The Daily Detour

Reconciling "morally permissable lies" with the character of God

As promised, I wanted to bring to the blog the discussion I had with my fellow OCCA colleagues at dinner last Wednesday night in Budapest. It started innocently enough as a conversation down at my end of the table with Chris. :) We were commenting on a portion of a book we both have been reading by Os Guiness, entitled Time For Truth.

The thesis of Dr. Guiness's book is that the contemporary embrace of moral relativity, combined with the simultaneous exclusion of absolute truth, by the proponents of postmodern is unrealistic, even dangerous. In his introductory chapter, he outlines six expectations he assumes with this little book. And it was in that opening section that the point of controversy arose. (Originally, I was simply going to include the actual sentence which proved to be the catalyst for our discussion. I have decided, however, to provide a larger portion of that section of his opening chapter in order to ensure that I accurately portray his overriding point, as well as, provide greater clarity for your consideration of this critical issue. My apologies in advance for this lengthier approach. :) Dr. Guiness writes,

Fifth, I will argue that the issue of turth has a far deeper moral and political seriousness than it receives now. In each generation the price of lying is pegged to the price of truth, which means that both are held cheaply today. I am not arguing the absolutist position that lying is always wrong, for in a world like ours it is sometimes essential. There are numerous "morally permissable lies"--in the opening chapters of Exodus, for example, the Hebrew midwives lie to Pharoah to save their baby boys from death. As Winston Churchill said after the Tehran Conference in 1943 about Allied secrecy over plans to invade Europe, "Truth is so precious that she must be attended by a bodyguard of lies."

But it is another thing altogether to void the difference between truth and lying. And it is another thing still to see lying only as a minor problem, a "utility sin" in the sense that boasting is lying in the service of pride, slander is lying in the service of envy, and so on. The latter point may be true as far as it goes, but it is not the whole story. And it becomes pernicious when people go from there to trivialize lying as a form of social and semantic gamesmanship of no consequence. (Editorial note: I couldn't help but think of Survivor here.)

"You shall not bear false witness," the ninth commandment thundered from Sinai. From beginning to end, the Bible declares that God detests lying and that deception is a major root of evil in the world. Defined as "an attempt to deceive without the other's consent," a lie is a fundamental breach of the human contract to speak the truth. Thus, to treat lying, falsehood, evasiveness, mendacity, and carelessness with words as only minor problems--whimsies with words--hands a dangerous alibi to the powerful and creates a postmodern sanctuary that the unscrupulous have already exploited (witness the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal) and are certain to take advantage of even further. As Walter Lippman wrote, "There can be no liberty for a community that lacks the means by which to detect lies." (pp. 16-17)

As you can see above, I've highlighted the specific sentence that prompted the initial discussion between Chris and me. Dr. Guiness's overarching point in this passage is the danger of trivializing lying, with which I would wholely agree. But the fundamental question Chris and I put to the rest of the group concerned whether or not Christians should take an absolutist position concerning lying. We asked them, "Is it every okay to lie?" Granted, this question has different considerations depending one's theological convictions. And given the nature of our particular group, our discussion of this basic question was evaluated through the grid of a Christian (and presumably, a biblical) perspective. So, the variation of this question for us was basically, "From God's perspective, is it ever 'morally permissable' to lie?"

As I've mentioned previously, the diversity of backgrounds and experiences in our OCCA group (from business to pastoral ministry to covert military operations) made for a very "spirited" discussion. :) No, we didn't pull out the boxing gloves and "throw down" right there on the sidewalk. But in a group like that, with sharp minds and lack of intimidation concerning controversial issues, it was a very thought-provoking and personally challenging discussion for many of us.

I know that many of you here at The Daily Detour are coming from very different philosophical and theological perspectives. So your consideration of this issue will understandably be filtered through your respective lenses. But I would be interested to hear what you think about this question. I won't tip my hand just yet, but will wait weigh after you all have had a chance to engage with this. If it's anything like our usual respectful discussions here, it should bring some good food for thought. Cheers!

