The Time for Truth: Christianity vs. Modern Paganism

Reading the Room

We exist in an era of disinformation and misinformation, an era in which truth is not filtered through a modern or even a postmodern lens. The problem is not that “information is relative.” Or, “You have your truth, and I have my truth,” even though both “truths” contradict one another. Instead, information is now processed through a pagan and elitist lens.

The term pagan dates back to the 4th century. It was a term used by Christians to characterize non-Christians, particularly the polytheistic religions that dominated the culture. Whatever kind of Greek or Roman paganism was being practiced, they were not Christian. I am not suggesting that Roman and Greek paganism have been resurrected in the 21st century but that another kind of paganism is practiced. The paganism that we see throughout the West worships the self to the point where fundamental truths about the self are denied. As a result, radical relativism has become a chief doctrine of modern paganism.

I have not read or heard anyone else use the phrase radical relativism, but it is simply the natural outgrowth of postmodern relativism. Radical relativism is not just ignoring the clear contradictions in logic, but it is the dismissal of the contradictions. But radical relativism does more. Radical relativism allows Johnny to believe that he is Jane. But sex and gender are no longer constructs needed to define Johnny. Now Johnny, I mean Jane, is free to live an authentic self. The shift is more radical than we realize, but radical relativism is at the heart of the new paganism.

More Anecdotal Evidence: A Blinking Neon Sign

For most of history, it has been believed that only women have a menstrual cycle and can nurse babies. But now, merely mentioning these facts is labeled misinformation or disinformation. No longer are there nursing mothers but nursing persons. The paganism of the 21st-century West is changing words and the meaning of words to fit its religion. As a result, the battle for truth is a battle over the dictionary. And who are the cultural gatekeepers of the dictionary? An elite class of people who want to ensure that the lies of paganism can be maintained. Here is a case study.

In 2020, Amy Coney Barrett sat before the Senate Judiciary Committee as a potential Supreme Court Justice. Barrett was asked to comment on gay marriage. On June 16th, 2015, the Supreme Court ruled on Obergefell v. Hodges, codifying gay marriage in America. In her response to the Judiciary Committee, Barrett spoke about “sexual preference.” Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, took exception to the language used by Barrett. Hirono said that saying “sexual preference” is derogatory language toward the LGBTQ+ community. One problem: before Hirono allegedly corrected Barrett, the Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary was using the word “preference” synonymous with “orientation.” After Sen. Hirono lit into Barrett, Merriam-Webster changed the definition of the word “preference” and highlighted that it is offensive to say that someone has a “sexual preference.” Instead, a person has a “sexual orientation.”

This case study highlights the fact that there are cultural elites who have the power to change the meaning of words to prop up modern paganism.

The point is punctuated when Ketanji Brown Jackson sat before the Senate Judiciary Committee, where she went through the same process as Barrett. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn, asked her a basic question. “Can you provide a definition for the word ‘woman’?” Blackburn’s question is straightforward, and one would be excused if the answer seems obvious. But not for Jackson. Evanding the question, she said, “I am not a biologist.”

When Barrett spoke, the elites changed the meaning of a word—along with the “truth”—on the fly to fit the religion. Jackson chose not to define a term out of allegiance to religion. The battle over information, words, and the definition of words is a battle over truth.

My question for Christians is, will Christians allow the pagans to redefine and define truth?

Nothing New: Paul, Pilate, and Jesus

The battle for truth is nothing new. The apostle Paul was zealous for the truth and for true things about God and the gospel to be made known to the world. Paul attacked his critics when half-truths or lies were being proclaimed to the church. I do not need to cite chapter and verse, but I could point you to most of the Pauline Epistles. If you want a primer on what I am talking about, read the Epistle to the Galatians. The apostle Paul was sober-minded when it came to knowing truth and lies, and he put pen to paper to defend the truth.

The battle for truth can also be highlighted in an exchange between Jesus and Pontius Pilate right before Jesus was crucified. Pilate was in a conundrum. He knew that Jesus was not guilty of the accusations that had been leveled against him. His wife was sympathetic toward Jesus. However, he needed to maintain peace with the Jews. Pilate needed to decide what to do with Jesus. We read in John 18,

“Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” 36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” 37 Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” 38 Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”

– John 18:35–38

Pilate asks, “What is truth?” to the One who is the Truth. But Pilate’s question reveals that the battle for truth is not new. Yes, the type of paganism that Christianity faces looks different. And yes, the elite gate-keeps go by other names, but the battle is the same. 

By What Standard?

The problem with modern paganism is that there is no objective standard of truth. Truth is constantly changing to prop up the pagan religion. New terms can be construed to help promote pagan doctrine. For example, I am not a white male, but according to modern paganism, I am a white cis-gendered male. The constructed nuance makes a huge difference. But here is the deal. Without an objective standard of truth, modern paganism will cave in on itself, and a lot of broken people will be left wondering what is actually true.

Here is where Christians must hold the line on an objective standard of truth. Christ is the truth (John 14:6), and we have his Word. God has given Christians a gospel message that is historically rooted, which we read about in the Word. We have a message not only for the church but for the world. When Ketanji Brown Jackson refuses to define a woman, Christians can open the Word of God to provide an answer.

The current situation in the West seems insane. It appears we are living in Clown Town. Correction: We do live in Clown Town. But God is not surprised. The idol worship of paganism has a storied tradition. And I quote,

Their land is filled with idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their own fingers have made.

– Isaiah 2:8

Even though modern pagans believe that white is black, the night is now daytime, and a woman can become a man, all of this nonsense allows the church an opportunity to speak into the culture. Christians can look to Scripture and realize there is nothing new under the sun.

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

What is the corrective to all the lies? The first words of Christ recorded in the Gospel of Mark are the antidote.

Repent and believe.

– Mark 1:15

The Time for Truth

What the West needs right now are Christians from all kinds of vocations to speak clearly about what is true and what is a lie. The “winsomeness” crowd, which has dominated evangelicalism, only wants to play the “winsome card.” As a result, the church has lost moral clarity and its sight of the truth. Now is the time to be bold like the prophets of old. Christians need to stand up, speak the truth out of love, and be ready to receive people who are prepared to walk away from the shallow cesspool of modern paganism and its radical relativism.

Now is not the time to shrink back and defer to your co-worker’s preferred pronouns. While you might not believe the lie, you might allow the other person to believe the lie, which makes you complicit in the lie.

Now is the time to declare God’s good design and proclaim the redemptive message of the gospel. Now is the time for truth.

– Edmund Burke