Where the Rot Starts

And how it spreads

“‘Don’t you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it.’” Syme to Winston, 1984, George Orwell

George Orwell understood that words are everything. They’re not just a description of reality. You cannot perceive reality without them. You can create a new reality with them. The world turns on words. The testimony of one witness can change everything.

Christians should instinctively know this. When God became man, He was called The Word. This Word, Jesus Christ, often said ‘It is written’, before quoting words of the Old Testament. That’s because God hasn’t just given us his Son, but a book. And a sequel. Together they form the Bible, which means ‘book’. In fact, it’s not a book. It’s a book of books. There are books of history, law, poetry, songs, sayings and letters. The words on the page conjur up all kinds of images in our minds.

Perhaps the majority of Christians have experienced those words of scripture aurally, rather visually. But the spoken word has astonishing power. No wonder James, brother of Jesus, in his letter, writes about the power of the tongue. The tongue is a tiny rudder of a huge ship (James 3:4). The tongue is a fire that sets a forest ablaze (James 3:6). Words steer. Words destroy. 

Once something has been said, it cannot be unsaid. Even a deleted Tweet of 240 characters can destroy your career, your livelihood and reputation. The words you typed will echo into eternity. You will never be able to escape the sound they make.

Careful Now

Given their power, we should be extremely careful how we use words. Again, the Bible is clear on this. One of the Ten Commandments is about giving false testimony. Another is about taking the Lord’s name in vain. In Proverbs 6:16-19 we read what God hates. Three of them are to do with the misuse of words.

There are six things that the Lord hates,
    seven that are an abomination to him:
haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
    and hands that shed innocent blood,
a heart that devises wicked plans,
    feet that make haste to run to evil,
a false witness who breathes out lies,
    and one who sows discord among brothers.

I’ve recently been reading the foundational passages of the Bible in the early chapters of Genesis. (In fact, I’ve been copying the words out by hand so that I pay close attention. I highly recommend doing this.) The world is created and undone by words. God speaks the world into existence. But the serpent lies. He suggests to Adam and Eve that God is lying - and they believe him. Cain, asked directly by God about his brother, lies to God’s face. Even Abram, so soon after God promises him Canaan, goes into Egypt with Sarai and lies about her being his wife. The Pharaoh behaves with greater honour than Abram.

Rules for Life

If we won’t listen to God’s word, maybe we’ll listen to a Canadian Professor of Psychology. Like the Ten Commandments, two of Jordan Peterson’s Rules for Life are about words. One is that we should “Tell the truth — or, at least, don’t lie.” And the second is “Be precise in your speech.”

Peterson’s rules are not commandments. He is not giving us an ethical or moral code. He is firmly aware that the Bible has already done that and has given extensive lectures on foundational passages of Scripture. His best-selling 12 Rules For Life is a self-help book. His main motivation for issuing his rules is to help people. And, in his view, one of the most self-destructive things you can do is lie.

The Professor rose to prominence with ‘that Channel 4 interview’ with Cathy ‘So What You’re Saying Is’ Newman. (I wrote about that interview in quite a lot of detail at the time here). Back in Canada, Peterson had stood against laws on compelled speech on gender pronouns. He did this because he had spend many years of his life studying the rise of extremist political systems, and how dangerous it is to be coerced into saying little things that you know are not true.

Live Not By Lies

Peterson was greatly inspired by political dissidents like gulag-survivor, Alexander Solzhenitsyn. In his 1974 essay, Live Not by Lies, Solzhenitsyn wrote about how lies are deadly when we live with them. “Like an infection, [lies] can exist only in a living organism.” That word ‘infection’ is very powerful. When lies seep into to your life, your organisation or your political system, the rot is very difficult to stop.

Our society has always lived with lies. In the UK today, we are at the point where our leaders and politicians are simply not believed, other than by highly motivated and vocal fanatics. There was undoubtedly rank hypocrisy in politics in the twentieth century and scandals like the ones involving Profumo and Jeremy Thorpe. They undermined our confidence in the political system and the media’s complicity. The 1990s were littered with scandals over sleaze. The telling of lies is now routine. (In this, I highly recommend The Rise of Political Lying by Peter Oborne.) No-one believes anyone. Everyone just sees what they want to see.

This How It Starts

I mention all this because of a recent conversation with my podcast co-host, Barry Cooper (ep 102 Cooper and Cary Have Words). We discussed the shocking and disturbing sexual revelations about Christian speaker and apologist, Ravi Zacharias. It raised all kinds of questions, about who knew and how it was covered up. (Glen Scrivener does a terrific job of taking us through what Zacharias did, using the story of Amnon.) We must also ask the question of how we can stop this from happening again – even though the stomach-churning reality is that it will.

But how does it start?

With lies.

Early in the ministry of Ravi Zacharias, there were lies about academic qualifications. Honorary degrees and doctorates were passed off as real ones. Promotional material used to contain references to ‘Dr’ Zacharias along with titles relating to Oxford and Cambridge Universities that were misleading.

The intention is obvious: to bolster the man’s academic credentials. Why? For the sake of the Gospel and the glory of Christ. The audience of unbelievers would be impressed that such an intelligent Indian-Canadian could convert to Christianity.

You can read his testimony over on Christianity Today. But why would you? We now know he is a liar. It makes us view everything he has touched with grave suspicion. The infection has spread. The rot has set in.  This is how it starts. With lies.

We often say things like ‘There but for the grace of God go I.’ It is unlikely we will be in a situation where we can use an international ministry with a highly trusted brand, anonymous board of trustees, and investments in massage parlours to gratify and cover up sexual sins. But one lesson for all of us here is this: if you want to fight sin and the Devil, pierce the darkness and build the kingdom of God, the one thing you can do is refuse lie.

“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” George Orwell

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Why not give Cooper and Cary Have Words a try, if you have not already done so? There are episodes about Bitcoin, Sabbath, Whiteness, The Sinner’s Prayer, Voting and Bible Translations.

For a book about how words, tweets and jokes can get you into all kinds of trouble, why not buy a signed copy of my book The Sacred Art of Joking.