Home from Hungary

Well, we made it back to Oxford late last night after a great experience in Hungary and at the ELF conference. I shared some of the personal/anecdotal experiences with Jean and figured I'd pass portions of them along to you all.

Good morning, Beautiful!

I'm back after a very good night's sleep. We had good experience at the ELF conference. The presenters and the content were very good on the whole. Interestingly, I was struck by how much I have taken for granted the quality of teaching we are receiving from the RZIM folks here in the OCCA program. Without exception, the presentations at the ELF by various RZIM staff members far surpassed the presentations of most of the others, who were very good in their own right. It reinforced in my mind what a great privilege it is to be a part of this experience with such exceptional people.

We decided to head back down to Budapest a day early in order to be able to see some of the city. On the way from Eger to Budapest, the poor American chap who was driving us became a bit disoriented. He was using a GPS navigation system with which he was unfamiliar and after a few too many wrong turns, I was surprised that the little man inside the GPS device didn't just reach out and grab the steering wheel himself. :)

I was sitting in the back reading, but also maintaining a certain subconscious awareness of the situation. So I leaned forward and asked Mark (being our resident SAS-commando-turned-universal-fall-back-guy) if we had an actual map with which we could just navigate our way down to Budapest. Needless to say, the ELF's dependence on modern technology assured that our orienteering resources were limited. But he went to work on the situation with a little travel book and a portion of another map we scavanged, and between him and Adrian in the front seat, they overrode the constant instructions from the invisible little GPS guy. After worming our way through the overly-congested city, we managed to find the hotel in downtown Budapest. Before bidding our driver, "Adieu", they recalibrated his GPS back toward Eger, and we sent him off with considerable prayer. It's very possible he could still be driving through the Hungarian vineyards somewhere. :)

We ate some dinner at a little place down the street from our hotel. And Chris (one of our two pastors from the Detroit area) and I managed to cultivate what turned out to be a very "spirited" discussion on whether or not it is ever okay to lie. (More on that later.)

Then we hooked up with a pastor/missionary in Budapest and he showed us around the city Wednesday evening. The weather for the entire time in Hungary was perfect--sunny and mid-70s the whole time. Unfortunately though, I spent most of the time cloistered away in the hotel during the conference.

We came back to Oxford yesterday. Apparently, they had been under a rain cloud for 5 days straight. Interestingly, despite the rainy weather, I found our return to be strangely comforting. Not because it was inviting weather, but merely because it was familiar. Maybe I'm starting to get too acclimated to Oxford? :)

We got back so late that I was unable to catch the last bus out of Oxford, but Keith came through again. I got a hold of Kyle this morning to let him know what had happened last night, so now I can relax and enjoy another day of reading, reflecting and study (and let's not forget, tea and coffee!)...

...I'm continuing to pursue whatever possible career opportunities I can find. Nothing apparent yet, but I'm confident God is going to work it all out.

That said, I was reading through the Bible this morning and ran across a few passages I want to pass along to you. On a whim, I decided to read the proverb of the day and reread our Corinthians chapters. Interestingly, I read the following passages:

"...give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, 'Who is the Lord?' Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God." (Prov. 30:8-9)

"...We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure...But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He had delivered us from such deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us." (2 Cor. 1:8-10)

"...God is faithful...." (2 Cor. 1:18)

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (2 Cor. 4:16-18)

I found these verses to be especially encouraging, particularly given our current situation. I hope you find them to be as well.

I love you. I'll talk to you tonight.

Have a wonderful day,

John

Later, I'll elaborate further on the Wednesday evening dinner conversation so you can reflect on that question for yourself. Cheers for now!

A "Happy Birthday" greeting, better late than never...

 Well, we've been traveling around Hungary quite a bit over the last day and a half, so I'm a little tardy giving this official shout-out to brother Ethan, who turned 32 yesterday. Big E, I hope you had a great day and you were celebrated for the valuable contribution you bring into the lives of so many people. I love you, brother.

