What really matters? Black lives matter! Blue lives matter! All lives matter! While all these statements are true, one thing matters more – truth. And when truth no longer matters, nothing else will.
For Christians, truth is an absolute. In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul speaks about the resurrection of Jesus. He presents a long list of witnesses who saw Jesus risen from the dead. He even includes a group over 500 people who saw Jesus at the same time. Paul tells us that, if the resurrection did not take place, then we are liars and we are above all men to be most pitied! Why? Because Truth matters!
America today is experiencing a great crisis. It is not a racial crisis as the media would have you believe. It is a truth crisis. I lived through the race conflicts of the 60s and 70s and the ones today are very different. Those who protested in the 60s believed they were voices of truth. Martin Luther King Jr. articulated the foundations of that movement: “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” That dream is still my dream for America today.
But listen to what King warned about in his speech:
But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.
And King gave an important warning – a warning that needs to be voiced today. Without this understanding, those protesting racism today quickly become racists ….
The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.
But the crisis today is not racial. It is a crisis of truth. I grew up during the 60s and saw systematic racism everywhere. I lived in the South in the 70s when segregated restrooms and water fountains still existed and blacks were still not welcome in many white restaurants. And even though these things were not legal, you were warned not to cross those lines! After living back in the North for 2 decades, I returned to the Deep South in the 90s and found a world transformed from the 60s and 70s. Instead of public segregation, blacks and whites ate together in the same restaurants! And not only that, blacks and whites often sat at the same tables enjoying each other’s company! The racism of the 60s seemed a distant past. I know there are exceptions – there always will be. I know we still have a way to go to eradicate racism. But the truth is we have made great progress as a nation on racial equality. The crisis today is whether or not truth will be allowed to be voiced.
This is the scariest part of what is happening today. If truth is not allowed to be voiced, then only the loudest and most violent will have any voice. That is what is happening today. As a historian, I am shocked to see that the tactics used today are the same used by the “brown shirts” (Nazis) in the 1930s. They would follow those who did not support them into restaurants and publicly humiliate and intimidate them, and if that failed, they would resort to violence. They even required people to show their support of their movement or their businesses would be attacked. Today, America is losing the possibility of free speech, not by legislation (at least not yet), but by intimidation. In such an environment, truth is effectively silenced. And when truth no longer matters, nothing will matter.
But most important, how should believers respond? Here are some biblical principles to consider.
- Search diligently for the truth. I know this is not always easy and takes time. A number of years ago, I began to see that most of the news headlines were sensational or designed to mislead. For example, I would read a quotation attributed to someone on one media and then look to find the full text online. Most of the time, the headline quotation was taken out of context or even totally absent from the full text. I was alarmed by the complete dishonesty shown by journalists in reporting the news. Proverbs 2:4-6 tells us to look for wisdom like you would look for silver. Truth is precious. It might take you some time to search and find the truth, but the truth is worth it!
- Be careful to only share the truth. I am saddened that the media not only distorts the truth but intentionally hides it. It bothers me even more when Christians do the same to support their political views. As believers, we need to be sure that we share only the truth. I see many posts by Christians that also distort the evils of left and even attribute false quotes to various leaders. We need to remember that “The Lord detests lying lips” (Proverbs 12:22). Not just liberal ones but lying ones! That includes ours.
- Speak the truth – in love. In Ephesians 4:15, we are told to “speak the truth in love” so that we may “grow up into Him.” Make sure that even when you speak the truth, you speak it with grace and love. When Jesus came, he came, not just with truth but “full of grace and truth.” When we speak the truth, we need to be sure we do so with grace and truth! Our witness is affected when we respond back to angry people in anger. James 1:19 says, “Quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to get angry. For the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.” Make sure you speak the truth – in love!
