Vacuum 5 –The Melancholy, Long, Withdrawing Roar – And the Sound of Truth Dying

‘The Sea of Faith Was once, too, at the full,

and round earth’s shore Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furled. 

But now I only hear Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar,

Retreating, to the breath Of the night-wind,

down the vast edges drear And naked shingles of the world.

                                                                                                ‘On Dover Beach’ Matthew Arnold

There are two places where I have lived for several years at a time which, despite being at opposite ends of the Earth, have one significant thing in common. The two places are Swansea on the south coast of Wales in the United Kingdom and tropical Darwin on the northern coast of the Northern Territory of Australia. While being poles apart in geography and climate, the commonality is that both places have a huge tidal range.

On sunny days at both places, when the tide is in, the view is one of waves twinkling with brightness and pulsing with energy, where there is life and fish abound. In contrast, when the tide withdraws into the distance, from the same vantage point the view is one of dull, lifeless, dark mud, except that is for the odd crab staggering drunkenly over the sludge.

It has occurred to me that (using the imagery of Matthew Arnold’s poem ‘On Dover Beach’), the tidal retreat at those two places serves as an appropriate metaphor for the ‘melancholy, long, withdrawing roar’ of the Gospel tide and its influence from Australian (Western) society.

We now see the consequence of that withdrawal, namely the ‘Degradation’ of society, a major characteristic of which is the death of Truth. For those who have eyes to see that is.

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^‘The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness’

Romans 1:18

Essential to the nature of God is that He is Truth, that is a singular noun, not Truths. However, to use the words of Daniel, in our society ‘Truth has been cast down’ (Daniel 8:12). Indeed, the West is now largely a people ‘who suppress the truth by their wickedness’, and being that God is Truth, the retreat from one singular Truth, is a retreat from God himself.

The institutional eradication of Truth is a major characteristic of the society described in George Orwell’s book 1984, a book which pictures a society where a totalitarian government systematically and regularly rewrote history to suit its current (political) purposes and fostered such blatant lies and distortions of truth such as ‘War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength’.

Many decades later, little did I think I’d be living in ‘1984’!

There is an old saying that Truth is the first casualty of War. This is certainly the case in the spiritual war taking place in western societies today as we now witness the consequences of the retreat from Truth.

The expulsion of Truth is by definition the expulsion of God. This leaves a spiritual Vacuum, one now being aggressively filled by the personage Jesus described as the ‘Father of Lies’ (John 8:44), and boy isn’t he having a field day!

Flawed Science

There is probably no greater example of the retreat from Truth than in the area of science, a discipline I was involved in for a great period of my life as a professional engineer. Some specific examples, out of hundreds that could be given, make the point.

One that is having a major impact on government policies is that of Climate change. A frequently heard statement on this topic is that ‘the science is settled’ that current temperature rise is significantly the result of human activity, particularly the burning of fossil fuels.

Note, there is absolutely no denial here that the climate is changing, it always has and always will. However, there could be no more unscientific statement than ‘the science is settled’, because science is never settled on anything or at least only until the latest research unsettles it.

Many examples of allegedly ‘settled science’ that should at least be debated can be cited-

1. The recent shifting science on the dangers of administering ‘puberty-blockers’ to young children serves as one.
2. The often-stated claim that Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) is a ‘pollutant’. It is not! This is one of the great untruths frequently claimed in relation to the global warming debate. Nothing in fact could be further from the truth, for CO₂ is actually the ‘Life molecule’. Indeed, it is essential for life on Earth. When the proportion of CO₂ in the atmosphere drops below 150 parts per million (ppm) organisms start to die. At 130 ppm everything is dead, including us!

CO₂ is in fact also plant food, and the reason why horticulturalists pump this ‘pollutant’ into their greenhouses so they get greater yields from their plants. Further, higher levels of CO₂  in the atmosphere are increasing global crop yields such that more people can be fed.