Any of you who may know Ethan, feel free to send along a belated birthday greeting to ethancrane at hotmail dot com.

Happy Birthday, Ethan!

Points to ponder from the ELF

Well, we've been on maximum overdrive here at the ELF conference in Hungary. One person described the experience as "a rich banquet of ideas". It has been that, yes, but I prefer the less flowery description someone shared: "It's like trying to drink from a fire hydrant." Amen to that!

There has been so much intake that attempting to elaborate on all of it would leave you reading this post for days. So, I figured I'd just pass along a few points to ponder from this morning's sessions.

Stuart McAllister from RZIM gave a lecture on seeing and exploring cultural connections when sharing our Christian faith with others. Our job as Christians is to translate the Gospel message through the lens of this culture into the minds and hearts of this generation.

Similar to the "Research & Development" department in a business organization, McAllister suggested that the Church should seriously consider incorporating a similar concept within the context of their ministry, in order to better understand the marketplace of our culture and strategize about how to reach it with the Gospel message.

One of the other interesting points Stuart McAllister made concerned C. S. Lewis's concept of what Lewis called, "chronological snobbery," that is, the tendency that any contemporary age has to assume that they have progressed further than previous eras. Certainly, we can point to our having landed on the moon or developing Post-It notes and suggest that the world has gotten significantly better--and certainly better than it was in ages past. But, I wonder, has it really? There are many realities in the modern world which would suggest that perhaps the age-old problems facing humanity still exist. They're just dressed up in different, more modern, attire. I suppose it depends on what one's definition of "progress" is (a discussion we've touched on in the past here at TDD). Progress, as it is often defined by many people and interest groups in our culture, is subject to considerable critique (and even condemnation).

A final point for now: I did ask Stuart McAllister in that session to make a few comments about how Christian leaders and apologists might help our churches move the emphasis of apologetical ministry from its current place on the periphery of our ministry focus to a more central emphasis within our ministry infrastructure? How might we redeem apologetics from its current status as a hobby for the intellectually-minded to a necessity for all believers? Essentially, how can we create a culture at our churches where we are helping our people recognize the importance of, and the need to engage in, ongoing apologetical ministry? He suggested that if we are to actively engage in actually sharing our faith with our non-Christian friends and neighbors, that evoluton of that increased emphasis would take place. "Ouch, Stuart, that cuts a little bit too close to the bone. To actually have us Christians out really sharing our faith with our neighbors might be more than many of us are willing to do."

Hanging in Hungary

Well, we've finished the first couple of days at the ELF. It's been a very good conference. My former professor, Dr. Wayne Grudem, was the keynote speaker last night. And these last days have been spent getting some great input from a variety of scholars from all over Europe. Good stuff, but my brain hurts. :)

Here's some of the latest content I sent along to Jean:

Hey Babe,

Happy Memorial Day! I hope you all are enjoying the day. It's interesting to be over here in Europe and to filter all that's happening back home through that lens. I continue to be so thankful for the United States. For all of our warts, we are still one of the greatest nations on earth. Let's not forget all of the veterans whose sacrifices have ensured the freedoms we so often take for granted. To be over here in Hungary, which has suffered through Nazism and Communism, my love for the U.S. has taken on a much deeper meaning.

Thanks for your email. It was really good to some feedback from the home front. Glad to hear you were so popular at church Sunday. Maybe they'll vote for you for Homecoming queen? :) In all seriousness, I'm glad to hear that so many people are checking the blog. Hopefully, it's a challenge and an encouragement to people.

Things are going well here in Hungary. In fact, I jotted Uncle Andy an email this morning. I'm not sure if he got it, but I mentioned that I've been thinking of him during my time here. I can't help but reflect on the incredible journey he's been on through Nazi occupation, his time in the camps and his eventual path to the States. God's sovereignty and blessing in his life is unmistakable.