- Be humble. When you make a mistake, correct it. When you say something wrongly, apologize. Don’t think we as Christians are always right. We certainly do not act righteously all the time. I often tell people that I would rather be “righteous” than “right.” Truth matters – but so do our attitudes and actions. We need to share the truth, but always in love. In 1 John 1:8, we are reminded: “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” We may think we have “the truth” on our side, but if we use it in a sinful manner, then are only deceiving ourselves – and, although the truth might be on our lips, “the truth is not in us!”
- Saturate yourself in God’s truth. Jesus prayed for his disciples, “Sanctify them in truth; thy Word is truth” John 17:17. There is no better way to stay focused on the truth than to stay grounded in God’s Word. It not only informs us what the truth is, it also checks our character and corrects us when we wander from the truth. Make this your prayer: “Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name” (Psalm 86:11). Saturate yourself in God’s truth from God’s Word.
What really matters? Truth – take truth out of the equation and you have nothing. Black lives definitely matter. But so blue lives, white lives, and all lives. That’s the truth. If we ever lose that, we lose everything.
Teaching …
My health continues to be a problem for me and teaching. This fall, I will be teaching only online classes because of my health difficulties. Here is a note I sent to the seminaries where I teach:
Dear Colleagues,
I’ve come to a very difficult decision. Due to my continuing health problems, I need to take a medical break from teaching in-class classes for at least the Fall semester and possibly even for the Spring semester. We will see if there is any improvement in my health during the Fall and then make a decision about the Spring.
I’ve had many difficulties physically since December but fortunately I was able to teach online for my Spring classes due to the quarantine. I’m currently working on converting my Fall classes into an online format so that I can continue to help with teaching in an online format. This may not affect the Fall classes because it seems that many of our classes will have to be online due to the continuing quarantine situation. This is a very difficult situation for me because my favorite part of teaching is the interaction with the students and because I believe that the face-to-face classes are a better way to teach our students. However, online formats (while not my first choice) can also be an effective way of teaching and training. Hopefully I can continue teaching and training during the Fall semester by teaching some online courses.
Here are some details about my situation and about the decision I am making. I am having multiple health issues that greatly reduce my energy and also put me at risk for further complications.
I am still having problems with Pericarditis (heart). My pericarditis has become what is called acute recurrent pericarditis. It is a serious complication and could require another 6 months to a year of additional treatments. If we cannot solve these problems with medicines and rest, then I might be facing surgery which will further restrict my ability to teach.
Currently, I am limited to about 3 to 4 hours of activity and then I need to rest for at least an hour or two. This will not work in a classroom format which requires me to be teaching 8 hours a day. I’m physically unable to do this.
Additionally, I often have blood pressure spikes (usually once a week) which take about 4 hours of medicine and rest to get my blood pressure back down to a manageable level. Even after it is reduced, my heart is so tired that I usually rest for another day afterward. This means that I could potentially lose a day or two of teaching each week.
Finally, there is the problem with the Coronavirus. With my weakened immune system, it will be dangerous for me to resume classroom teaching and I would be placing myself in a very compromised physical situation where even a small exposure to the coronavirus could be very serious for me.
I love teaching at the seminary and I love working with our students. And I hope that the treatments I’m currently receiving will improve my health and allow me to return to classroom teaching, maybe as early as the spring semester. This is a very difficult decision for me, but I think it is one that is very important for my long-term health.
Thank you for your prayers and encouragement over the past year. I look forward to serving the seminary in whatever ways I can, health permitting.
By His Grace,
Jim Ehrhard
This means more work to prepare for these classes ahead of time and I will also have to pay for getting the translations done. I am scheduled to teach 3 classes with a possible 4th class. Each class costs between $200 and $400 to translate depending on the number and length of lectures. I’m working on these for the 1stclass and I need to get them finished in the next week so I can get started on the other classes. I need to finish all the lectures by mid-September at the latest. Be praying for me and for those doing the translations so we can have the classes ready for September.
Time with Family …
Summer is a great time here in Ukraine. The weather is cool but usually sunny. And the warmer weather presents a number of opportunities for time with family. Because of the quarantine and my health issues, we have not been able to travel anywhere this summer. But we have still been able to have fun together! The girls make their own fun with hoops and various games. We also enjoy going to the park and to the playground together. It has been extra special to simply spread a blanket on the ground and read books together – both Russian and English!