• The claim that there is a scientifically proven link between the increase in atmospheric CO₂ levels and the global temperature? No there isn’t! It is a theory which may or may not be proven to be true in the future. In fact, scientific analysis over, not just the last few hundred but, tens of millions of years reveal little clear relationship between the two.

• Since WW 2 ‘the science’ has warned at regular intervals that children would never see snow again, that there is an increase in cyclones and droughts in Australia, that in various ways we were about to freeze, fry, drown or starve. Yet all have either failed or are failing to eventuate.

• The claim that there has been a been an increase in deaths from natural disasters as a result of climate change. No there has not. The reality is that there has been a 90% plus decrease in such disasters and resulting deaths (including from wildfires and cyclones) over the last century or so.

• The ‘science’ claims that climate related rising sea levels are drowning Pacific Islands. The Truth is that, as revealed in a University of Auckland study, in 40% of cases they are actually growing in size, and another 40% are stable.

• The often-heard claim that the Great Barrier Reef is dying. In fact, the Reef is currently (2025) experiencing record levels of Coral cover.

• During the Covid19 epidemic it was repeatedly claimed ‘the science’ said that vaccination was essential because it prevented transmission. This is despite large numbers of world-famous scientists opposing that claim at the time. The claim has been shown to be absolutely untrue: vaccination didn’t and doesn’t prevent transmission.

• Again ‘the science’ told us that it was important to vaccinate those under 18 against Covid 19. Despite many scientists arguing against this at the time. However, they were ignored, or worse were belittled. Now, however, they have been vindicated, for it has now been shown that the opposite is the case.

• Another frequently stated ‘truth’ based on ‘the science’, is that Australia must reduce its use of fossil fuels in order to limit the effects of global warming. That this is false was made clear by the previous Federal Government’s Chief Scientist Alan Finkel. He was asked at a Senates Estimates committee meeting what would the effect on the climate be if we shut down Australia and all its carbon emissions. His answer – virtually nothing!

The co-winner of the 2022 Nobel Physics prize, Dr. John Clauser, has described the ‘climate emergency’ narrative as a “dangerous corruption of science that threatens the world’s economy and the well-being of billions of people”. His latter point is a matter of debate and worth debating in itself, but more importantly is of first importance, because it brings in the issue of ‘Justice’. Discussion of that is too large for this article but will be a future topic.

To view a much-expanded essay on this issue click In a Post Truth World – Justice Dies

Politics

Another demonstration of Truth’s retreating tide is in the area of Politics. A prime example is in the recent Australian federal election campaign, which was liberally and regularly festooned with, often easily shown to be, falsehoods, and Truth was sacrificed on the altar of the god of votes.  

This was particularly the case when it came the areas of health, energy, cost of living. However, tragically, apart from a few wonderful exceptions, we can’t expect much better from our politicians. This because most are the product of the same society afflicted by the ‘melancholy, long, withdrawing roar’ of the Gospel and therefore by any biblical influence

Multiculturalism

It was when I first came to Australia decades ago that I first encountered this thing called Multiculturalism. On the face of it seemed a good idea at the time. It is based on an assumed ‘Truth’: that all cultures are of equal value and people from different cultures would fit in and be an enriching factor in Australian society.

In considering that statement, a non-arguable Truth must be strongly emphasized. That is, that in the sight of God, every human is made in God’s image and of equal value, no matter what their culture, its religious component, or practices. However, what about the belief that all cultures are of equal value?

Let’s consider that question: that is whether is True that importing cultures from wherever is a good idea, on the premise that all cultures are equal. We can examine that premise by looking at some of the current practices and beliefs of various cultures around the world. (I’ll let the reader decide for themselves what culture each one belongs to). E.g.-

• Where Justice is executeded by violence. For example, by the practice of ‘Spearing’ a guilty person.

• Where it is normal to solve conflict by violence – Through the use of knives, machetes, arrows, spears.

• Where the practice of Female Genital Mutilation FMG, is normal.

• Where, in ‘honour and shame’ cultures, Honour-killing is accepted.

• Where slavery is practiced.

• Where it is normal for homosexual people to be executed.

