Speaking the Truth in Love

“Speaking truth to power” is a worn-out catchword phrase. It has outlived its usefulness. We should bury it in an unmarked grave and forget where we put it.

Freedom and Truth

Freedom, it has been said, is the ability to declare that two plus two equals four. There is no liberty in claiming two plus two equals five. It is a lie, unreal, and impossible. Truth does indeed bring freedom. Truth ignores our desires for comfort and our wishful thinking. We are only as free as we acknowledge the truth.

The Illegitimate Power

This is bad news for those in authority. Power is only legitimate when it recognizes, truth and liberty. When it refuses to recognize either one, then the powers that be respond with either force or indifference. Would we think math teachers were competent if students got away with claiming the sum of two plus two was anything other than four? Of course not. Yet, we are more than willing to ignore the actions of those in power who are either indifferent to suffering or deny their part in causing it. Such power is illegitimate and need not be validated. We do not change power by speaking truth to it.

Truth and True Power

The letter to the Ephesians gives the reader some insight here. “We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.” (Ephesians 4:14-15). We do not know what the winds of doctrine described here were. Whatever they were they involved trickery and deceitful scheming. If we are serious about growing in Christ and working properly to build the body in love, then we separate from and oppose the powers that induce us to follow lies and those who tell them.

True power then comes from speaking what is true in love to whomever will listen. I believe this is what Jesus means about not throwing our pearls before swine (Matthew 7:6b). Attempting to speak truth to illegitimate power is merely an exercise in frustration. Speaking it in love to those who appreciate it is more productive and give peace of mind.

The What About

What about demonstrating, petitioning, and acting? The problem with systemic evil is that systems adapt and absorb minor disruptions. It may be good trouble, but the systems must only deal with major disruptions. Those times are when the lies are exposed. The last pandemic exposed many problems with our supply and demand economy the powers that be were frightened and began a campaign of more lies. We learned those whose wishful thinking made them duplicitous. The only way to overcome the problem, we learned, was one of truth, respect, and love. Isolation and resentment caused greater problems and solved none. As Leo Tolstoy said, “People wish to change the world without changing themselves.” If we desire to change the powers, let us also change with them to becoming better, more loving, and truthful.