded within us. Romans 2:14-15:

“When Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts.”

Romans 3 and 1 Peter 4 speak of the “oracles of God,” which were entrusted to the Jewish people. However, because knowledge of right and wrong is known to all people, we are held accountable to our Creator. We should endeavor to always do right because in our heart of hearts, we actually know what is right and what is not.

Secular activists who advocate for abortion, promote homosexuality and transgenderism fight against the social recognition and acknowledgement of objective morality. All of these groups pressure professional societies, academics and legal professionals to side with them in their opposition against Natural Law. LGBTQ activists interpret any disagreement with their agenda or message as an act of violence on par with physical assault. Their lobbying efforts of major corporations to make their policies more accepting with LGBTQ demands have been very successful.

The Torture Of Gender Confusion

This widespread abandonment of morality not only gravely undermines our (currently) protected rights regarding freedom of religious expression and the freedom to share the Gospel, it also endangers people’s general well-being and damages their eternal souls. The cultural call to open sexual license and gender fluidity is not an innocuous path to personal freedom as our society is currently being led to believe. Instead, the abandonment of known truth comes with a painfully high cost.

While I was attending graduate school in the early 1990s, one of my jobs was an assistant manager of a Christian bookstore. Ministry opportunities seemed to walk through the door daily; and one unforgettable person we met was Russ. He would come to the bookstore many times each week while personally struggling with many issues. Physical abuse stretching back into his childhood had taken a severe toll on this young man.

For Russ, the peace of Christ and a stable spiritual walk seemed elusive. One day, he suddenly informed us that from that moment forward, he was to be addressed as “Courtney.” He has somehow become convinced the real answer to all of his problems was to become a woman. Shortly after, Russ told us that he was now finally living with people who truly loved him—but only as “Courtney.” He also let us know his new community had a different understanding of Scripture than we had been sharing. His visits to our store gradually became less frequent.

In every heart there is a desire for love and acceptance only Christ can fill. It was clear this young man was seeking fulfillment in some very unhealthy places. At one point, “Courtney” expressed desire to permanently return to being Russ, but the pressure to conform to the standards of the alternative community was too great. The last time we ever saw Russ, my wife and I begged him to seek counseling.

The newspaper headline would later report Russ’s death was an unsolved case. Whether or not he was murdered, committed suicide, or died accidentally was never known.

However, in the gender-fluid climate of the 21st Century, one thing is certain: any Christians who tried to help Russ would today be accused of hate crimes for refusing to encourage the dark, destructive identity of “Courtney.” For trying to help this young man trust God’s design for his life, we would be guilty of “misgendering.” We had taken Russ into our homes, our lives and our hearts. But progressives today would claim the Christian truth we offered to Russ amounted only to acts of violence against him.

Morality Unobscured By Cultural Spin

Because there is a universal witness of God written on every heart, Romans 1:20 contains some very sobering words: “They are without excuse.” Before the Almighty, we are always held accountable. Perhaps this accountability to God—and not just to ourselves—is why many in our culture wish there was no such thing as natural moral law. This is exactly what John 3:19 refers to: “Men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”

We have all done many things we know are wrong. That’s called sinning. By breaking the code of known moral law, we become guilty before the Lawgiver. How very sad it would be if the story ended there.

Thankfully, though John’s Gospel contains the indictment of man’s love for sin, in this same chapter, Verse 16 records God’s intervention to save us from our guilt: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” The most morally correct and wise thing anyone can ever do is to respond to the challenges and temptations of life with faith and obedience.✪

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