How to have courage

Courage is essential if we want to overcome the lies in the world

The other day, a BBC newsreader called Martine Croxall went viral on X because she read “pregnant people” from the autocue, and then instantly corrected it to “women” (with an eye-roll). It goes to show how insane our society is, that it’s noteworthy for a newsreader to speak the truth rather than sticking to the script!

People have been commending her for her bravery in speaking out — and, sadly, given the state of our national broadcaster at the moment, it IS a brave thing to do. Nonetheless, it strikes me that what she did is only a drop in the ocean compared to what we need.

Recently, I got into conversation with a woman who is a school photographer — she goes into lots of different schools to do their school portraits. She said she usually asks “all the girls in dresses” to come for their photos first. She told me that on a few occasions the teachers had said to her “You can’t say that! What if there are boys wearing dresses?!…”

The point I’m making here is that the madness is no longer simply affecting other people such as those on TV, or who work in the public sector. It’s affecting everybody in one way or another. Part of the reason it’s spread so far is because too many people have been prepared to look the other way, stay quiet and ‘not make a fuss’. But I believe that strategy isn’t going to wash anymore: we can’t look the other way and hope someone else will stand up against it. We can’t ignore it and hope it all goes away. We all need to make the choice to be courageous, as and when we have the opportunity, to stand up against the madness.

To quote Solzhenitsyn’s famous piece, Live Not by Lies:

And therein we find, neglected by us, the simplest, the most accessible key to our liberation: a personal nonparticipation in lies! Even if all is covered by lies, even if all is under their rule, let us resist in the smallest way: Let their rule hold not through me!

“A personal nonparticipation in lies” — what a brilliant way of putting it. Even if the lie takes hold in the world, we should refuse to be a party to it. Come what may, come hell or high water, the lie will not rule through me. I strongly believe that things are not going to change unless we have people who are willing to live in this way.

However, as I hinted at, this will take courage. We may not have our courage tested on national television, as was the case with the BBC newsreader, but we will have our courage and resolve tested in smaller everyday interactions. Will we choose the path of truth over lies? Will we choose to stand up for what is right, even if it brings difficulties?

Maybe you’re like me and you’re wondering how it’s possible to have courage like this. Let me offer you some words of encouragement from my own life.

Am I courageous…?

Over the last few years, my life has been heavily impacted by standing up for the truth: because I didn’t ‘look the other way and stay quiet’ during the covid madness but instead spoke out forcefully and publicly, I became something of a social pariah and lost a lot of friends. I had disagreements with colleagues, I nearly got cancelled, and I think a lot of people now see me as being ‘extreme’ and keep their distance.

When people have written to me over the last few years to thank me for the articles and podcasts I’ve made, sometimes they thank me for my ‘bravery’ in speaking out. It always makes me a bit embarrassed, because the truth is I am probably the last person anyone would expect to be brave.

When I was younger, I wasn’t adventurous: I was very cautious as a child. I didn’t go climbing trees, I didn’t even really like to go on climbing frames. I didn’t particularly like rollercoasters or thrill-seeking rides. For example, it took time and some persuasion from my friends for me to work up the courage to go on the water slide at a local swimming pool! During my teenage years, I used to either be out playing in the park with my friends or at home on the computer. I didn’t do very many groups and activities apart from church and a church club. I’m an introvert and I was quite shy, so I didn’t really like going out and meeting new people. I’m also very conflict averse: I would run a mile before being in a confrontation with anyone. I am a natural people pleaser, I want people to like me and to get on well, and I don’t like disagreements.

In short, of all the people in the world you’d expect to be brave, I am at the bottom of the list! I’m not kidding: ask my wife. She’s a similar kind of person to me — would much rather not say anything and keep the peace. And yet people think that we’re some kind of crazy extremists because we spoke out about covid (and continue to speak about other things). We’ve often talked about how bizarre it is that things would turn out this way for us of all people. And yet, here we are.

So, what changed for me? Why am I, one of the most mild-mannered people you’re likely to meet, speaking out and being seen as some kind of crazy extremist? What gave me courage?

Where courage comes from

The reason most people do not speak out when they have the opportunity to do so is fear: they fear the consequences of speaking out more than they fear the consequences of not speaking out. For example, they might fear falling out with their friends, being disciplined or even losing their jobs, losing income, reputational damage, and so on.

Fear is what causes us to look the other way even when we know we should say something. Fear keeps us locked up, impotent, unable to do anything but complain about the status quo to our nearest and dearest. Fear is the opposite of courage.

So, if we want to have courage, we need to not fear. How can we achieve this? Look at what Jesus said:

“I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” Luke 12:4-7

Jesus says that all earthly fears should be driven out by an overriding fear, that is, the fear of the Lord. Please understand that the “fear of the Lord” in the Bible doesn’t mean fear in the sense of “being scared of”. It means more like we would use the word ‘respect’ or ‘reverence’. One of the key things about the fear of the Lord is that it should control our actions: the fear of the Lord is not simply an academic thing but directs us into what is right.

The ‘fear of the Lord’ is a big theme in the Bible. If you’d like to read something a bit more in-depth, I wrote about it a few years ago on Understand the Bible. As an example of what it means to try and put the fear of the Lord into practice, check out my piece Why Christians should be conspiracy theorists.

The point here is that we should prioritise what our heavenly Father wants from us more than anyone else — even governments and authorities. God wants us to speak the truth, he wants us to do what is right, and so on. He wants us to do that even if there are negative consequences for us. In fact, it is precisely because we fear our heavenly Father that we can have no fear of people. As Jesus said, God even looks after the sparrows — and we are much more valuable than they. Even the hairs on your head are all numbered. Whatever other people can do to us, nothing can take us outside of God’s care.

