The Trailhead: The Weight of Truth
A Two-Week Journey into Truth--and Why This Matters
I’ve been carrying this series for a while now—wondering if it was time to say what I need to say.
The topic of truth can so easily become a battlefield. You’ve seen it. So have I. And for a long time, I hesitated to write about it at all—not because I don’t care, but because I didn’t want to join the noise. The yelling. The pointing. The trench-digging. That’s not what The Compass is for.
But neither is silence.
There are moments when spiritual formation and cultural reality collide. This is one of them.
✦ Why now?
In nearly every corner of modern life—from politics to the church to our own families—truth feels fragile. Or flexible. Or forgotten.
Sometimes it’s dismissed as outdated.
Other times it’s shouted as if volume makes it truer.
Still other times, it’s quietly rewritten so no one feels discomfort.
But here’s the deeper concern for me:
When truth becomes thin, our souls become thinner, too.
We aren’t just losing arguments. We’re losing formation.
And that’s why this matters.
✦ Where this shows up
We’re going to explore this in depth over the next two weeks, but let me name a few places where the erosion is showing.
In the church, we’ve taken two unhelpful routes:
We soften or sidestep truth to avoid offense—only to find, as Dorothy Sayers once said, “Not one in a hundred people know what the church believes.”
Or we pick a side in the culture war—and let the gospel get co-opted, weaponized, and twisted into something it was never meant to be.
In postmodern culture, we’ve turned truth into preference:
“I have my truth, you have yours.”
The result? We lose truth altogether—and with it, the shared ground that makes real community possible.
In the new wave of illiberalism, truth is no longer denied. It’s demanded—as long as it fits the approved narrative:
Say the wrong thing? You’re out.
Challenge the prevailing group? You're labeled, silenced, or erased.
Truth still exists—but it’s shaped to fit power, not to shape us.
These forces aren’t just cultural. They’re deeply formational. And unless we name them, we will be shaped by them—quietly, consistently, and unconsciously.
✦ What this series is (and isn’t)
This is not a culture war cry.
This is not a longing for yesterday.
This is not an attack on anyone.
This is a two-week journey to explore:
Why truth still sets us free—and why forgetting that is dangerous
What’s being lost in our children, churches, and culture
How to speak truth without rage—and live truth without compromise
Why reclaiming truth is an act of discipleship, not domination
We’ll move from the deep theological roots to the subtle cultural tremors. From the Bible to the modern mind. From silence to speech.
✦ A few guideposts for the trail ahead:
Wednesdays will be deep dives from The Well—pulling truth from Scripture, tradition, and cultural discernment
Thursdays will offer story-shaped Wayposts—from real lives and lived experience
Fridays will bring a prophetic edge in Wanderings—a reflection on what this is doing to our formation
Each post will include companion Formation Digs—short, Scripture-centered reflections to help anchor what we’re naming
✦ For Paid Subscribers
If you’re a paid subscriber (or considering becoming one), I want to offer you something meaningful during Week Two:
A beautifully designed, one-page tool:
“Practicing Discernment in a Culture of Noise”A bonus written or audio reflection:
“Why I Stayed Silent—And Why I’m Speaking Now”
Both will drop next week as a thank you for investing in this work and walking this journey with me.
💡 Want to go deeper?
You can get free and paid subscriptions here. Each week, paid subscribers receive a beautifully designed formation tool to help anchor these reflections in real life.
You’ll also get access to bonus content, including a printable guide coming next week:
“Practicing Discernment in a Culture of Noise.”
👉 Click here to become a paid subscriber and support the continued work of spiritual formation in a disoriented world. Consider gifting a friend or family member with a subscription.
📬 Know someone who’d value this series?
If this conversation about truth matters to you, it might matter to someone in your circle too.
You can forward this email, or share the public link below:
👉 Share this post—or publication—and help bring thoughtful readers into the journey.
✦ One last word at the trailhead
If you’ve ever felt the disorientation of not knowing what’s true—or felt the fear of speaking what you believe in a world that might cancel or condemn—this series is for you.
Not to give you louder words.
But deeper ones.
May you walk this week with a steady heart.
May you speak what is true with grace.
And may the One who is Truth anchor you in all that matters.
Let’s begin.
Gratefully,
Gene