What happens to society when an entire culture gives in to distortion? How does this impact a generation and what long term damage is done?
This is part one of a 3-part series:
3 Ways the Church Protects Marriage
1 Thing That Will Destroy This Generation
What Happens When a Culture Gives In to Distortion
Accurate reporting and a free press are critical to the well being and the sustaining of liberty. There is no greater bondage than a people living in deception; thinking themselves to be free, when they are in fact slaves.
Darkness has become their light.
What they believe to be true is,in reality, misinformation or disinformation. What they assume to be accurate is distortion.
Distortion is changing the shape, the characteristic or the design of an object or a fact.
Misinformation is the unintentional reporting of inaccurate facts.
Disinformation is the purposeful dissemination of inaccurate information with the intent to distort the truth.
The consistent reporting, teaching and publishing of a lie will ensure it becoming the new “truth” or disinformation.
Jesus encouraged His disciples, “If you abide in my words, then you are my disciples, in deed. And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” True disciples of Jesus Christ love truth and passionately seek to live in an ever-increasing knowledge and understanding of truth.
The Psalmist said truth is light. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Why would someone reject truth and believe a lie?
The Apostle Paul answered that question. “…but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables” (2 Timothy 4:1-4 NKJV).
A person’s morality will always determine their theology and what they choose to accept as truth. When an individual or a society chooses to live by their own moral standards they must adjust their theology and their standard of truth accordingly.
They actually may begin accepting disinformation and distortion so they can continue enjoying their pleasures and lifestyle.
When a culture has given themselves over to such distortion, the professors, pastors, and leaders, also living by their own passions and pleasures, will begin teaching and publishing disinformation and distortion, thus leading a generation to believe a lie.
The continual publishing of disinformation will give rise to a new generation of professors, pastors and leaders who teach and preach misinformation, because they have never learned the truth.
It is the grave responsibility of the Church to be the ever vigilant guardian of truth for each generation.
Jude, the brother of our Lord Jesus Christ reminded the Church of this great duty. “Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ” (Jude 3-4 NKJV).
