Although I have tried to be fair, I confess that I do hold some biases. One of the strongest of my biases might be described as educational elitism. I am a product of a traditional academic education. I was good at learning in the way colleges and universities teach. I have earned degrees from a college and an accredited graduate school. I have realized privilege from the fact that I have an education. I don’t go so far as to think that I am somehow better than those who do not have the same level of education, but I am aware of my bias. I have been vocal in my criticism of changes in the church over the course of my career that have resulted in fewer clergy with graduate degrees.

Part of my experience is that during my years as a student, I was selective in my reading. I focused on history, theology, philosophy, and academic subjects. I didn’t read much fiction. For several years the only novels I read were assignments for classes I took. I continued to read short stories, but I made a distinction between recreational reading and the reading I was doing as part of my formal education.

As a preacher, however, I have been deeply aware of the power of story. I worked hard to hone my skills as a storyteller. I participated in the Network of Biblical Storytellers International. I carefully studied the distinction between written and oral language and worked hard to improve my skills in using both languages. My journal writing has been an attempt to continue to improve my skills both as a writer and as a teller of stories.

I have come to understand that stories have the potential for conveying the truth. In the introduction to one of his novels, holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel wrote of a conversation he had with a rabbi who asked him directly about his use of fiction to write about his experiences in concentration camps. The rabbit asked him if he was writing the truth. His response to the rabbi was, “Sometimes you have to tell a story in order to tell the truth.” That idea has stuck with me. It sparked a new opening to reading fiction for me that started with my reading nearly every book that Elie Wiesel wrote.

It is important to understand that truth and fiction are not diametrically opposed. It is not a dichotomy. There are stories that convey the truth. Jesus employed storytelling effectively in his teaching. Take the story of the Good Samaritan as an example. The truth conveyed in the story is not dependent upon whether or not there was an actual person who fell among robbers, others who passed by without rendering aid and a Samaritan who helped the man and paid for his care. The story is about the obligation to care for neighbors and the expansive definition of who our neighbors are. There is great truth beyond a list of historical facts.

The relationship between truth and fiction has been an important part of my struggle to understand the current status of American politics. I struggle to understand the popularity of former President Trump and those who are so loyal to him despite what seems to me to be a campaign based on lies and obvious distortions of the truth. Speaker after speaker at the recent Republican Convention spoke of the previous Trump administration in terms that were simply not accurate. The economy was not stronger four years ago than it is today. Unemployment was higher. Immigration issues have been handled far better under the Biden administration than was the case with the Trump administration. Furthermore landmark legislation that would have overhauled the immigration system was blocked by Republicans in lock step with Trump.

I don’t understand how so many people can ignore felony convictions, jury awards for victims of sexual abuse, and the obvious riot and attempt to subvert constitutional processes in the January 6 assault on the halls of congress.

The answer in part lies in the power of story. What the Trump campaign has been successful in doing is selling a powerful fictional narrative. The appeal is in a fantasy that somehow the flow of history could be reversed. The campaign strives to promote a narrative that there was a time in the past that was better and the promise to return to those former times. Even though it is obvious that the image of that “better” past is not accurate. The narrative does not include the problems and injustices of the past. It is not accurate about easily verifiable facts of the recent past such as employment, stock market values, border crossings, and crime rates.

It is, however, a strong story that inspires a lot of people and has the power to upend constitutional democracy. The history of the rise of autocrats in other countries demonstrates the vulnerability of our nation. The blind loyalty to a single flawed human being poses direct risks to the freedoms we now enjoy.

Our faith, however, reminds us that in the long run the truth will prevail. John’s Gospel reports that Jesus said, “you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” Despite the fact that the lies and the people telling the lies seem to be prevailing, they are not the whole story. There is an objective truth that overrides the narratives of power and privilege. Abraham Lincoln said in a speech, “You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time.”

As an observer of politics and one who seeks to understand, I am interested in the sudden change in the narrative brought about by the withdrawal of President Biden from the 2024 presidential election. The story took a dramatic change yesterday. It will be interesting to see how the shift in the Democratic party affects the narrative from the Republicans.

As a student of story, the events have captured my interest. As a seeker of truth, I am grateful for the critical thinking skills I honed in my academic career.