When Truth Becomes Optional, Faith Becomes Dangerous

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Why Christianity collapses when belief replaces discernment — and power replaces Jesus

Jesus said, “the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32)

Notice what He didn’t say.

He didn’t say truth is whatever feels right. He didn’t say truth belongs to the loudest voice or the strongest tribe.

Truth, according to Jesus, is tethered to Him. Detached from Him, “truth” becomes a tool—shaped by fear, loyalty, and power.

Years ago, a very famous man once boasted, “I could shoot someone in the middle of Fifth Avenue and not lose a voter.” It sounded outrageous. But it was also revealing. Maybe the truest thing he's ever said.

Because he understood something about the human condition:

We don’t naturally believe what’s true—we believe what we want to be true.

He was mentored by a man named Roy Cohn, whose mantra wasn’t about truth, but power: Deny everything. Attack your accuser. Never admit wrongdoing.

And today, that same ethic shows up not only in government, but in the behavior of those who feel compelled to defend it at all costs.

Repeat a lie often enough. Wrap it in outrage or grievance. Let it validate our fears.

And eventually it stops feeling like a lie at all.

When pressed in court, the nation’s largest conservative cable outlet argued that its prime-time commentary is opinion and rhetoric—something a reasonable viewer wouldn’t take as literal fact.

But they also know this: Not all viewers are reasonable or discerning.

Because when our opinions feel validated, facts become optional.

And the church is not exempt.

The Ten Commandments don’t hedge here: Do not lie.

Yet too many pastors have baptized convenient, politically affirming falsehoods—and fed them to their congregations in God’s name.

Here’s the real danger: When something feels right, we stop questioning it.

And when someone challenges it, we don’t reflect—we react. That’s cognitive dissonance—not discernment. The mind protecting a belief instead of pursuing truth.

And once truth becomes optional, faith becomes pliable. The church becomes useful. And power gets defended in Jesus’ name.

This isn’t only a political problem. It’s a discipleship problem.

Because a Jesus-shaped faith doesn’t ask, “Does this support what I’ve already decided?”

It asks, “Is this true—even if it costs me my certainty, my tribe, or my sense of control?”

If we can’t tell the difference between truth and fiction, we won’t separate church and state.

We’ll simply hand both over to whoever lies with the most confidence.