“Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (2 Corinthians 3:17)

One of my more memorable experiences was leaving home after high school and joining the army. After processing at the MEPS station and traveling to Ft Benning, where I was to attend basic training, I soon found myself surrounded by a group of young men my age. Before long, we were greeted by a raving mad drill sergeant who made it known how happy he was to see us. After we were called to attention, the drill sergeant made it clear who was in charge. I will never forget the young soldier in front of me. His whole body was shaking with such violence that I thought he was going to wet his pants.

I think that for most people my age, being confronted with such aggressive authority was something we had never experienced. We all grew up in a very permissive society. We are accustomed to living in a society that puts much emphasis on individual liberty. We do not like restrictions placed upon us. We all agree that our society should be guided by the rule of law, but we are not too upset when those in authority bend the rules from time to time. However, when we stood before the drill sergeant that day, we all received a crash course on military authority. We learned that it is complete, covering every area of our lives.

When Desert Storm broke out, the unit I belonged to at the time was locked down for a special mission where we were to invade Iraq. Thankfully, our armies stopped at the border, and my unit was not sent in for the mission. But, while we were waiting

“Then God said, ‘Let there be light’ and there was light” (Genesis 1:3)

I remember the first time I was pulled over for a speeding ticket. I was in high school. I will never forget how my heart leaped into my mouth when I saw those flashing lights behind me. The officer was not interested in having a conversation, “License and registration, please,” he said dryly. It was not a pleasant experience. Those radar guns have a nagging way of telling on you. Special pleading does not help. He walked back, gave me the ticket, and told me to slow down. My parents’ insurance company was, no doubt, not interested in special pleading either. Pay up or ride your bike.

Life is like that. No one really complains that a police officer pulls over teenage kids driving too fast. In fact, most people are grateful for that. Kids need to learn to drive safely, which means following the rules, including speed limits. I’m still a student.

Radar detectors were invented to speak the truth when otherwise it would be clouded by all the excuses inventive teenagers can muster. Unfortunately for the kid driving, the speed limit is not a suggestion; it’s the law. Black and white. You either comply or you break it. When you break the law, you pay the piper.

But, while no one today would argue with an officer about the legitimacy of a radar’s ability to accurately track speed, many people, most really, want to argue that there is no such thing as truth that should guide how we live. There are opinions and various points of view, but nothing as solid as Truth by which real things can be defined. The sad reality is that this is accepted as perfectly normal today.

I don’t know when people began to accept this en mass,