• Where women are subjugated and treated as second class citizens, and worse, even considered to be chattels, and child marriage is considered to be acceptable.

• Where Child sacrifice is practiced– In 2022 there were reports of 76 child sacrifice victims with their hearts ripped out found in a south American country.

• Where it is considered ‘normal’ for society to be vertically stratified, from the top privileged, ruling layer to the poor and underprivileged at the bottom level.

• Where the dominant religion doesn’t require the practice of any social justice.

• Where a society can be divided into tribes, where ‘my tribe’ is the only one that counts, and where other tribes are to be abused, vilified, attacked and rejected.

The question to be asked, on the basis of the various current cultural practices around the world, some listed above, is whether it is ‘True’ that it is a good idea to build a society in the belief that all cultures are equal?

The answer to that question, while it must be re-emphasised that every human is of equal value in the sight of God and should be treated as such, is most definitely No! Yet cultural equality is the very basis for the Multicultural project.

The Preachers

Given current church attendance statistics, the number of people who hear sermons these days is significantly less than used to be the case. However, that is only true if one is talking about sermons in church services, however there are ‘sermons’ from multiple sources that people are bombarded with, not once a week, but every day.

These are given by the ‘preachers’ in the media – that is through social media, other electronic media, TV news bulletins, pod casts or (decreasingly) various print media. News stories accessed through such channels are often full of falsehoods, distorted versions of the truth, or so lacking in context that any original truth is corrupted. Most of the time these ‘untruths’ go without challenge and so are accepted by the various audiences as factually true.

One among many recent examples of false ‘preaching’ is the media-carried report, claimed to be from a United Nations body, that a lack of food aid to Gaza would result in 14,000 babies dying in the next 48 hrs. The ‘Truth’ was that the original report said that 14,000 babies would suffer from malnutrition in the next 12 months.

The false distortion stayed up on several media websites long after the Truth was revealed.

Note, there is another, arguably worst consequence, of the ‘melancholy, long, withdrawing roar’ of the Gospel from western society, and that is the ‘Death of Justice’. This is too large a topic to include here but will be addressed in future.

The Desalinated Church

‘The Melancholy, Long Withdrawing Roar’ of the ‘Sea of Faith’ has left only the sludge of a godless neo-pagan society, a major characteristic of which is a Vacuum of Truth. That ‘Sea of Faith’ which was once at the full in western societies is at the full no more, and the only agency that can turn that tide is the one God created for that purpose, that is the Church. Not the impotent entity called ‘Church’ today, but the one set up to fulfill its Jesus-mandated mission such as the one that took the gospel to Europe 1500 plus years ago and turned the pagan tribes into what came to be called Christendom, the basis of Western Civilization.

However, the Church that should be the army of the God who is Truth, engages little in the battle to conquer the ‘Father of Lies’ and his agents. In the face of the spiritual Ebbtide evacuating western society, it stands impotent; in bondage to culturally-alien forms of church and mission; sleepwalking into the iceberg of irrelevance ; Desalinated like ‘salt that has lost its saltiness’  (Matthew 5:13); its soldiers entangled in civilian pursuits (2 Timothy 2:4); its leaderships largely mute.

Indeed, while it gives me absolutely no pleasure to say it, it can be argued that the Biggest Elephant in the mission operations room is that of Leadership. Yes, there are some wonderful, creative exceptions, praise God for them – but they are very few. The fact is that in this civilizational, spiritual Crisis, in the context of leadership the words that most commonly come to mind are Rome, burn, Nero, fiddle. (See Quantum Mission Here.)

Western society is experiencing the ‘The Melancholy, Long, Withdrawing Roar’ of the ‘Sea of Faith’; that ‘was once, too, at the full’ but no more; accompanied by the ‘Sound of Truth Dying’; and consequential Degradation.

In these times when much is said about the need for more defence spending, the most urgent need in the spiritual battle the West is currently losing badly, is far more investment in the army of God to attack and reclaim the pagan tribes of our time with the Gospel of Truth.