Friday after Epiphany

Lectionary: 216



The Spirit is the one who testifies,
and the Spirit is truth.
So there are three who testify,
the Spirit, the water, and the Blood,
and the three are of one accord.



After the debacles of the Great Western Schism and the religious wars of the Protestant Reformation, some of the greatest minds in Europe concluded that the Church -- or Churches -- had failed its mission to know, protect, and announce the Truth. With the appearance of the scientific method,  there was a reasonable belief that "Science" could discover what the Church had purported to reveal. Where Revelation -- that is, the Bible -- showed the Sun moving across the sky, Science proved that the Earth moved around the Sun. The discovery was not only more reasonable, it explained the cycle of seasons and  predicted eclipses. 

A good scientific theory should first explain why things are the way they are, and then predict what will happen. A successful scientific experiment which proves certain ideas can be reproduced all over the Earth. Scientists can set up the same experiment, expect the same results, and see for themselves the rightness of the theory. They don't need God to reveal the truth for it's right there in the laboratory. 

Our modern life has been shaped by Science and we take much of it for granted, especially because it has so many practical -- that is, technological -- uses. I turn the ignition key in my car and the engine fires up and I drive to town. The entire machine proves how predictable and real the world is without any reference to God. The medieval Church knew little of such machinery, although the first successful machinery was the clock, invented by German monks to wake them in the morning with a loud "Glock!" (The face, numerals, and hands came later.)

But no sooner had Science ascended to its zenith in the intellectual sky than doubts arose. Some hard, tested, proven facts, arranged into theories, opposed each other. Relativity and quantum theory proved to be workable, though contradictory theories. Is light a particle or a wave? It's both. But it can't be both. 

Worse, they discovered that the way you ask the question often determines the answer. A lot depends on who is asking and why?  

Finally, when "Science" threatened the livelihood of some people, they found scientist who developed an alternative science. So does smoking cause cancer? The surgeon general said it does; scientists working for the tobacco industry said it's not proven yet. Is burning fossil fuels polluting the environment and changing our climate? Millions of coal miners say no; the climate changes all the time regardless of human activity. 

Are "white" people superior to black, brown, red, and yellow people? White scientists assumed they were and had the data to prove it; until the worldwide march of civil rights disputed their conclusions. 

"Science" is falling from the sky, even as it continues to discover marvelous and useful facts; even as it develops new, amazing technologies, and saves millions of lives. 

Where do we find the Truth?

The Church, widely despised in academia, is still here, announcing the Birth of Truth in Bethlehem. Truth, it turns out, is not a fact. He is a person, born of Mary. Truth is a Spirit bestowed upon those willing to be rebuked and disciplined, those willing to suffer the crucifixion of being proven wrong. If Truth is as simple as the purity of God, it is also as mysterious, complex, and unknowable as a man born in poverty. 

The Church cannot claim to know or own the Truth; although, sinners that we are, we have made such claims before. We can pray that we are known and owned by the Truth. We might even boast -- quietly -- of being rebuked by the Truth when we presumed to know too much. We can admit the limits of our knowledge and our willingness to be governed by the Spirit of Truth. 

I believe in the Truth. I don't believe those who say there is no such thing. Nor do I accept the belief that everyone is blinded by their biases, cultures, preference, and agendas. The Spirit of God moves within the Church and outside it, encouraging responsible people to wait upon the Truth, and to let it speak to them in its own time. Good scientists appreciate the limits of their science; they know they cannot extrapolate very much from their findings. If one good idea leads to another, the second one might not be good. It will have to be tested. And both of them might be discarded! 

Can we know the truth of scientific findings? We sometimes have to ask, "Where is this taking us? " If a new idea threatens to impoverish, harm or abuse people it may not  be worth the risk. Our God is neither Progress, Prosperity, nor Security. When the Lord breathed his Spirit upon us we discovered our dignity in God's sight; no good idea should impugn our dignity. When the Lord rose from the dead he restored human integrity, we should honor our own dignity, as well as that of family, friends, neighbors and -- especially -- enemies. 

Jesus has assured us, "But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth." 

We can trust his Spirit to guide us in this perplexing, endlessly treacherous world.