The amount of flat out lying, and other forms of prevarication, we are seeing these days is staggering – and in many ways, is also quite frightening. In the news arena, we are seeing countless stories that reporters make up out of whole cloth to promote a particular political agenda. There is even a new phrase that has emerged to describe media lying – Fake News. The news media simply should not be partisan; their role in society is to get the truth to the public – no matter where the chips may fall. Sadly, deliberate lying has become a major part of the process. But it is not just in the media. We see it in politics, as politicians tell lie after lie in order to further their agenda. We see it in business and industry, as executives tell deliberate lies in order to make a sale or get a contract. And we see this magnitude of lying in virtually all other segments of society, as well. So why, in our modern culture, do people feel it is okay to lie in order to accomplish their goals?
Naturalism
Of course, there are various reasons this phenomenon occurs, but the most common rationale in modern society has its roots in a naturalistic worldview. Naturalism currently dominates virtually all of the major societal institutions, and the beliefs of this worldview guide the morals of those who follow it.
Naturalism is the belief that the natural universe is all that exists. If that is indeed true, then there is no such thing as an objectively true moral law. In order for an objective moral law to exist, there must be an objectively real moral law giver. Since Naturalism dismisses God out of hand, the only possible source for moral beliefs becomes human beings who must make them up.
Using naturalistic presuppositions, there is no such thing as an objectively real good and bad, right and wrong. True and real “moral truth” simply does not exist. Morality becomes the consensus of society, or the proclamations of those in power who have the ability to enforce their preferences. As such, the basis for morality becomes human preference, political gain, or economic advantage, not truth.
When it comes to enforcing the preferred morality based on Naturalism, those in power can properly resort to an ends justifies the means methodology. The end result of that kind of philosophy in the media is that media outlets can legitimately publish fake news in order to accomplish their political goals, politicians can, in all good conscience, lie in order to achieve their political desires, and business people can fabricate falsehoods and cheat in order to gain an advantage – all believing that what they are doing is completely moral.
Biblical Worldview
A biblical worldview, on the other hand, does acknowledge an objectively real God who has revealed himself and his ways. His revelation includes his very character – which is the basis for morality. The revelation of his ways shows us how his character should be expressed in life. It reveals a God who is holy, just, and love. Another expression of his character is truth. We see this explicitly revealed in Scripture. In John 14:6 we read, “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and THE TRUTH and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”
These character traits are expressed in his holiness, absolute justice, love of his creation, and in truth telling. In revealing himself and his ways, God has also revealed that we, as human beings, are to take on his character and express those character traits in daily life. This is what an objectively real morality looks like. When it comes to the topic of truth, God has revealed how this should play out in human life. Here are some examples of what his revelation teaches:
You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. Exodus 20:16
Do not steal. Do not lie. Do not deceive one another. Leviticus 19:11
There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers. Proverbs 6:16-19
A false witness will perish, and whoever listens to him will be destroyed forever. Proverbs 21:28
For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 2 Timothy 4:3-4
To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32
A biblical worldview does not look to human preference to generate its morality. Rather, it recognizes that there are moral beliefs that are based on the character of an objectively real God who has revealed that we are to imitate him. Expressing the truth in every part of life is an integral part of that.
Common Expressions of Untruth in Society
As we look at a society that has normalized untruth, it is sometimes hard to even identify all the lying. Much of it is done in a way that is actually hard to recognize. So, for the purpose of shining a light on it, let’s look at some examples of how this plays out in modern society. These examples don’t exhaust all of the possibilities, but it does identify a great deal.
1. Telling bold lies – Of course, there are those who do just boldly tell lies. Sometimes this audacious approach actually works, as it is hard to imagine people putting themselves out there like that – but they do.
2. Telling half truths – Half truths are often difficult to deal with because part of what is being said actually is the truth. It sometimes takes a bit of effort to sort this out because this kind of lie can be expressed in sound bytes. On the other hand, it generally takes much more explanation to untangle the lie.
3. Changing the subject – Sometimes you might be in a conversation on one subject, then have someone actually change the topic and use the new topic as rationale for their original point. A common one that I see in many of my conversations is that people will say God is evil because some person claiming to be a Christian did something bad – as if a person’s bad behavior corrupted God. They have changed the subject from God to man, then applied the accusation to God.
4. Straw man – It is not unusual for people to create a hypothetical scenario, then give reasons why it is not true in order to dismiss a point you are making. The problem with this is that hypothetical situations are not real, and treating them as if they were, for the purpose of making a point that is not true, is a form of lying.
5. Using wrong logic – It is not unusual at all for people to argue for their point of view based on worldview presuppositions that are not true. For instance, when Atheists try to dismiss the existence of God, they are assuming he is not real because no one can prove his existence using scientific experimentation. However, the logic their arguments are based upon are simply not true. The fact is, they cannot even prove their own beliefs using the very logic they insist we apply to our faith.
6. Making conclusions based on untrue reporting – There is a lot of reporting of the news that uses an information source that is simply not true. Many people will latch on to a false story and use it as a basis for asserting their personal bias without checking to see whether or not the story is true.
7. Selective accusations – Often you will hear people accuse opponents of doing something wrong, but do not acknowledge the exact same wrong when done by someone on their side. This kind of hypocrisy is a form of lying.
The form lies take can be varied, and sometime hard to spot. If we want to have the ability to counter the untruths we inevitably confront, we need to be aware of the various ways people inject them into our world.
How Should We Respond?
With so much untruth in the world, and such an acceptance of that as normative, it can, at times, be very difficult to deal with it. That said, we must not shy away from confronting lies when we find them. Truth telling is the cornerstone of integrity, and is central to expressing a Christian witness.
In responding to lies in the marketplace, we need to follow Jesus’ admonition in Matthew 10:16 to be “as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” It is essential to always maintain the right attitude, while not allowing the lies to stand.
In order to express the right attitude, we must, first of all, remember that our response should have three outcomes. First, it should glorify God. After all, that is the very purpose of our existence. Second it should point people to God. Finally, it should lead to actual truth coming out. This does not mean that every word out of our mouth has to invoke the Bible or God’s name, but it does mean that people should know where we are coming from. They should know that the reason we respond the way we do is because God is the primary influence of our life.
In our Postmodern world, many people think nothing of telling lies in order to gain economic or political advantage. But God’s purposes are not accomplished when temporal goals are primary. His purpose is that people know him and live in relationship with him. In a world where telling lies is accepted as normative, truth telling can be a very powerful witness.
© 2017 Freddy Davis