As you know, I love words that bring clarity to life. Perspective is one of those words. Perspective is showing the right relationship between two points of view. Scripture tells us this when a story is told and thought to be true … until there is a cross-examination:
Proverbs 18:17 The first to speak in court sounds right, until the cross-examination begins.
In the last two years or so, we have seen some fairly bizarre events take place that seemed to come out of nowhere. I think the reaction to George Floyd's death was tragic, but only one side of that story was told. The pressure on conviction was inevitable, and the narrative of murder was established. This tone has never been lost.
Conservative commentator and author, Candace Owens, has a new film coming out that tells a different story about George Floyd. Some would say she is just capitalizing on a tragedy, but perhaps it's the cross-examination that was never done and shared with the public before.
COVID-19 was another one of these events that captured the world and held it hostage for more than two years. It is still a major concern in some areas of the country and the world. Daily, we were told how this pandemic was to be avoided and everyone’s cooperation was needed. To muddy the waters on COVID-19, the big box stores were allowed to remain open, while other retailers and family businesses had to close. There was so much hypocrisy during this pandemic that we are now only beginning to clear our heads and do some cross-examination. Did the government panic and create an overreach to the likes we haven’t seen since World War II? That, of course, is the question. The one thing I did learn that is quite irrefutable is how fear gripped the hearts of people. I still see young people still wearing masks outside and even in their own cars. The least vulnerable group of people seemed to become the most fearful of all. The cross-examination will take more time to be completed on COVID-19 but it will come, giving us perspective on what really happened.
I use George Floyd and COVID-19 as examples of one-sided narratives that continue to be promoted through social media and the news media in general. Few people seem to step out from the crowd to cross-examine the evidence on issues we face today and bring a different narrative to light. These are the ones that the cancel culture wants to silence, which, by the way, is a tactic that has been used in communist countries for decades. Silence those who dare to think differently, and we will suppress the truth.
Doesn’t it seem funny to you that so many Americans have drunk the cultural Kool-Aid of the one-sided narratives and bully tactics of politics? I find myself stunned by such gullible people, trained by their social media devices, to believe lies and untruths. A recent survey showed people were more interested in the Johnny Depp trial than they were in what is happening in the world, such as the war in Ukraine and the potential worldwide food shortages that may result. Recently, people have been publishing articles on how social media has been dumbing us down and programming us to accept ideas that were foreign to our vocabulary just a few short years ago.
The non-binary crowd has gotten into corporate America through Disney, Target, and Starbucks whose corporate agenda seems to be more about promoting a transgender agenda equal to their skill in marketing their products. This is the trifecta of the unusual events of the past two years. Corporations are now becoming more concerned about social issues than ever before, simply because it brings them publicity. In the past, corporate boards were about the product or service they provided, and of course, the profit that is made from it. Now, it's about endorsement and furthering causes that would have hurt their bottom line years ago.
I have built my case today on the obvious changes that have come into our lives in just the past several years. Race, disease, and propaganda all have been taking their toll on the American mind and spirit. Let me suggest in my conclusion, a perspective not shared by most.
In a recent discussion with a study group, our conversation was about demons and their role on earth. Now, most Christians do not like to talk about demons because we are not familiar with the theology of them, so our leaders avoid the theme. Yet, it seemed Jesus was so familiar with them that 25% of his ministry was somehow dealing with them. His instructions to His disciples as they were going out to minister was, “cast out demons.” Unfortunately, the demonic has been relegated to the movies, but their presence has not left the reality of every day. We have not been taught to determine evil, let alone resist it. Social media has become a way to persuade an audience, and most people have no discernment of how evil can persuade us with a lie to gain our attention.
Everything must have a cross-examination today. We test the spirits to see if they are of God and if there is any hint of evil trying to persuade our thinking or actions.
The cross-examination begins by filtering everything through His Word to see what is real and what is not. Churches must teach God’s Word more than ever before because the influences today that defy God are ramping up their game.
Challenging the Culture with Truth … Larry Kutzler