The accusation of lying – what politics reveals about our need for truth

Posted on October 10, 2012 Written by Mark McIntyre 4 Comments

In a social climate where a majority of people claim to believe that truth is relative, I find it curious that one of the most effective accusations leveled at a political opponent is that of lying. We have partisan “fact-checkers” who masquerade as neutral agents in an effort to bolster these claims. Both sides accuse the other of lying or of intentional deception.

I am not shocked that politicians lie or embellish the truth; we have several millennia of evidence to substantiate this claim. I am not shocked that opponents would loudly condemn the lying. What shocks me is the ease in which the accusations are leveled and the effectiveness of the accusations in achieving political gains.

If truth is relative, as our secular philosophers would argue, then why get all worked up over a few flip-flops, falsehoods or misrepresentations? Why should it matter that the candidate says whatever he thinks will get him elected? Is this not Darwinism in action? Is this not a legitimate means of political survival?

Yet the fact that accusations of lying do change people’s perception is an indication to me that there is a dichotomy between what people claim to believe and what they really believe. The mantra of current secular religion is that tolerance is the ultimate virtue. No-one has the right to denigrate the truth claims of another. We are told that there is no ultimate right or wrong. In our age, the only time when tolerance is not appropriate is when someone makes an ultimate truth claim.

In this moral and intellectual climate, why then do political groups so loudly denounce lying?

I believe the reason is that we have an innate sense of fairness. We do not have to teach this fairness to children. Without prompting, children loudly protest, “that’s not fair!” My experience has shown that children come wired with that sense of fairness. It’s part of the base package and not an option.

In this election season, when you hear accusations of lying and deception between political opponents, reflect on the innate sense of fairness that you possess. Then ask yourself if that sense of fairness is more than just a preference for a particular idea or ideology.

The Apostle Paul tells us that even those who do not acknowledge God have “the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them” (Romans 2:15, NASB)

Could it be that the Apostle Paul identified the reason why the accusation of lying is so effective? Is there a standard by which we innately know we should live? Is that standard written on our hearts by God?

These questions are of greater significance than who is put into office in November. The election has temporal consequences but these questions have an impact on eternity.

Four things that I should learn from the family dog

Posted on October 8, 2012 Written by Mark McIntyre 3 Comments

Our dog Marcy loves Saturdays when we are home doing chores around the house. She is less than a year old and is still very puppy-like. This past Saturday while I was splitting wood I had a chance to observe her while she entertained herself. The thought struck me that there were a few lessons for me in her behavior. Some things I’ve learned from my dog:

Feel free to chase the leaves as the wind blows them around the yard. Marcy can spend hours chasing butterflies, bees and leaves around the yard. She gets great enjoyment from this and the number of things to chase is large. What I learn from this is that I should enjoy the small gifts that God sends my way. When I am open to it, there is a seemingly inexhaustible list of things that I can enjoy. Sunshine, the wind in the trees, a beautiful spider web or an exuberant greeting by a puppy are all things that are meant to be enjoyed.
Just about anything will work as a chew toy. This is similar to #1 but is slightly different. Marcy does not seem to waste any effort in pining over a lost toy. There are potential toys all around her, so she does not get stressed at the loss of any one of them. A piece of firewood, a shoe, a sock, a pair of glasses or a gardening trowel is acceptable to her as a chew toy. In other words rather than being disappointed by the lack of a particular toy, she makes herself content with whatever is available. Too often, I fall prey to the idea that some item will make my life easier or more complete. Instead, it would be so much better to be content with what I have.
People are more important than anything else. Whenever someone comes out of the house or pulls in our driveway, Marcy takes it upon herself to be the welcoming committee. Whenever a new person is within her sphere, that person becomes her one and only priority. I am sometimes distracted by things that need to be done or some other preoccupation causes me to fail in my greeting and connection with the people around me.
Do not worry about anything. I can observe no indication that our dog worries about anything. She gratefully eats the food when it is in the bowl but shows no concern about when the bowl might be filled again. I can observe no fear of what might happen. She simply responds to life as it happens and seemingly derives the most joy out of what is happening in the moment. I should not let concern over things I cannot control distract me from enjoying the moment.

