A few years ago, I dropped off a booklet called Meaning from the Madness at FedEx for printing. A long conversation ensued with the agent, a young college student from Pakistan named Daneesh. As I turned to leave, he said, “Most of the items I see printed here aren’t going to benefit anyone. It’s nice to see something that might help us make sense out of our lives and give us some direction in this crazy world.”
Daneesh isn’t alone. His longing for meaning is shared by many due to the alarming cultural upheaval now permeating Western society. Powerful groups brandish their ambition to change public and political structures that were once considered dependable and permanent. A multitude of conflicting voices promise to provide the truth and moral stability we need to ensure a better life and a better society. The result? Usually more confusion than clarity. We suspect the meaning these groups offer may only heighten the madness. We’re afraid we’ll never see change for the better, but we’re equally afraid of the consequences if any of those voices actually get their way.
The War Within
Social critic David Wells artfully surfaces the source of our concerns:
“In the very moment when our culture is lifting moral restraints, and emptying life of its moral reality, our own nature, sometimes to our great discomfort, is declaring that it is unable to adapt to this flattened out, trivialized, morally vapid world. Our very nature is signaling the fact that it has connections with moral reality that transcend the culture. We are in some ways inwardly at odds with our disintegrating culture—and also inwardly at odds with our own selves.” [1]
Well’s insights point to our problem of perception: we struggle to discern truth and apply it to social circumstances, let alone to our own lives. Yet something inside won’t let us give up on truth. We feel the inner conflict.
That inner conflict leaves us unsatisfied with society’s “moral” solutions advanced under the guise of truth. Deep down, we know that most forms of “meaning” they offer are just culturally fabricated attempts to help us cope with an otherwise meaningless and short existence. That’s why Wells wants us to perceive “our connections with moral reality that transcend culture.” Unless we discover those connections, what hope is there to find genuine meaning and purpose in life?
It’s Personal before it’s Public
Instead of exploring the connections to a higher reality, our first instinct is to blame presidents, political parties, and other people for the chaos of our social situation and the confusion we feel about life. But that won’t accomplish much. Wells insists that truth is a personal matter before it is public. We must perceive our innermost deficiency before we can adequately assess the faults of society.
So what’s our problem? All of us love truth less than we should and less than we’ll typically admit. Truth is uncomfortable. Truth asks of us want we don’t want to give—to do things we would rather not do. As a result, we often lack the will to accept truth when we see it. The first step toward truth perception is to continually confess our persistent aversion to truth. Admitting our problem will not automatically solve it, but it can set us on a course to purposeful living despite it.
From Perception to Purpose and Passion
Discernology is about getting on, and staying on, the path of truth perception. When that happens, confusion about our life purposes fades away and life becomes meaningful even if we don’t have all the answers. As this site develops, it will present diverse media and cover wide-ranging topics. Everything you’ll find here ties back to some basic practices and principles that motivate us:
- Discernology is fueled by a commitment to the Christian faith. We believe people will not be disappointed if they explore Christianity alongside of us with a humble heart and open mind. No matter what your background is, we ask you to assess your thoughts and motives honestly as you evaluate the media on this or any other site.
- All sincere followers of Jesus seek a life of genuine purpose—we wish for our friends, family, and neighbors the same good ends that we seek for ourselves.
- All humans have intrinsic worth because we were all created in God’s image. That gives us hope that people can change and grow—no matter what they’ve done or what they’ve been through.
- We believe the significance of our lives can be discerned and embraced with a deep and enduring passion. We will be grateful to play even a small part in helping our readers get there.
A Final Word to our Christian Readers
I want to be clear that Christians are not immune to truth aversion. Christian communities are struggling to exercise discernment today. If you follow Jesus, consider the energy and attention it takes to pursue truth in this fragmented world. Jesus said, “For this I was born and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice” (John 18:37). Lots of voices compete for our attention. Jesus called us first. Slow down and read his words. Listen to him.
Finally, take time to hear from the remarkable people who have devoted their lives to knowing God and the Scriptures. Many have willingly shared their experience with us, and they want us to appropriate the truths that transcend culture. We hope Discernology can point you to some of their finest insights and help you grow in your understanding of Christianity and your walk with Jesus.
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To learn more about the founding and specific purposes of Discernology, please visit our About page. A big thanks to our charter members for helping us get Discernology off the ground!
[1] David F. Wells, Losing Our Virtue: Why the Church Must Recover Its Moral Vision (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1998), 163.