Sermon - 10-31-21

<p>It often seems as though we are presently living in a post-truth culture.  Michiko Kakutani is a writer and former chief book critic for The New York Times.  In 2018, she wrote an excellent article titled <em>“The death of truth: how we gave up on facts.” </em> In that article, Kakutani eloquently describes the disease of “truth decay” and the way it is permeating and dismantling our culture and our society.  Commenting on our present perilous relationship to truth and facts, she writes:</p> <p>The term “truth decay” has joined the post-truth lexicon that includes such now familiar phrases as “fake news” and “alternative facts”. And it’s not just fake news either: it’s also fake science (manufactured by climate change deniers and anti-vaxxers, who oppose vaccination), fake history (promoted by Holocaust revisionists and white supremacists), fake Americans on Facebook (created by Russian trolls), and fake followers and “likes” on social media (generated by bots).</p> <p> </p> <p>Her article is quite helpful as she articulates the way “truth decay” is infecting our perception of truth, our understanding of freedom, and the way this disease characterizes the deep brokenness in our culture.  And, while Kakutani wrote this article in 2018, her words are even more poignant today as we think about what has happened over the past three years. Truth decay just continues to grow wider and deeper.  Quite honestly, we may even ask the question, “What is truth, what is really true?”  So, it is fitting that today, we are reminded of <strong>Jesus’</strong> perspective on the meaning of <strong>truth</strong>. <strong>Jesus</strong> is speaking to <strong>us</strong> about <strong>truth</strong> and <strong>freedom,</strong> and Jesus’ words could <strong>not</strong> be more <strong>different</strong> from the way these concepts are discussed in the news and in present culture.</p> <p>Today’s passage from John takes place within the context of a dialogue between Jesus and his opponents.  Jesus’ opponents are trapped in thei