The Cost of Truth Telling

Many will know of a book written by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a theologian during the Second World War in Germany, entitled The Cost of Discipleship. In it, Bonhoeffer argues that being a true disciple of Christ costs something. Claiming the name Christian without allowing the teachings of scripture to change us or make us uncomfortable is something Bonhoeffer refers to as "Cheap Grace."

There is a cost to truth-telling, too. I am sorry to say that sometimes when you speak up for truth, others will be threatened. Sometimes they will react crudely, unkindly, or even violently, and it may be impossible to actually get to the source of their anger. I imagine sometimes people who have these feelings do not know the source of their own anger. But whatever you have said has challenged their world-view in ways that make them so uncomfortable, they must blame you. I have recently experienced this to and past the point of bullying.

Don't let these violent voices silence you. Continue to learn, continue to have your eyes and ears open to new truths, truths that others can offer to you from their own experience, but when you speak truth that makes others uncomfortable, don't let the dismissive reactions of others cause you to be quiet. The status quo is strong, because disrupting it makes so many people so afraid of change and of loss that they will do all they can to silence, to correct, to shout down, to shame, to hurt you.

I have noticed that there seems to be a lack of trust in experts on any subject. The way our nation has reacted to the Coronavirus is one example. If an "expert" is saying something we don't want to hear, we are likely to find another person, expert or not, who is saying what we like better, and then we trust them.

This happens in all professions. I can speak from experience about how it happens in Theology. I hold a master's degree from a prestigious institution in Divinity. But if I say something from my understanding of scripture that makes someone else uncomfortable, some will find a way to dismiss it. There are several code phrases for this. One is "don't be so political." All human interactions are political. It's only too political when the politics are different from someone else's.

Another code phrase is "just preach what's in the Bible." I have dedicated my life and invested lots of my own money into studying the Bible, trying to understand the culture from which it sprang, and then hoping to help others understand what it meant to its first hearers and what it means to us today. And I assure you, when I preach, I am offering the message given to me to the best of my ability to discern from the Spirit for the people of this world.

Change does not come about without discomfort. We all need to hear the words of scripture anew given the world we live in--one that is different from ever before and one that is extremely different from the worldview of the crafters (and editors) of scripture.

When our words make others uncomfortable and cause them to lash out, it may be more about what they fear than what we said.

At least, that's the view today...