And we do need to remember that there are consequences of NOT speaking up which we should fear more than the consequences of speaking up. Jesus speaks about hell, which is the ultimate ‘consequence’ for rejecting God. But I think there are more:

• Should we not be concerned about the world our children are inheriting? If we do not speak up today, what kind of world will they grow up in? Should we not fear for them?

• Should we not be concerned about the young people whose lives have been ruined by people turning the other way when they’ve been prescribed puberty blocking drugs etc?

Speaking for myself, I fear a world where I haven’t spoken out far more than I fear the consequences of speaking out. I wish more people would see it this way.

Is fear justified anyway?

Another angle on this is to ask the question, is fear really justified? For example, if you were worried about losing your job, losing your reputation, and so on — if those things happened, would it be as bad as you fear it will?

If we stop to think rationally about fear, we have to acknowledge that our fears are often exaggerated or even groundless. In the words of the poem Say not the Struggle nought Availeth, “If hopes were dupes, fears may be liars”.

Think about what you are afraid of:

• Losing friends. Let me tell you, if you lose friends because you speak out, they were never true friends to begin with. There are people I don’t speak to any more these days, and that does hurt to some extent, but if people can’t see past my opinions then whatever we had wasn’t a true friendship in the first place. Plus, I have gained some new relationships — and the relationships I have now, although fewer, are deeper as we can be more open about the truth.

• Losing work. I appreciate this is a big issue for many people, especially if you would be unable to cope financially without losing income. My experience has been, again, that God is faithful and will provide. Don’t let fear of losing income stop you from doing the right thing.

• Losing reputation. Reputation is a strange one … it matters more to some people than it does to others. I think it’s important to know what you want a reputation for… personally, I’d rather have a reputation for being someone who speaks the truth uncompromisingly, even if it meant being seen as ‘awkward’ or even ‘extreme’ by some. Jesus said: “Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets” (Luke 6:26). If everyone speaks well of you, I would question as to whether I was being bold enough in speaking the truth.

My experience has been that, although I have found my life more difficult in some ways since becoming more vocal about what is going on in the world, I have also found more blessings. I have discovered Jesus’ words to be accurate:

“Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life.

Mark 10:20-30

What should we do?

I’ve spoken a lot in this piece about how we can have courage. I’d like to finish by offering up a few brief thoughts as to what that practically looks like. I’m going to quote from Solzhenitsyn once again, as this is very helpful:

Our way must be: Never knowingly support lies! Having understood where the lies begin (and many see this line differently)—step back from that gangrenous edge! Let us not glue back the flaking scales of the Ideology, not gather back its crumbling bones, nor patch together its decomposing garb, and we will be amazed how swiftly and helplessly the lies will fall away, and that which is destined to be naked will be exposed as such to the world.

Solzhenitsyn said that we should never knowingly support lies. He adds that we will all see where the lies begin a little differently, but the important thing is to step back from it. There are toxic lies being told in our culture, and we must not support them.

What does that mean in practice? He offers up these suggestions. Someone who does not support lies…

• Will not write, sign, nor publish in any way, a single line distorting, so far as he can see, the truth;

• Will not utter such a line in private or in public conversation, nor read it from a crib sheet, nor speak it in the role of educator, canvasser, teacher, actor;

• Will not in painting, sculpture, photograph, technology, or music depict, support, or broadcast a single false thought, a single distortion of the truth as he discerns it;

• Will not cite in writing or in speech a single “guiding” quote for gratification, insurance, for his success at work, unless he fully shares the cited thought and believes that it fits the context precisely;

• Will not be forced to a demonstration or a rally if it runs counter to his desire and his will; will not take up and raise a banner or slogan in which he does not fully believe;

• Will not raise a hand in vote for a proposal which he does not sincerely support; will not vote openly or in secret ballot for a candidate whom he deems dubious or unworthy;

• Will not be impelled to a meeting where a forced and distorted discussion is expected to take place;

• Will at once walk out from a session, meeting, lecture, play, or film as soon as he hears the speaker utter a lie, ideological drivel, or shameless propaganda;

• Will not subscribe to, nor buy in retail, a newspaper or journal that distorts or hides the underlying facts.

Obviously these are things which reasonable people can have some disagreement about. Some of them will obviously be more applicable to certain jobs (e.g. teachers or civil servants — I think it might be nigh-on impossible to be a civil servant in some government departments these days). But I think they are worthy of giving careful consideration to.

For example, what he says entails not supporting newspaper or media organisations which print lies. One of the things my wife and I did a few years ago was cancel our TV licence: we refused to fund the BBC in its relentless propaganda. These days we don’t watch TV (although we do watch things on YouTube etc). There are times of the year we miss having a TV Licence, e.g. at this time of year we’d love to watch Wimbledon. However, in general the pain of not being able to watch a few things is far outweighed by the satisfaction of not funding an organisation which seems to hate the truth.

Note: as I mentioned in last week’s podcast, I have been watching through Derrick Broze’s series The Pyramid of Power. One of the things I like is that each episode has a “Here’s what you can do…” section at the end, alongside some suggested reading. I highly recommend it, and it will help you to think through the different aspects of what it means to live not by lies in these different areas of life.

During the course of everyday life, we will all be confronted with decisions to choose the path of truth or choose the path of lies. Some of us may be confronted with those decisions on a regular basis, some less frequently, but one thing is inevitable: they will come to ALL of us. The consequences of standing up for the truth may be harder for some of us than for others. But, if we want change to come, all of us need to choose the path of truth and righteousness over the lies. Courage begets courage, and the more people who do this the easier it will become.

Let me quote from the Bible to finish:

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9