This July, Nadia turned 5 years old! We are enjoying watching her grow into a special little girl. She is energetic and loves to climb and ride bikes. She was so excited about turning five – for her, she is no longer a child but a “big girl!”
Summer also means getting ready for winter. The biggest task is getting our wood all split and stacked and ready for the coming winter. It is a task everyone helps with – with a little bit of fun included.
We are also working together dehydrating (apples, raspberries, strawberries, and bananas, and mint and basil) and canning (tomatoes, peaches, various jams and syrups) and freezing (green beans, corn, red peppers, cherries, blueberries). Our goal is to have almost everything we need put up for the winter so that we can make it until spring with the “fruits” of our summer!
We are continuing to read from The Chronicles of Narnia. We have just started The Silver Chair. As usual we are enjoying the stories and also the spiritual lessons from the book. We are also getting ready for Homeschool. This year, we will be focusing on American History. We are excited and ready to start in a few weeks.
Travel …
We had hoped that we might be able to return to the states for a visit this fall but the continuing uncertainty with the Covid-19 virus means that it will probably be another year before we can return for a visit. It is possible to travel now as some restrictions have been lifted, but there are too many uncertainties with the need to quarantine for 14 days in many of the countries we would need to travel through. So, it looks like it will be at least another year before we can come back to visit. We are grateful for Skype and other social media that help us to keep in touch with family and friends!
My Health …
My health is really hard to figure out. I have made some progress, but I have a few good days and then a few bad days. It is hard to know what is happening. I am working with a cardiologist, a neurologist, a gastrologist and a pulmonologist. I am also taking way too many medicines. At one point, I had over 20 prescriptions! We are in the process of reducing these step by step.
I also recently started going to a rehabilitation clinic that specializes in homeopathic approaches. Most of my medical visits and tests are covered by my insurance (minus $300 deductibles) but not my prescription costs. But God has provided so we have been able to cover each expense that comes up! Please keep praying that my health will stabilize and improve.
Grateful for Provisions …
We continue to be blessed as God makes provision for all our needs. Last month was pretty normal in terms of donations and we added one new partner to our regular support team! We are still praying for 1-2 more regular supporters to get our monthly support back up to normal. But, again, we are always amazed at how God sees ahead and makes provision for us in every way. Thank you for being part of God’s provision for us!
Pray for Ukraine … and America
We especially would appreciate your prayers for Ukraine for the next few months. Ukraine and the pro-Russian forces began a “cease-fire” a couple weeks ago. Ukraine even agreed to not return fire if fired upon! As soon as the ceasefire took effect, the pro-Russian forces, like always, intensified their attacks. Of course, after a few days, Ukraine had to fire back! Also, Russia has sent more tanks, weapons and fuel into Eastern Ukraine.
But our biggest concern is Caucasus 2020 – a Russian military exercise that will be conducted sometime during September through November. This is called a “snap exercise” where forces have to be ready to carry out the exercise at any time when Putin gives the order. This exercise is massive and Russia has increased their already massive forces (over 150,000) surrounding Ukraine. Additionally, Putin has called up Reserve forces to be ready. This is very unusual. It is usually done as a prelude to an actual attack so that Reserve forces can rotate in for regular forces that are killed or injured in battle. There is no way to know what Putin plans. But be praying for Ukraine over the next few months.
Also, be praying for America. This might be one of the most difficult times for America since the 60s. I think even more dangerous because of the anti-police movements and the media suppression of the truth. Pray for wisdom for our leaders and also for truth to prevail!
Thank you for your prayers and support! We are blessed to be your partners as we minister here in Ukraine. It is our desire that truth that matters be proclaimed in Ukraine as well as in the United States! Thanks for helping us share the truth of God’s Word here in Ukraine!
By His Grace,
Jim, Katya, Kristina and Nadia
Teaching Resources International 