Jesus also pointed to the animal kingdom to give us a lesson when he said:

“”For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? “Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? “And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?” (Matthew 6:25–27, NASB)

We can learn a lot from birds and puppies.

A lesson learned from a genealogy

Posted on October 5, 2012 Written by Mark McIntyre 2 Comments

In reading through the names in the genealogy in Matthew 1, it is tempting to skip through to verse 18 where the text gets more interesting. “Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of . . . .” is not riveting reading. It is like walking through a graveyard. There are a bunch of names of dead people who seemingly have very little impact on how I get through my day.

Some of the names are important people in Israel’s history. Of others we know nothing more than their name and where they fit in the genealogy. Some were obedient to God and were praised; some were disobedient and went on to ignominy.

This is exactly the choice that all men (and women) have to make. We choose to be obedient or disobedient; we must make this choice every moment of every day. Like those men in the genealogy, our lives will be defined by the sum of our choices. We cannot work our way into Heaven (Ephesians 2:8-9), but Jesus does give indication that there will be rewards and a hierarchy in eternity. It is through obedience and service that the rewards are accumulated.

Rich or poor, influential or insignificant, popular or unknown, talented or untalented, we all are called to follow God in obedience. In that sense we are all the same. We cannot use the excuse that our choices do not matter, because all of Scripture teaches us that they do. Specifically, the words of Jesus in Luke 16:10-13 come to mind:

“He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much. Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you? And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” (NASB)

Someone told me “mind your pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves.” In the same way, if we choose faithfulness in the little things, the foundation will be laid for faithfulness in the big things.

Let us choose to be obedient in the small things.

Content but not satisfied

Posted on October 1, 2012 Written by Mark McIntyre 5 Comments

Content

The Apostle Paul indicates that contentment is the state of mind in which a Christian should operate. After God denied his prayer to have his “thorn in the flesh” taken away, Paul writes to the Corinthians:

“Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:10, NASB)

In Philippians 4:11, Paul indicates that contentment is a learned behavior. No matter what his circumstances, Paul would be content in the knowledge that God is in control and working things out for the advantage of his mission to preach the Gospel. Paul encourages his protégé Timothy to similar behavior when he writes:

“But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.” (1 Timothy 6:6–8, NASB)

But not satisfied

On the other hand, Paul expresses a desire to advance, to change, to make things better. In Philippians 3 he speaks of “pressing on” to describe his lack of satisfaction. Paul describes his desire to climb higher in his spiritual life:

“Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13–14, NASB)

We can also see Paul’s dissatisfaction with his progress in his spiritual life when we read Romans 7. At one point in the chapter Paul cries out, “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?” (Romans 7:24, NASB) We do not get any sense that Paul had arrived at a place where he should be satisfied in his spiritual state.

A reconciliation

Was Paul content or was his dissatisfied? From the verses cited above the answer to this question has to be “both.” Paul was content but dissatisfied.

Is Paul conflicted or is there some other way of understanding what is going on? I believe it is the latter and this understanding can be applied it to our own lives.

With regard to his physical circumstances (who he was with, his food, his clothing, his travel schedule, the rigors of fulfilling his mission) Paul was content that God was in control. The oft quoted Romans 8:28 is an indication of this. Nothing about his circumstances would deter Paul from the completion of his mission. Paul did not get bogged down in self-pity when things were difficult.

On the other hand, with regard to the things of God, Paul was discontent or dissatisfied. He was not satisfied with his own progress in true holiness. Paul was not satisfied that he had done enough for the spread of the Gospel. Paul was not content to allow people to go into eternity without having heard the good news of Jesus Christ.

Too often, I have this backward. I am often dissatisfied in my physical circumstances and complacent regarding my holiness and mission. My dissatisfaction stems from being self-absorbed and focused on the wrong things.

By God’s grace and through his power, I choose to realign my contentment and dissatisfaction to follow the example of Paul.