I had the chance to chat with Stuart McAllister from RZIM yesterday afternoon for a little while. It was a good conversation in which I was able to get his perspective on some of the needs and future directions that the ministry is taking. Not sure if anything will come of it, but we'll stay in touch as things develop on either end. He mentioned again that any developments in the ministry come through Ravi. And when I talked to Ravi on the Friday of my departure over here, he didn't make any indications one way or the other. He did mention to me that his back surgery is going to lay him up for a long while. And, in fact, the surgery was more extensive than originally anticipated, so his participation in the OCCA program is impossible. A bit disappointing, but certainly understandable.

Also, the OCCA team went out last night to a little cafe here in Eger. We had a team meeting last night to debrief on how the first couple of weeks have been. It was a very good meeting, a chance for people to provide some constructive criticisms and just continue bonding together. This group is amazing in its chemistry. The bond continues to solidify, ever stronger. I feel privileged to surrounded by such highly-capable, yet compassionate people.

I hope you all are doing well. Thanks for sending along the newest pictures. It's so great to be able to see you and the boys. I love you all.

Bye for now,

John

Hope all is well on the home front for one and all. Time for bed... :)

A most unusual anniversary celebration

Well, I never would have imagined that I would be spending my wedding anniversary separated from my beautiful wife, Jean, by the Atlantic Ocean (and then some). I'm sitting here in Hungary at the ELF listening to a person give a lecture on Michael Foucault and postmodernism. (Am I back in grad. school? I feel a brain ache coming on. But, it's my own fault--I turned right instead of left in the hotel, and then it felt too rude to leave. :)

Needless to say, my thoughts are quickly wandering from the subject here across the miles back to Jean and the boys. It is difficult to believe we've walked the journey together for 6 years (and now with nearly 4 children to guide along the way). But here we are...and loving every minute of it! :)

I had the opportunity to catch Jean briefly before she hustled off to church this morning (thanks to a couple of members from the OCCA group who, due to some problems with my own computer, provided the computer and communications set up necessary to talk to her via Skype. Thank the Good Lord for good friends and great technology. Thanks again, Adrian and Keith, for your help. And Jean thanks you greatly too).

Jean, I love you very much. I wish so badly I could be there with you, but you are never far from my thoughts and prayers even though we are so far apart. You are an amazing wife and unbelievably incredible mother to these little munchkins we find running under our feet. I have been blessed more than I ever deserve. And I can only thank God for you. I look forward to the day when we will be reunited again.

What does it mean to be human?

This is just one of the fundamental questions coming out of the battle which has been raging in the British Parliament this past week. And the debate carries with it significant social, moral, and bioethical implications which extend far beyond the House of Commons. In fact, the world has been watching to see how the MP's (Members of Parliament) would vote on the different facets of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology bill. Every major newspaper has been carrying various nuances of this overall debate.

Essentially, there are four main issues that have been debated. According to a brief sketch in The Guardian newspaper they are as follows:

1. Abortion - This particular aspect of the debate was over whether or not they should reduce the current time limit on abortions from 24 weeks down to 22 (or even, 20, 17, and 12) weeks gestation. NOTE: This issue has similar correlations to the feticide issue back in Indiana. (Parliament voted against this change.)

2. Lesbian couple fertilisation - The central issue related to this part of the HFandE bill is whether or not to change the current "need for a father" provision for children created by in vitro fertilization to a "need for supportive parenting". This provisional change is intended to make it more open for lesbians to be able to have children through IVF. Critics of this change say it sends a message that fathers are not important. (Parliament voted in favor of this change.)

3. "Saviour siblings" - According to a summary in The Guardian newspaper on this issue, it "relaxes the circumstances under which children genetically matched to a sibling with a genetic condition can be created. Creating the children involves a technique where during IVF a genetically matched embryo is selected for implantation into the mother. The child could then act as a tissue donor to its sick sibling using cells obtained from the umbilical cord. Supporters say the relaxation will allow more children with debiliting conditions to be treated: critics argue that it treats children as sources of spare parts." (Parliament voted in favor of this change.)

