Truth Decay

It has been said that "There is a worm in everything." Paul put it this way. "The creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God" (Rom 8:20-21). Everything decays. Everything is corrupted. It's the nature of ... nature.

I remember a time when the news media was our friend. Even before my memory, we considered "the freedom of the press" something worth guaranteeing rather than merely applauding. "People," they would tell us, "have the right to know." So the Walter Cronkites of my youth would tell us "That's the way it is" without bias or subtext. We never knew if he was liberal or conservative, Democrat or Republican, atheist or theist. He just told us what was going on. At some point, however, that all changed. Now we read stories about how the news media might be "the greatest enemy facing the American public today." And even if it isn't, they've certainly lost our trust. Hitler used it to gain power and control in Germany in the 1930s. Stalin used it to control minds in subsequent years. In our day, there are substantial allegations that the news media colluded to control the information to the public in order to affect the 2016 and 2020 elections (just as examples). At best, it's nearly impossible anymore to tell if the media (either side) is giving us the truth anymore. For instance, they literally ridiculed those who claimed that the COVID mortality rate would be less than 1% and we come to find out that it was ... less than 1%. They laughed at (and covered up) the Hunter Biden story before the election and we eventually discovered that it was real. Two "front page" examples.

This isn't about the news media. This is about what Scripture calls "corruption" or "futility" -- the decay of everything. We place our trust in our world as if it is trustworthy, and it's not. We place our trust in our favorite media source as if it is reliable and it's not. We have our human resources -- political parties, economic systems, governments, nations, etc. -- and we think we're standing on solid ground. We're not if we're standing on the world's resources because the creation was subjected to futility and the human heart is deceitful (Jer 17:9). David wrote, "I hate those who regard vain idols, but I trust in the LORD" (Psa 31:6). Any substitute for God is an idol. Instead, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding" (Prov 3:5). He is a safer place to stand.