by Allan R. Bevere, Gene L. Green
Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6).
“…the church must never cease from being a community of peace and truth in a world of mendacity and fear” (Stanley Hauerwas, Plough March 13, 2025).
In John 14:6, Jesus’ declaration about himself does not identify him as a guide to truth, nor as one voice among many. It is a claim about the very nature of reality and the character of God. Christ is truth personified and it shapes human life when it is rightly ordered. That reality, character, and shape are formed in the image of Jesus—his life, teaching, death, and resurrection. Truth is not a collection of propositions to be mastered or deployed. Truth is embodied and relational. To know the truth is to know Christ, and to follow Christ is to be drawn into a life that reflects the character of the One who is himself truth.
The question posed to every Christian community is how to know the truth embodied in Jesus Christ. The author of Hebrews confessed that “Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son” (Hebs. 1:1-2). Second Peter similarly affirms that the prophets “spoke from God” but adds that Peter and the other apostles were “eyewitness” of Jesus Christ’s life (2 Pet. 1:16-21). They testified to what they saw and heard from Christ (1 John 1:1-3). Our understanding of the truth of Jesus Christ has been handed down to us through the prophets and Christ’s apostles and so we honor Christ through faithfully listening and interpreting their witness. New Testament scholar, Oscar Cullman wrote, “The books which were to form the future canon forced themselves on the Church by their intrinsic apostolic authority, as they do still, because the Kyrios Christ speaks in them” (The Early Church). For this reason, we confess that “all truth claims must be tested against the Scriptures.”
Because of this, the church’s calling cannot be separated from an unwavering commitment to truth. If Christ is the truth, then the community that bears his name must be a truthful people. This is not optional. It is constitutive of the church’s identity. The church does not merely teach truth. It is meant to be a living witness to it. Its speech, practices, relationships, and public presence are all meant to testify to the reality of God as revealed in Jesus.
The statement above by theologian Stanley Hauerwas presents, in brief, the church’s mission—its job description. “The church must never cease from being a community of peace and truth in a world of mendacity and fear.” The world into which the church is sent is often shaped by distortion, manipulation, and by narratives designed to control rather than to liberate. In such a world, the church’s fidelity to truth becomes not only a matter of doctrine but of witness.
Propaganda represents one of the most powerful distortions of truth in any age. It operates not by seeking understanding but by shaping perception. It simplifies complex realities into emotionally charged narratives. It trades nuance for certainty and replaces careful discernment with reaction. Propaganda does not aim to form people in truth but to mobilize them toward a desired end, often by appealing to fear, resentment, or pride. In doing so, it reshapes not only what people believe but how they come to believe at all. It trains individuals and communities to respond instinctively rather than thoughtful. Slogans are substituted for substance. The goal of propaganda is not correction of wrongs, but affirmation of what is already believed.
When Christians are formed by propaganda, the consequences for the church’s witness are devastating. A people who confess Christ as the truth cannot at the same time be shaped by falsehood without deep contradiction. The credibility of the church depends not only on what it says about Jesus but on how it lives in relation to truth as embodied in Jesus. When Christians repeat unverified claims, share misleading information, or participate in narratives that distort reality, they undermine their own proclamation. The message of Christ becomes entangled with the mechanisms of manipulation, and the distinction between the gospel and the surrounding culture begins to blur.
This is especially dangerous because propaganda often cloaks itself in moral language. It presents itself as a defense of what is good, right, or necessary. One wonders if Isaiah had the propagandists of his day in mind when he wrote,
Woe to those who call evil good
and good evil,
who put darkness for light
and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet
and sweet for bitter (Isaiah 5:20).
Propaganda frames its claims in ways that resonate with deeply held convictions. For Christians, this can create the illusion that participation in such narratives is an act of faithfulness. Yet the means by which propaganda operates are fundamentally at odds with the character of Christ. Jesus does not coerce. He does not manipulate. He does not rely on distortion to accomplish his purposes. His truth is revealed through self-giving love, transparency, and a willingness to bear witness even when it leads to suffering.
The church, therefore, must cultivate practices that resist the formation of propaganda and instead nurture a deep commitment to truth. This begins with humility. To be committed to truth is to recognize that one does not possess it in a way that allows for control or domination. Truth is received as a gift, and it continually calls the believer into deeper alignment with Christ. This means being willing to question one’s assumptions, to listen to others, and to be corrected when necessary. A truthful community is not one that claims infallibility but one that is committed to honesty in its pursuit of understanding.
Cultivating the practice of understanding also involves hard work. Thus, a truthful community also values patience. Propaganda thrives on urgency. It demands immediate response and discourages careful reflection. The church, by contrast, is called to discernment. It takes time to seek clarity, to weigh evidence, and to consider the implications of what is being said. This patience is not passivity. It is a form of faithfulness. It reflects a trust that truth does not need to be rushed or forced but can withstand examination and scrutiny.
Another essential practice is accountability. In a community committed to truth, speech is not isolated from responsibility. Words matter, and they are subject to evaluation. Members of the community hold one another accountable, not in a spirit of judgment but in a shared commitment to integrity. When falsehood is spoken, it is addressed. When harm is done through words, it is acknowledged and repaired. This kind of accountability fosters trust and reinforces the church’s witness as a people who take truth seriously.
The connection between truth and peace is also vital. These two realities are inseparable. Falsehood breeds fear. It divides communities, creates enemies, and fosters suspicion. Truth, on the other hand, makes peace possible. It provides a foundation for understanding and reconciliation. When the church lives truthfully, it becomes a place where trust can grow and where relationships can be restored. This peace is not the absence of conflict but the presence of justice and right relationship, grounded in the truth of who God is and who we are in relation to God.
In this world marked by mendacity and fear, the church’s commitment to truth becomes a form of resistance. It refuses to participate in the patterns that distort reality and harm others. It chooses instead to embody the way of Christ, even when that path is costly. This resistance is not loud. It is not pushy. It is steady and faithful. It is seen in the refusal to spread falsehood, in the courage to speak honestly, and in the willingness to prioritize truth over advantage.
The church’s witness to truth is a witness to Christ himself. To proclaim that Jesus is the truth is to affirm that reality is grounded in him and that life finds its meaning in relation to him. When the church lives in alignment with this truth, it offers a compelling alternative to the narratives of propaganda. It becomes a community where words are trustworthy, where relationships are marked by honesty, and where the fear that drives manipulation is replaced by the peace that comes from knowing God.
Such a witness is desperately needed. When truth is often obscured and trust is fragile, the church has the opportunity to embody something different. But this will only be possible if it takes seriously its calling to be a people of truth. This means rejecting the allure of propaganda, even when it is convenient or advantageous, and embracing instead the difficult and transformative path of following Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life.
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