We live in a world where the concept of truth is very elusive.  It has become common among the conservative commentariat to talk about being “gaslighted.”

Gaslighting is a colloquialism, loosely defined as making someone question their own reality.  The expression, which derives from the title of the 1944 film Gaslight, became popular in the mid-2010s.

The term may also be used to describe a person (a “gaslighter”) who presents a false narrative to another group or person, thereby leading them to doubt their perceptions and become misled, disoriented or distressed. Oftentimes this is for the gaslighter’s own benefit. Normally, this dynamic is possible only when the audience is vulnerable, such as in unequal power relationships, or fearful of the losses associated with challenging the false narrative. Gaslighting is not necessarily malicious or intentional, although in some cases it is.

Note that this is not necessarily intentional.  We’ll come back to that in a minute

The president at a campaign rally this week:

President Biden called on Democrats Thursday “to vote to literally save democracy once again” – and compared Republican ideology to “semi-fascism” – as he led a kickoff rally and a fundraiser in Maryland 75 days out from the midterm elections.

I don’t think the president really thinks that, presuming he thinks generally, but this is an attempt to establish a narrative.

Do you see how truth has become a bit spongey?  It is more important to establish a narrative than to search for truth.  That’s where unintentional gaslighting comes from – they are not setting out to make people question their sanity, they are setting out to establish a narrative they find favorable, it just happens to be so counter to your view that you feel like you are being gaslighted.

This arises because we have come to view the personal as preeminent.  How often in school have you been asked, “What does that mean to you?”  Not, “What does that mean?”  Not even “What does the author mean?”  No, “What does that mean to you?”  I would be willing to bet it has been many, many time.  That implies that the message in any writing is not what the author is intending to say, which by the way presumes the author is on a search for truth, but rather that what matters most is what the reader brings to the writing.  Once that takes hold the author quits writing to find and establish truth, and instead to express him or herself and to connect with the reader.  When such is the case, truth becomes fungible.  Welcome to why we increasingly feel like we are being gaslighted.  Welcome to Orwell’s vision.

The church stands in the middle of this unfathomable mess intended to be a repository of truth – the place where genuine, unchangeable truth is preserved and proclaimed.  But there is a problem; as everyone spins off into their personal world, they stop supporting they church because exposure to truth threatens their bubble, and it hurts.  And so the church has a difficult time surviving without that support.  So, the church changes.  Rather than discuss the eternal truth that Christ came to save us from our sin, which simply means our separation from God, it talks about how God removes our shame and makes us feel good about ourselves.  The byproduct becomes the product, and the truth is hidden if not lost.

I used political examples of losing the truth above because that is what the audience here shares in common.  But there are so many personal ones as well – that alcoholic that says they are just having one drink – the person that accuses you of being wicked when you did nothing really – we could go on for a while.

The church cannot rediscover its mission as a truth holder until those of us in it are willing to reclaim the truth in our own lives.  That’s a tall order as it demands that we stand apart.  In the original languages of the Bible, the term “holy” does not mean “religious,” rather it means “set apart.”  Thus, to hold truth when the world around is running from it is to be holy.  We need to be holy so that the church can be holy.

This Sunday morning, I go to church seeking holiness.