[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 141 (Tuesday, August 26, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E786-E787]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       RECOGNIZING CAMPBELL: THE NATURE OF TRUTH, ODESSA AMERICAN

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                          HON. AUGUST PFLUGER

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, August 26, 2025

  Mr. PFLUGER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to include in the Record an 
opinion column from the Odessa American titled ``Campbell: The Nature 
of Truth,'' published May 1, 2025. In it, the author reflects on how 
society grapples with competing claims of truth and encourages readers 
to return to foundational and verifiable sources--a theme with deep 
implications for both our civic culture and the way we approach 
legislation.
  I believe this thoughtful reflection is a meaningful reminder of the 
importance of clarity, honesty, and shared understanding in democratic 
discourse.

                       [From the Odessa American]

                     Campbell: The Nature of Truth

       Truth is ephemeral in the temporal world. It seems that 
     everyone has his or her own version and whether or not they 
     actually know the truth is open to interpretation and subject 
     to one's own preference or prejudice. It's a key concept in 
     my business, journalism, where truth is the lynchpin. We are 
     bound to be truthful to the best of our ability and we are 
     prohibited from writing anything that we know to be false. We 
     can be fired for doing it.
       That's the difference between the Odessa American and 
     publications like the National Enquirer, which publish 
     nothing but stories that they know to be untrue. That's not 
     to say we never publish falsehoods, but we don't do it 
     deliberately. It's that we have good reasons like credible 
     sources and reliable references to believe that what we write 
     is true.
       In the case of political candidates, if we had to believe 
     everything they say we would never write anything about them. 
     We're not saying that what they say is true. We're saying 
     it's true that that is what they said. We attribute 
     accurately and leave it to the readers to ascribe credibility 
     or not.

[[Page E787]]

       There has never been a newspaper or a book written that had 
     nothing false in it. Only one book is 100 percent true: the 
     Bible. God cannot lie and we may be certain that every word 
     of the Bible is true.
       Depending on the translation, Jesus 75-80 times in the 
     Gospels uses the phrase ``I tell you the truth'' or 
     variations of it and in John 14:5 he is even more specific 
     when he says, ``I am the way, the truth and the life.'' So he 
     was not just telling the truth, he was and is the truth. He 
     embodies it. I think Jesus emphasized the truth and the fact 
     that he was always telling it because he understood the 
     inherent deceitfulness of the world. He was saying, if you 
     want the pure truth, look to me.
       At the end of Revelation we see the importance of this 
     issue when it says that everyone who loves and practices 
     falsehood is classified with the sexually immoral, murderers 
     and idolators as being among those who will be damned. Of 
     course some people occasionally tell white lies in deference 
     to the feelings of those they love, but then people who are 
     always strictly truthful are often respected for it and their 
     candor is accepted in deference to the values they espouse.
       Truth derives from wisdom and like wisdom it is more 
     valuable than much pure gold and sweeter than honey from the 
     honeycomb. The English philosopher Francis Bacon (1561-1626) 
     said truth is the child of time, meaning that it emerges and 
     is revealed through the passage of time, not through 
     someone's immediate authority or declaration.
       When we hear things privately or in the public arena, if 
     the truth of them is not discernible we may be confident that 
     time will show the truth. The political writers' adage is 
     that nothing anyone says during a campaign may be true, but 
     during the course of it the truth will become clear and the 
     voters will know whom to vote for from the total body of the 
     dialogue. German philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) said 
     lying steals one's dignity and we know from Scripture that 
     God wants us to maintain our dignity as Christians by 
     avoiding such things.
       Stone-Campbell Church Movement leader Alexander Campbell 
     (1788-1866) advocated for a rational and deliberative 
     understanding of Christianity, firmly rooted in the New 
     Testament. He opposed both speculative theology and emotional 
     revivalism, emphasizing a return to the Bible as the primary 
     source of truth. Campbell advocated for a focus on biblical 
     text and avoided theological systems that relied on 
     philosophical or speculative reasoning.
       Truth derives from the wisdom developed through the fear of 
     the Lord and wisdom and truth are indispensable in our 
     pursuit of virtue. How may we obtain these treasures of the 
     Holy Spirit? Of course, through prayer, reading Scripture, 
     attending church and fellowshipping with other Christians.
       Pray and ask God for the wisdom to discern truth and 
     succeed in our ever-advancing pursuit of higher and higher 
     virtue. Ask to be empowered to bear well the responsibility 
     of being a link in the multi-generational sustenance and 
     progress of good character in your family. Ask for a complete 
     God-given understanding of the nature and importance of truth 
     and thereby avoid the errors that can set back or thwart your 
     spiritual goals.

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