Even more, in an age like ours, God’s people should be a notable exception or, as historian Tom Holland put it, “weird” in the sense that we are committed to the truth even if everyone else abandons it.
President Biden’s announcement to not seek re-election punctuated one of the most eventful and historic months in American politics in recent memory. The decision came after various political leaders and celebrities publicly and privately expressed their concerns about his age and ability, though Biden’s decline has long been apparent. In the end, even the best attempts of the First Lady could not overcome what everyone saw during Biden’s first (and last) presidential debate.
Still, politicians, celebrity donors, and the Biden family insisted that the President was fine, long after it was obvious that he was not, right up until his decision to withdraw. It’s now unreasonable to think that most of these voices did not know better. Clearly, they believed they could continue to misrepresent reality, even if their claims contradicted the obvious.
In an age in which digital technology can manipulate information in unprecedented ways, this kind of public gaslighting has never been easier. Take, for example, the decision by Veteran Affairs to ban the famous Times Square “V-J Day kiss” photo. After asking that the photo be removed from all facilities, lest the celebratory kiss “foster trauma,” the VA swiftly denied ever sending the memo due to the public backlash.
Or consider how the NFL handled Alicia Keys’ Superbowl Halftime performance earlier this year. When Keys hit a wildly off-key note, fans commented on social media and posted it there immediately. However, when the official video of the performance was posted to YouTube the next day, there was no trace of the wrong note.