4. Human-animal hybrids - Essentially, this issue involves cross-breeding adult human DNA with animal DNA. Again, from The Guardian's summary, "Scientists want to use the hybrids to create stem cells for research without having to use human eggs. Some religious groups say the research violates the sanctity of early human life." (Parliament voted in favor of this initiative.)

So, it appears that on all fronts the British government has voted to continue walking down a precarious moral path in the name of social progress. And according to some people I have talked to here, England prides itself on being the one to lead the rest of Europe. Whether or not that is factually correct does not lessen the impact of these parliamentarian votes.

As one of our instructors pointed out, we've already crossed the gender barrier; now, we're crossing the species barrier. And indeed we are. On the one hand, the notion of human-animal hybrids seems nearly inconceviable. And yet, on the other hand, for a culture which has eliminated a universal moral standard, (and Christians would contend, the standard which comes from a Creator God) such decisions are not only understandable, there is a certain eliminate of logic woven throughout the decision-making process. If, without God, we human beings are our own highest moral authority, then why shouldn't we pursue "progress" by whatever means necessary?

It is in considering the fundamental question about the ends, and the means to those ends, that we see the potential for dire consequences. And for those of us in the States, as I've said in the past, we need only look to our neighbors here in Europe to see our own future reflected there.

At some point, regardless of whether we hold religious values or not, we must look beyond the scientific implications of the next great "advancement" to our civilization and thoughtfully consider the moral implications inherent to our seemingly-progressive pursuits. Without a firm moral foundation, no matter what our scientific accomplishments may appear to be, we will eventually sow the seeds of our own demise.

...and on to Hungary

This morning I've had to wake up at the crack of dawn to head over to Hungary with the rest of the OCCA group. We're going to be attending the European Leadership Forum (ELF), a conference with many of the key Christian leaders working in Europe. Should be very interesting.

I'll check in as I can. Cheers!

It's official: I'm a football fan!

Here's my the latest email update I sent to Jean yesterday. It's a bit longer than usual, but the events of the last couple of days required more descriptive details. Hope you like "football"... I do now. (It was by force. :)

Hey Jean,

I wanted to get back to you in more detail sooner than now, but I've been sitting in lectures all day. Things are continuing to go well overall, though I'm having to navigate a few minor bumps in the road from time to time. For example, I had the pleasure of crashing my buddy Keith's pad again last night. This time it wasn't a slip up on my part. Instead, we had been invited over to Ian Smith's house for a BBQ. (You probably remember him from when we chatted with him in the RZIM office back in January.) They live about a half an hour outside Oxford. It's a very nice house with a rock wall enclosing the backyard and garden. The whole group was there, including the RZIM staff and their spouses, and we were treated to a first-rate meal of every meat you can imagine (steak, hamburgers, Bratwurst, chicken, etc...). I felt like I'd died and gone to heaven! :) They had all the trimmmings, as well as, desserts to die for.

The event started at 6:00 p.m. and we ate until about 7:45 p.m. That was when the European Championship League football (that's "soccer" for us American blokes) game came on. Our SAS buddy, Mark, had specifically ensured that we would be able to watch the game during the BBQ. Actually, it was less of a question and more of an order. :) And given the lethal nature of his background, it was insisted that we should all join in the occasion. Who were we to say, "No!"?

Unbeknownst to those of who live cloistered lives on the other side of the ocean, this was basically the equivalent to our SuperBowl--nearly a national holiday in Europe. I was fortunate to have Rebecca's (the gal from Harvard) husband, Josh, sitting near me. He used to play collegiate soccer, so he could answer my endless questions about the specifics of the game. Not only that, but the other John in our group (the wonderfully-hearty Scotsman whose accent and robust demeanor reminds me of a Christian version of Groundskeeper Willie, the Scottish janitor on The Simpsons :) was there to add the needed passion to the game. He used to play semi-professional soccer until injuries short-circuited his career, and his love of the game was evident. (He actually reminded me of the good 'ole days when we would try to watch I.U. basketball games with Dad. Watch out for flying objects!)

