Everyone's talking about fake news as if it's a bad thing. Hillary feels it was partly to blame for her losing the election. Trump thinks it's an attack on his legitimacy as our next president. The mainstream media is taking a big hit for it. But I LOVE it!
Now, to be honest, I don't love everything about it. I don't love falling for it and then making a fool out of myself by getting all worked up, telling my husband all about it, and--of course--posting something bold and dogmatic on Facebook for all the world to see. Anyone else delete at least 50% of your statuses?
But I do love that people from all walks are calling it out as fake. Because...if it's possible for news to be fake, that automatically means it's possible for news to be true! And while that might seem like a no-brainer to you, in our increasingly relativistic culture, absolute truth claims are hard to come by. What I mean is, nowadays people are very, very hesitant to say that something is absolutely true. It might be offensive, after all.
But no one seems to have a problem declaring absolute fakeness. And I'm excited about it!
I delight in thinking that fake news might just be the start of our return trip to reality. Maybe we we'll see the return of absolute truth in our lifetime. Maybe we'll quit fooling ourselves into believing that "What's true for you is true for you, and what's true for me is true for me." Maybe fake news will save us from all this silliness--from acting like a bunch of preschoolers playing make-believe. Wouldn't it be lovely?
I definitely want to give subjective relativity the benefit of the doubt though. I'm sure it has the best intentions...simply a desire to include everyone...to open the doors wide to all. But what this subjectivity has actually ushered in is utter confusion. Subjective relativity has removed our security and replaced it with a structure built upon feelings rather than thinking. It's built around us a house of cards...no real foundation to stand on. Nothing to hold sacred.
Including (for an increasing number) the Bible. In a culture where everything is open for personal interpretation, it only makes sense that the Bible should be fair game. If something I read is offensive or unclear, I should be able to adapt the meaning to fit my worldview. Just a little nip and tuck...a few changes here and there. Why shouldn't I be allowed to do that if there's no such thing as absolute truth?
But in the real world--the one we can experience with our five senses--absolute truth does exist. There really is an up and a down. There really is a correct answer. We can all believe whatever we want. No problem. But there are only two possible conclusions to all that mess: 1. One (and only one) set of beliefs will line up with reality, or 2. We're all wrong. We can't all be right. Especially when our beliefs are contradictory.
According to the law of non-contradiction, the Bible either is or is not the authoritative, revealed Word of God who either does or does not exist. He can't exist and not exist at the same time. Jesus either is or is not the only way to the Father. If He is, all the other roads that claim to lead to heaven are fake. If He's not, then let's look for the road that is true. Because no matter how cute the "Coexist" bumper stickers look, they're selling us beach front property in the heart of Ohio. Every single one of those belief systems represented by the cute little symbols contradict one another. They can't all be true.
I realize that some people won't agree with me, and some will insist on saying that we can all have our own truth. But here's the deal...if everything can be true, then everything can be fake. And if that were the case, we're all living in the Twilight Zone.
I don't know about you, but I really like knowing that everything I'm looking at right now isn't a figment of my imagination.