Head and Heart: Truth in Trumpville

photo by adriannecooper / flickr

Some years ago I picked up this book with an intriguing title, Lies My School Told Me. I don’t remember many of these falsehoods but all of us have had to un-learn some things in order just to get through the world. A couple of years later I thought about writing my own book: Lies My Church Told Me.

I am greatly indebted to that church in Columbus, Georgia with the tall white columns. It was there that my heart was first strangely warmed. It was there that I was baptized. And it was there that I first saw the light. So—I can’t be snobbish about that place—it was far from perfect—but remember the treasure always comes in earthen vessels. Always. Sometimes more earthen than we would like to admit.

So if I were writing a book about Lies My Church Told Me these are some of the things I’d probably say.

The Bible is literally true.

God looks like me.

Faith is something believed.

Homosexuality is a sin.

God is an American.

Big is better.

Love the sinner…hate the sin.

Faith is something believed.

If you don’t work you don’t eat.

God is a He.

The list is seemingly endless. And like school, in church there are a multitude of things I have had to un-learn along the way. Even after all these years—I’m still un-learning…and learning. You might want to sit down and list the Church things in your life that have to be revised.

This brings me to the President. Who would have believed that a President’s lawyer would not want him to testify (these are his words) “because he might just not tell the truth.” But we have come to a dark time when truth has been brushed aside.

After Jimmy Carter left the White House he told of a funny thing that had happened when he was back in Plains. A woman reporter came to Georgia to interview the President’s mother. Mr. Carter said my mother doesn’t want to be interviewed but she is a gracious Southern lady and so she said yes. The reporter went to Mrs. Carter’s house and knocked on the door and Mrs. Carter invited her in. The reporter asked some hard questions and some of the queries were aggressive and downright rude. The reporter said, “” I want to ask you a question. Your son ran for President and he promised that he would always tell the truth. Has he ever lied?”Carter’s mother said, “I think he’s truthful; I think you can depend on his word.” The reporter persisted asking if he had ever lied in his entire life. His mother said, “Well, I guess maybe he’s told a little white lie.” “Ah, you see,” the reporter exclaimed, “He’s lied. If he told a white lie he has lied. What is a white lie?” And Lillian Carter said, “You know a moment ago when you knocked on the door and I went tot the door and said I was glad to see you?” And then the Mother smiled.

You and I are a long way from that tale about President chopping down the cherry tree and never telling a lie. Of course he lied. All President’s lie from time to time. Like the rest of us. But

truth seems to be lost in our time. What kind of an age is it when you can’t tell right from wrong? What’s fake and what’s real?

What little hair I have stuck up the other day when I read the Fact Checker for The Washington Post. They said that in President Trump’s 558 days as President he has told 4,229 lies. Which amounts to about 7.6 lies a day. Some of his fans tell me that you shouldn’t listen to his words—you ought to observe his actions. Well—what about say, Stormy Daniels. I have just about come to the point when Mr. Trump says Fake News it must be true. Somebody one of these days will probably write a book called Lies the President Told Me. It will be long and sad. I hope, I hope we can rediscover truth. God knows we all need it. Flannery O’Connor once said, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you odd.” Wonder what she’d say today?

We really do have the treasure in an earthen vessel. But if it is too earthen it might just bury the treasure.