So forgiveness pre-requires understanding the mistakes of the past? here hear re this opposing this me-first, America-first, white-first, male-first approach>…
Weekly lessons in theology and public life • Since 2011
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Lesson 1: Trust
Read MORE: Lesson 1: TrustThe present concern with fake news and a post-truth culture goes deeper than we usually acknowledge. I pulled out some quotes from Sissela Bok’s 1978 book, Lying, that I used when writing about trust decades ago. She wrote that “trust…
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Lesson 2: Truth and Facts
Read MORE: Lesson 2: Truth and FactsAt first, I was taken aback when people read last week’s lesson as a political statement. My intention was simply to point out that a healthy society depends on being able to trust that people are telling the truth. The…
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Lesson 3: Truth and Political Correctness
Read MORE: Lesson 3: Truth and Political CorrectnessA few weeks ago, Father Jude reminded us that the given in a democracy is a reasonable, educated audience. “Absent that as the valid context, free speech in a democracy is just so much noise, at best, and, at worst,…
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Lesson 4: Truth in the Gospel according to St. John
Read MORE: Lesson 4: Truth in the Gospel according to St. JohnIt does not take long to see that John’s Gospel speaks directly to our situation. In one of its critical scenes (John 18), Jesus and Pontius Pilate face off over the definition of truth. The confrontation could have taken place…
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Lesson 5: Truth and Digital Humanity
Read MORE: Lesson 5: Truth and Digital HumanityWe are just beginning to appreciate how much the huge databases modern technology makes available are affecting our thoughts about truth. Most of us are aware that merchants use them to sell their products. If we look for a pair…
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Lesson 6: Truth and Righteousness
Read MORE: Lesson 6: Truth and RighteousnessAny lengthy discussion of truth probably contains a reference to Diogenes walking around Athens with a lamp to search for one honest man. Chances are that is about as far as it goes. Few realize the Greek thinker was a…
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Lesson 7: Truth and the Crisis in Language (Part 1)
Read MORE: Lesson 7: Truth and the Crisis in Language (Part 1)Because we are confronted every blasted day with a new manipulation of truth, it might help to trace the development that has led to this perilous situation. Many believe it was first brought to our attention by George Orwell who…
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Lesson 8: Truth and the Crisis in Language (Part 2)
Read MORE: Lesson 8: Truth and the Crisis in Language (Part 2)In the last lesson, I suggested the crisis in language that has led to our present inability to separate what is true and false in public conversation might have first been observed in Orwell’s political newspeak and Ellul’s technological commonplaces.…
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Lesson 9: Truth and Christian Half Truths
Read MORE: Lesson 9: Truth and Christian Half TruthsMy initial plan was to offer a brief response to what modern election campaigns have done to our understandings of truth and falsehood. That all went up in smoke when fake news and alternative facts became tactics for governing. Just…
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Lesson 10: Truth and Love (Part 1)
Read MORE: Lesson 10: Truth and Love (Part 1)More than ever I hear from friends in academia, business, and government that they are accused of not knowing how the world operates whenever they advocate for options including sharing and caring. The accusation always implies that a loving action…
Recent Comments
An extremely timely topic. Thanks, Fritz!
yes we need to forgive our leaders yet make sure they do the right thing – which they aren’t.