This article originally appeared at Baptist News Global on September 18, 2024.
Conservative evangelicals claim to be the arbiters of truth in a post-truth world. But if we take a moment to consider how the last few months have gone, we’ll notice a pattern emerge. Story after story, conservatives are the ones who seem to be living in a post-truth world caused by the arrogant nature of their worldview.
“There is no way, according to the Christian worldview, for truth to exist independent of the one who is indeed the source of all truth,” argues Al Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. “This is one of [the] most basic arguments for the existence of God, a very persuasive argument taken on its own, and it is also read backward in terms of the Christian worldview, why we understand that if we are entering a new secular age, it is going to be virtually by definition a post-truth age.”
Mohler — who is championing Donald Trump in the presidential election — says the crisis of truth in the White House “was preceded by a crisis of truth in the academy and furthermore, by a crisis of truth that was driven by and celebrated by those in the cultural and intellectual elites, including those who were very popular and influential in entertainment, as well as other dimensions of mass culture.”
In these words, Mohler pretends to be making an intellectual case for basic, objective universal truth while appealing to the conservative evangelical persecution complex that fears being dismissed or mocked by elites and celebrities. But what he’s objectively saying is that truth is determined by his worldview, and therefore any alternative perspective is untrue.
So a claim is true simply because it’s Mohler’s perspective, whether data affirms his claim or not. And he is not alone in this view; it is the dominant view of other evangelical leaders.
One of the writers countering this narrative in recent years is BNG Executive Director Mark Wingfield, who has written two books and multiple articles about the meaning of biblical truth.
In his book Honestly: Telling the Truth About the Bible and Ourselves, he writes: “Most of us are not lacking in access to information. What we lack is a willingness to consider all the available information and think critically about it.” Then he suggests, “Critical thinking requires humility — something in even shorter supply than truth these days.”
“There is no humility in Mohler’s truth hierarchy.”
Wingfield’s pairing of truth and humility is a stark contrast to Mohler’s claim that his worldview alone is the objective, universal standard-bearer for all truth. There is no humility in Mohler’s truth hierarchy, no reason to listen to those who might have additional data or input. There is simply the demand that everyone else submit to Mohler or be feared as a threat to truth. Talk about being a cultural and intellectual elite.
Here are 10 examples of conservative evangelicals being “post-truth” over the past few months, explanations on why they’re wrong, and examinations of the harm their denial of truth is causing.
The saddest thing is that for most Americans, evangelical = liar. We are headed for a post-Christian America. Al and his pals will only have themselves to blame. With any luck, they will not get the power that they lust for. I do trust that God will preserve the church, but it won’t look like anything we’re used to seeing.