The following student report was submitted by Ambassador League Agent Richard P. during the 2009-2010 League.
Mission: Research on Truth
While contemplating the subject of truth, I also was reading an "Invitation to Sociology: A Humanistic Perspective," a rather interesting book by Peter L. Berger. I enjoyed how the author explored the "humanistic" approach to life. As the topic was relatively new to me, I found myself in a whirlwind with two troubling thoughts.
Although neither idea was absolutely new, I never fully realized the scope of each concept. These are the ideas: 1) that individuals change their interpretation of the past to "fit in" with their crowd of friends and associates and 2) that life is almost entirely "scripted." The latter concept means that most people prescribe to a standard set of behaviors, actions, and achievements. As the book Do Hard Things mentions many times, people fulfill a set of expectations.
The first idea — that of individual historical reinterpretation — floored me. Though we hear of communist countries doing it for entire nations, I hadn't thought of applying the same approach to the individual. I understood the reason behind doing it, I just didn't understand how I could correlate that with truth as described in Scripture. We know the past doesn't change; but here we are almost changing the past. As Isaiah said, "Truth is nowhere to be found." (Isaiah 59:15)
Without the past, we have nothing. Without the past, we don't know what we are: we're reduced to the "thinking thing" described by Descartes. How then can a person see the past with clarity? How can we know what the truth is?
As humans we are imperfect, but God calls us to perfection. The only way to let go of reinterpreting the past is to reach forward for Christ. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." (John 14:6) With Christ there is no need for historical revisionism. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:17) We are entirely new creations! Romans 6 talks about being alive in Christ, but dead in sin.
Dead in sin? Paul goes in Romans 6:14 and says, "For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace."
My sociology book had the next rude awakening. It shared the idea that life is like a drama. Each person has a role, lines to say, and actions to perform. The stage is life. Each scene is carefully scripted, not by any one individual, but by society in general. Indeed, the individual doesn't even know that they are in a drama! They are functioning as society wants them to and they like it. They want their part to fit in with whatever everyone else is doing. The author describes this as a puppet drama — expectations are like strings that guide our actions. Like the authors of Do Hard Things suggest, strings are easy to break; but hard to see.
I had never understood that society was that powerful. It has a full script for each and every person's life; every moment choreographed, every song scored, every line written. Regrettably, we know how this ends. "For all have fallen short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23)." It's not a pretty sight; any history book can show you that. We need freedom and truth.
Where can you find freedom, hope, and truth? All can be found in Christ, He is the "way, truth, and life." With Christ you find freedom from sin and therefore society. With Christ you find hope that life is not in vain. With and only with Christ can you find meaning and true substance. Unchanging truth, "absolute truth" is found in a God "that does not change like shifting shadows." (James 1:17)