The game was historic. Apparently, this was the first time that two English teams had met in the finals--Manchester United and Chelsea. With John in the room, you didn't dare reveal yourself to be a Chelsea fan. (Not that I had a preference, but with the peer pressure, I guess I'm a Man U. fan now. Who knew? :)

The game has two 45 minute halves, and by the end of regulation is was 1-1. In such situations, they then go into two 15-minute overtime halves. After the overtime, it was still tied. So then they had a shoot-out, with 5 players from each time having the potential to kick. If it's still tied after the first round of the shoot-out, then they keep going until one team prevails. Needless to say, with the shootout the tension in the room got pretty thick. The final score of the shoot-out was 6-5, Manchester United squeaked by with the victory and the crowd went wild! Fortunately, Ian and Rosemary Smith's house survived in one piece.

All that to say......it was nearly 10:15 p.m. when the game got over. And because the last bus runs at 10:10 p.m. from Oxford, I was in a pinch. But Keith graciously adopted me in again. (We finally decided that I should just leave a toothpaste and deodorant at his place for the foreseeable future. :) It was worth it, though. We had a great time, and the whole evening gave us the full English experience, to say the least.

Tonight, they have a formal dinner. But because I couldn't get home and get the dress clothes I brought over here, I'm going to walk back downtown in a bit and scavenge for food. No worries!

We're leaving for Hungary first thing on Saturday. I'm not sure exactly what the schedule will be for the European Leadership Forum. (They tell us we'll find out when we get there.) The conference is in Eger, Hungary. And Ian said that Wednesday afternoon of the conference is pretty light. So he recommended that we take the Wednesday afternoon and travel back down to Budapest. Since we aren't scheduled to head back to Oxford until Thursday evening, we could spend about 24 hours tromping around the city. I'm working on putting together a cadre of us to do it. (I just wish I'd talked to Uncle Andy before I came over. With his being Hungarian, he could give me the inside scoop. It would have been interesting to find out which of the concentration camps he escaped from and other points of interest. Aaah well, we'll figure it all out.)

It sounds like things are going well on your end. I'm so glad to hear it. Sorry that only you and your parents were at the Wednesday night bible study class. You're right, I do know the feeling of having prepared and coming to find a very small group to teach. Hang in there. The key is faithfulness, regardless of the outcome. I would agree with your plan--come next week if no one shows, call it a series. :)

Thank you very much for keeping me updated on what's been happening on the home front. It really helps me feel like I can stay connected even a little bit with all that's happening. I so wish I had been able to go to Caleb's graduation. Please tell him how proud I am of him. And thank him and Andrew for the Spiderman and Larry Boy e-cards they sent me. I got them during one of my lectures yesterday, and I don't have any idea what the lecturer was saying after that. :)

I'll definitely try to give you all a call on Friday night, since my communication with you may be sketchy while I'm in Hungary. Some of the guys have I-phones, so I'll see if I can borrow one if possible. Hopefully, I can figure something out.

I love you very much. I think of you all every day and pray for you. Please give the boys BIG hugs from me and tell them how much I love and miss them.

All for now,

John

Well, I'm off to catch the bus yet again. Cheers to one and all!

Looking at the Democratic primary through London's lens

There's been quite a bit of commentary being generated over here about the ongoing presidential primary back in the States. I trust you're all staying on top of things back on the homefron. So I won't go into all of the perspectives, but I did want to share this editorial cartoon from The (London) Times award-winning Peter Brookes.

We'll that's one way of putting it, I suppose. Brookes' byline on the Comment section of the paper describes him as one whose "body of work punctures the pomposity of politicians."