"The great ends of the church are... the preservation of the truth...."

"Jesus answered, '...For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.' Pilate asked him, 'What is truth?'" (John 18:37-38)

Someone recently remarked to me that "people aren't interested in hearing about the Great Ends of the Church." The comment was offered to support the premise that the church's proclamation needs to be less "churchy" and use less jargon to captivate young worshipers. I readily admit that most people have never heard of our foundational statement about the ends or purposes of Christ's church. But I respectfully disagree that the ends themselves are somehow irrelevant or not of interest to them.

There is no more timely or relevant statement of the church's purpose than "the preservation of the truth." In an age of "truthiness" and "fake news," in a world that has been termed, "post-truth," the church's commitment to the preservation of the truth is more important than ever.

The first and most important aspect of this charge is the church's commitment to the preservation of the Truth with a capital "T". Above all else, the church is charged with the faithful custody of our testimony about Jesus: the witness of the scriptures borne by apostles and martyrs about his person, his teaching, and his saving work. We are reluctant to speak of "heresy" in a church and culture which values individual conscience and tolerating difference, but our commitment to preserve the Truth requires that we graciously, pastorally, and collectively divide truth from error, even if our judgments may at time be too narrow or too wide. To say that it doesn't matter what we believe, or that all beliefs are equally valid, undermines our own profession of Christ as Lord. At the same time, the preservation of the Truth requires that we be open to correction in our testimony as we come to understand the scriptures more fully.

The church's calling to preserve the truth also requires us to be honest and truthful ourselves, both in our dealings with one another and with the world. Our testimony about Jesus is only as credible as our own reputation for truth and honesty. When the church hides wrongdoing, engages in secret deals, or protects the guilty, we deny the One who said to Nicodemus, "Those who do what is true come to the light that it may be seen that their deeds are of God" (John 3:21). The history of our church - indeed, of all churches - is rife with scandal. That is the unfortunate by-product of any human society. But the beauty of our Presbyterian denomination is its built-in commitment to self-correction and the pursuit of truth. I knew I would become a Presbyterian when I found in the Book of Order the little known and rarely used "Request for Vindication" - the protection afforded every member to seek the vindication of their reputation against false rumors and accusations through investigation and judicial process.

The third and final aspect of "the preservation of the truth" is our obligation to pursue and uphold truth in society. Pontius Pilate was not the first politician to dismiss or distort the truth, and he certainly wasn't the last. The challenge in our current political climate isn't just holding our leaders accountable to truthfulness, but also the difficult discipline of discerning and dispensing truth amid the flood of false, inflammatory, and biased reports in cable television and social media. Before reacting to, reposting, or repeating sensational claims, we should THINK and ask ourselves:

T - Is it True?

H - Is it Helpful?

I - Is it Inspiring?

N - Is it Necessary?

K - Is it Kind?