“But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:2, ESV)
“NORTH WATERBORO, Maine — The only light in the house came from the glow of three computer monitors, and Christopher Blair, 46, sat down at a keyboard and started to type. His wife had left for work and his children were on their way to school, but waiting online was his other community, an unreality where nothing was exactly as it seemed. He logged onto his website and began to invent his first news story of the day.
“BREAKING,” he wrote, pecking out each letter with his index fingers as he considered the possibilities. Maybe he would announce that Hillary Clinton had died during a secret overseas mission to smuggle more refugees into America. Maybe he would award President Trump the Nobel Peace Prize for his courage in denying climate change.
A new message popped onto Blair’s screen from a friend who helped with his website. “What viral insanity should we spread this morning?” the friend asked.
He had launched his new website on Facebook during the 2016 presidential campaign as a practical joke among friends — a political satire site started by Blair and a few other liberal bloggers who wanted to make fun of what they considered to be extremist ideas spreading throughout the far right. In the last two years on his page, America’s Last Line of Defense, Blair had made up stories about California instituting sharia, former president Bill Clinton becoming a serial killer, undocumented immigrants defacing Mount Rushmore, and former president Barack Obama dodging the Vietnam draft when he was 9.” (Eli Saslow, The Washington Post, November 17, 2018)
Christopher Blair did all this as a joke. He did it as sarcasm and political satire. However, what people did with his information was completely underhanded. Countries like Russia and China printed his stories as examples of how corrupt the West has become. Political groups used his pictures and information to spread lies and falsehoods to damage the reputations of those involved. People sent his fake news all over Facebook and social media. Even though Christopher Blair wrote on his site that nothing on those satirical pages was real, people believed them and used them and manipulated others through their proliferation.
There is a lot of talk these days about fake news, lies, deceptions in social media and political circles. Sadly, it is not just the worldly realms that practice underhanded deceit. Christians can get caught up in the very same worldly practice. Gossip, though roundly criticized in scripture, runs rampant in some churches (Exodus 23:1, Psalm 101:5, James 4:11). Little lies are told by some church members so others may support them, to demean others, or to cause doubt among the faithful. Even when wrong, Christians might be tempted to use underhanded methods to play with the truth or to get others to believe a lie.
The scripture for today from 2 Corinthians 4:2 roundly criticizes all those who use “disgraceful, underhanded” methods. Paul, who wrote this verse, made the claim that the faithful have “renounced” such evil tactics. Even when dealing with God’s Word, some religious people (Christians among them) like to play loose with the Bible. They misquote the Bible, twist its meaning, and even attempt to reinterpret its true relevance. It happens more than you are aware.
Many mainline churches write politically correct versions of the scriptures when printing Bible passages or quoting it on the overhead. The pastors do not tell the congregation when this occurs. These versions will often play loose with the actual words of the Bible in order to make the scriptures appear as supporting modern ideologies or to sound politically correct. I have overheard several pastors exclaim that in their church no documents are ever written that use politically incorrect language. All the language, including scripture, is rewritten to reflect politically correct methods and syntax and ideologies. I’m betting you’ve attended a worship service where this was done without your knowledge. If you are a member of a mainline protestant church, I can all but guarantee it has happened at some time. I have yet to see any denomination that didn’t at some time rewrite something to reflect their ideology instead of stating the truth. In the verse for today, Paul said that true Christians “refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word…” (2 Corinthians 4:2).
It is not just outside of you that these underhanded practices occur. Sometimes, your baser instincts get the better of you. When this occurs, you will practice underhanded techniques in your mind. When you sin, you might try to justify it. When you do something wrong, you might explain it away. Many are quick to condemn others for things they do themselves. You might lie to yourself about your own sinfulness. Jesus aptly shared this common sinfulness with one simple question, “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye but do not see the log that is in your own eye?” (Luke 6:41). Disgraceful, underhanded ways are always hypocritical in nature.
