TRUTH
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The disgraced 7-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong tells the interviewer in the 30 for 30 Film “Lance” that he is going to “tell you my truth.” Armstrong’s penchant for lying about his doping in the past removes any surprise that his “truth” diverges from that of other people filmed for the documentary. However, his choice of referring to his recounting of the past as “truth” rather than “testimony” is a notable example of a popular expansion of the understanding of the nature of truth. More specifically, it relativizes the truth, a concept that heretofore has historically held a more objective status
Understanding the nature of truth is essential for navigating one’s way in the world. Sharing a mutual understanding of the truth makes it possible to manage differences and come to agreement with those who have different opinions and beliefs. It is crucial that we recover a classical understanding of truth rather than allow it to be used synonymously with subjective expression. The best way to appreciate the value of having a firm, objective understanding of truth is to revisit time-honored understandings of it with examples that violate them, illustrating what is at stake
The correspondence theory of truth asserts that the truth matches reality. It is like a puzzle piece that fits with what is real. The claim “church attendance is 47 today” is true if there are in fact 47 people present at church today. Donald Trump has claimed on seven occasions dating back to 2016 that he has won Michigan’s “man of the year” award. This claim would be true if in fact he had been awarded this honor. However, there is no evidence that he won this award or that there is such an award that exists. Recovering the correspondence theory of truth helps debunk false claims including the Trump “man of the year” example because it allows us to establish whether or not something took place. This theory is an arbiter of what is real and what is false.
The coherence theory of truth asserts that the truth fits with other things we know to be true. This understanding of truth can be compared to a puzzle piece that fits in its proper place in relation to the other pieces in the puzzle. An example of the coherence theory of truth is the statement "The henhouse is secure." This claim would be true if it fits with our understanding of secureness. We would expect the hens to be locked inside the henhouse as well as predators like foxes being unable to get inside. A political example is Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas of the Biden Administration stating multiple times in 2021 that "The border is closed; the border is secure" in spite of the fact that thousands of people were crossing the southern border illegally each month. The statement does not fit with the restrictive nature of borders and is therefore an untrue claim. Sadly, there is no shortage of people attempting to deceive us by distorting the truth. We must have a firm grasp of the nature of truth if we are to avoid being misled and to be able to hold our leaders accountable. Being a person of truth honors the LORD who is a God who forbids lying and whose son Jesus says in John 14:6 that He is "the way, the truth, and the life." This usage of the truth in John indicates that Jesus is reliable and can be trusted. May we reflect the truth-telling nature of our God by having our statements fit reality and other things that are actually true.