In a recent report, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a dire warning: “…The world is moving in the wrong direction and faces dangerous trends…[and] is under ‘enormous stress.'”  He laments how injustice is bringing people into the streets to protest, “while conspiracy theories and lies fuel deep divisions within societies.”  

The Secretary-General urged global action to deal with disinformation and conspiracy theories. He proposed facts, science, and “integrity” in public discourse. He then ended with this plea, “We must make lying wrong again.”  I could not get this statement out of my mind. Here we have a world leader sounding almost like an evangelist: “We need to stop lying…” to which we all can say, “Amen.” 

How can this be accomplished in our broken world? My contention is that it can only happen slowly, and that courageous men need to come forth, stand in the gap, and dare to live by the truth. The problem is that many men are missing in action, having abandoned the truth. In her important book, “Crisis in Masculinity” Leanne Payne notes, “The power to honor the truth – to speak it and be it – is at the heart of true masculinity.” She goes on to say, “A culture will never become decadent in the face of a healthy, balanced masculinity…When a nation or an entire western culture backslides, it is the masculine which is first to decline.”

As followers of Jesus, we as men can lead in making lying wrong again. Jesus tells us in John 18:37, “…For this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”  Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). He tells his followers, “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 8:32). In his high priestly prayer, Jesus prays, “Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth” (John 17:17 NLT).

In our day, with so much deception and verbal wrangling over what is true, it seems to me that we as men need to be integrated in our understanding of truth. Here are three factors to consider in our battle to “make lying wrong again.”

First, truth must be the basis of our worldview and assimilated into our very being. It is similar to the experience of Jeremiah: “When I discovered your words, I devoured them” (Jer. 15:16 NLT).  The NET notes, “The prophet accepted them, assimilated them, and made them such a part of himself that he spoke with complete assurance what he knew were God’s words.” 

Secondly, truth must be allowed to penetrate our inner life, so that we have not only an intellectual grasp of the truth, but we also seek to know the truth about ourselves, our relationships, and the world in which we live. Truth is relational because Jesus is Truth – and we can relate to him as Savior and Friend. Truth (meaning Christ) in a man needs to affect one’s whole being (Gal. 2:20).

Thirdly, we must walk out truth in life. Oh, that God would raise up more men of integrity. These are honest, courageous men, who have not only been pruned by the truth, but men who are willing to put their very lives on the line for the truth. That would make us martyrs. Might you become a martyr for the truth – in both the big things and the little things? 

In the findings of the annual American Worldview Inventory Survey, just 6% (15 million) of the estimated 176 million American adults identifying as Christians actually hold a biblical worldview. These are believers who “demonstrated ability to assimilate their beliefs into their lifestyle.”  This group comes “closest to reflecting biblical principles into their opinions, beliefs, behaviors, and preferences. A person in this group was classified as an “Integrated Disciple” (ID).

The survey noted difficulties determining how many Christians are in America, since the number varies widely depending on the definition used.  Those who simply said they were Christians (69%) were broken down further to include: born-again (35%), evangelical (28%), and theological born-again Christians (28%).  A much smaller group were those identified as “Integrated Disciples.”  Those who are seen as “theologically born-again” were more closely aligned with the “IDs.”  But only Christians identified as “IDs” were classified in the study as having a biblical worldview.

I was surprised at the large number of IDs whose beliefs challenged biblical principles: “25% say there is no absolute moral truth, 39% contend that the Holy Spirit is not a real, living being but is merely a symbol of God’s power, presence, or purity, 42% believed that having faith matters more than which faith you pursue, and 52% argue that people are basically good.”

George Barna, the lead researcher at the Cultural Research Center, commented on the survey: “‘Christian’ has become somewhat of a generic term rather than a name that reflects a deep commitment to passionately pursuing and being like Jesus Christ.”  Barna warned about interpreting data related to Christians: “Political polling, in particular, may mislead people regarding the views and preferences of genuine Christ-followers simply based on how those surveys measure the Christian population.”

The survey ends with this summary: “It’s one thing to call yourself a fan of a sports team or a devotee of a particular brand.  It’s something else altogether to call yourself by the name of the savior of humankind… He (Jesus) noted that a person would be his disciple if they obey His teaching (John 8:31).  It follows, then, that when a person takes on the name “Christian” it refers to one who is striving to know and follow the teachings and example of Jesus Christ.”   

This report should warn men of the divergence of belief among those who call themselves Christians in America.  It makes for significant confusion in a culture that has already rejected a Christian worldview.  There is a lack of belief in basic Christian doctrine.  When 25% of IDs believe there is no absolute moral truth and 39% “contend that the Holy Spirit is not a real, living being but is merely a symbol of God’s power, presence, or purity,” the body of Christ is compromised.

Men, I pray you are “Integrated Disciples.” We must be vigilant in building our faith on the solid foundation of Jesus (Matt. 7:24).  It is sobering to hear Jesus warn of the last days, “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved” (Matt 24:12-13).   

Most of all, I want to reassure every man reading this blog that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity.  The Spirit is a person – not an influence or idea.  We confess in the Nicene Creed, “We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, with the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.”  My advice: seek and welcome the Holy Spirit.