For the apostle Paul, deceitful and underhanded methods in dealing with life do not belong in or around the faithful. Those methods are not only worldly, they are sinful. Deceitfulness is the devils’ territory. Underhandedness should be kept far from your thoughts. That’s why the truth is what sets you free.
“BREAKING,” he wrote, pecking out each letter with his index fingers as he considered the possibilities. Maybe he would announce that Hillary Clinton had died during a secret overseas mission to smuggle more refugees into America. Maybe he would award President Trump the Nobel Peace Prize for his courage in denying climate change.
A new message popped onto Blair’s screen from a friend who helped with his website. “What viral insanity should we spread this morning?” the friend asked.
He had launched his new website on Facebook during the 2016 presidential campaign as a practical joke among friends — a political satire site started by Blair and a few other liberal bloggers who wanted to make fun of what they considered to be extremist ideas spreading throughout the far right. In the last two years on his page, America’s Last Line of Defense, Blair had made up stories about California instituting sharia, former president Bill Clinton becoming a serial killer, undocumented immigrants defacing Mount Rushmore, and former president Barack Obama dodging the Vietnam draft when he was 9.” (Eli Saslow, The Washington Post, November 17, 2018)
Christopher Blair did all this as a joke. He did it as sarcasm and political satire. However, what people did with his information was completely underhanded. Countries like Russia and China printed his stories as examples of how corrupt the West has become. Political groups used his pictures and information to spread lies and falsehoods to damage the reputations of those involved. People sent his fake news all over Facebook and social media. Even though Christopher Blair wrote on his site that nothing on those satirical pages was real, people believed them and used them and manipulated others through their proliferation.
There is a lot of talk these days about fake news, lies, deceptions in social media and political circles. Sadly, it is not just the worldly realms that practice underhanded deceit. Christians can get caught up in the very same worldly practice. Gossip, though roundly criticized in scripture, runs rampant in some churches (Exodus 23:1, Psalm 101:5, James 4:11). Little lies are told by some church members so others may support them, to demean others, or to cause doubt among the faithful. Even when wrong, Christians might be tempted to use underhanded methods to play with the truth or to get others to believe a lie.
The scripture for today from 2 Corinthians 4:2 roundly criticizes all those who use “disgraceful, underhanded” methods. Paul, who wrote this verse, made the claim that the faithful have “renounced” such evil tactics. Even when dealing with God’s Word, some religious people (Christians among them) like to play loose with the Bible. They misquote the Bible, twist its meaning, and even attempt to reinterpret its true relevance. It happens more than you are aware.
Many mainline churches write politically correct versions of the scriptures when printing Bible passages or quoting it on the overhead. The pastors do not tell the congregation when this occurs. These versions will often play loose with the actual words of the Bible in order to make the scriptures appear as supporting modern ideologies or to sound politically correct. I have overheard several pastors exclaim that in their church no documents are ever written that use politically incorrect language. All the language, including scripture, is rewritten to reflect politically correct methods and syntax and ideologies. I’m betting you’ve attended a worship service where this was done without your knowledge. If you are a member of a mainline protestant church, I can all but guarantee it has happened at some time. I have yet to see any denomination that didn’t at some time rewrite something to reflect their ideology instead of stating the truth. In the verse for today, Paul said that true Christians “refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word…” (2 Corinthians 4:2).
It is not just outside of you that these underhanded practices occur. Sometimes, your baser instincts get the better of you. When this occurs, you will practice underhanded techniques in your mind. When you sin, you might try to justify it. When you do something wrong, you might explain it away. Many are quick to condemn others for things they do themselves. You might lie to yourself about your own sinfulness. Jesus aptly shared this common sinfulness with one simple question, “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye but do not see the log that is in your own eye?” (Luke 6:41). Disgraceful, underhanded ways are always hypocritical in nature.
For the apostle Paul, deceitful and underhanded methods in dealing with life do not belong in or around the faithful. Those methods are not only worldly, they are sinful. Deceitfulness is the devils’ territory. Underhandedness should be kept far from your thoughts. That’s why the truth is what sets you free.