Mission Statement: HA is for recovering hypocrites to remain mindful of their innate hypocrisy and to promote genuineness in public discussion/social media…or silence.
Admission Requirements: Formerly or presently a staunch hypocrite.(I am a card-carrying member). One who pretends to have admirable principles, beliefs, or feelings, but acts quite differently.
Present State of Our Unions
The great thing about social media and public discourse is the ability to consider various issues and events, while participating, celebrating, communicating, or promoting them in community.
The bad thing about social media and public discourse: all participants have hypocritical tendencies which promote ulterior motives, untruths, exaggerations, and wastes of time and space.
And we all know it. So we don’t really listen with trusting ears because we know there may be as much bias and rhetoric presented as there is truth and fact.
Greatest Erroneous Tendencies
1. Some proudly think of themselves as tolerant yet berate those with differing opinions.
2. Many consider themselves to be rational yet produce self-defeating and contradictory arguments.
3. Countless numbers deem themselves to be very loving, yet confuse permissiveness with love. They offer no standards for moral societal behavior-would they do the same with their children?
Due to the onslaught and
increase of blogs and information, divisions and emotions increase. What should be an increasingly intelligent society is producing less wisdom and more Neanderthal behavior.
Debates descend into name-calling and one-upping. I often cringe when I see some call others “hypocrites.” One must be eternally untainted to toss that one around!
History has borne out that Jesus was the only non-hypocrite worthy to label others.
But the rest of us go on listening and accepting whatever we prefer rather than what is true.
2 Timothy 4:3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions.
It’s also important to note that Jesus was tougher on the hypocrisy of religious people than others, basically holding believers to a higher standard:
Matthew 15: 7You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: 8 “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; 9 in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.
A Whale of a Tale
Many unbelievers point to the biblical story of Jonah as a laughing stock and proof of the Bible as a collection of fairy tales.
They shouldn’t be most astounded, however, by a prophet surviving three days and nights in the belly of a great fish. There is something much greater going on here.
Most remarkably, this hypocritical prophet, who claimed to fear God, tried to escape from his divinely appointed assignment of proclaiming impending destruction upon the Assyrian city of Nineveh due their evil.
God caught and sent Jonah anyway. Nineveh was a great, powerful, and proud capital city in the seventh century B.C. Historical sources speak of its evil.
What’s so amazing?
Nineveh listened…and acted on God’s warning through Jonah. (Even the mariners who tossed Jonah overboard became believers due to God’s command of nature.)
Nineveh listened to the hypocritical prophet Jonah’s one sided, “biased” decree. They fasted and repented of their evil. God relented and saved Nineveh from destruction. (Jonah was angry about this by the way; Jonah 3 and 4).
Can Modern Day Ninevehs Get Over Themselves?
Ancient Sodom wouldn’t repent of their sexual immorality and was destroyed (Genesis 19:29). Nineveh repented of their cruel ways/idolatry and was saved. Though Assyrians were later ruled by others, they survived and became some of Christianity’s first converts.
Will loud and proud modern day powerhouse cities repent and produce a Christian revival? It’s highly doubtful due to the comforts and deceptions running through western civilization, the self-delusional claims of tolerance, and the revered “separation of church and state.” But who knows what God will do?
What’s vastly more important: will individuals repent of their hypocrisy and for suppressing truth?
Romans 1:
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools.
Character Declaration or Defamation?
In my public school setting, there is a great effort to teach character attributes like respect, empathy, courage, perseverance, kindness, etc. However, without a solid foundation of purpose and coherence, like a biblical worldview, it sometimes gets discouraging. Yet we press on in love.
2 Timothy 3 warns of the character that accompanies godlessness in the last days. Can we be like the Ninevites who recognized themselves in Jonah’s words, rather than becoming defensive and prone to denial?
But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.
Suppressing Truth Will Destroy Your Family and Freedom
Though hypocrisy is usually related to hiding truth about oneself, it is interesting to see the likeness and connectedness to suppressing truth in general.
In the end, I would recommend you join the recovery group. The more you remain aware of the tendency to suppress truth, the more likely you are to accept truth and refrain from its denial.
Like Jonah, in our humanity Christians and the Church are far from being perfect, oftentimes in our hypocrisy. However, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is absolute perfection.
Matthew 8:
31 Then Jesus said…“If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
34 Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. 36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.
