There are few things that really cause me anger and disgust like lies. Most people simply think that a lie is when you say something that is blatantly untrue, with intent. But there is an even more insidious version of the lie that actually often does more damage – its called hypocrisy. From Dictionary.com:
Hypocrisy (or the label applied to the person accused – hypocrite) is often used against those who profess to be Christian. I won’t deny that many over the 2000 years of the fatih have said one thing, while living another. And undoubtably, this is a major issue that most of us must battle on a regular basis. But there is another form of hypocrisy that has helped divide this nation. It’s the hypocrisy of double-standards (or selective outrage, as I often call it).
One example is a county I use to live in, that had the highest per-capita number of people on public assistance (particularly disability). Many who claimed disability were more able-bodied that the majority of the population, but they found ways around that. Other’s, their disability was fundamentally based on drug addiction and the aftermath (the same county was featured on an HBO special for it being the #1 Methamphetamine county in the nation). Yet this county, despite the incredible dependance on the Federal Government, is also the most anti-government I’ve ever been around! The same people who demand a check from the government every month, don’t want the government meddling in their life. This seems certainly hypocritical. How can you reconcile demanding a small government, low taxes, and the government having nothing to do with you, while simultaneously demanding more money from the same government?
But more recently, we have seen a nation-wide (maybe world-wide) trend towards a much bigger form of hypocrisy based on political viewpoint. This has had hits greatest demonstration in the media, both social media and news media. With all three areas taking extremist perspectives while censoring or twisting the opposing views. This has grown to the point of fueling selective outrage, which is one of the most glaring forms of hypocrisy of all. A few recent examples include the past year of riots, mass violence, burning down of many city blocks in major cities by groups alligning themselves with “BLM” and “antifa”. BLM, who lifts up primarily some very bad people who, such as in the George Floyd case that sparked most of this year’s biggest riots – was a man who had taken a lethal dosage of illegal drugs just prior to his encounter with police. He was violent, he was aggressively resisting arrest, and sadly – he died while in police custody. I won’t defend the officers who seemed to pose in very dangerous positions. Yet at the same time, the man was undobutably resisting arrest and had already practically committed suicide by his massive overdose of fentanyl and other intoxicants. Yet this man was portrayed as an innocent, godly man who never hurt anyone (well – except his criminal record tells a much darker story) – which helped spark nation-wide protests, riots, and unfathomable property damage (in part due to widespread looting of devastated businesses). The media seemed to endorse the behavior, many high-profile figures including elected officials proudly supported (and even participated in) some of these violent events.
Yet at the same time, while each of these never lost a single post or had a bit of negative backlash from the media platforms, those on the other side of the political spectrum have regularly been suspended, banned, and panned by the news media as violent terrorists. Most recently, after President Trump spoke to a massive crowd in DC (January 6, 2020), then told his supporters to march to the Capitol (which is the same procedure and schedule as the majority of large protests and events in DC – it is symbolic to march to the Capitol and conclude your protest there). But when some arrived, they began struggling with some Capitol Police. Then, oddly, the same police then opened barricades and unlocked doors and ALLOWED in some of the most vocal and agitated of the protestors. In the ensuing hours, an unarmed white woman, a US Air Force Veteran, was shot dead by Capitol police in a hallway. She was not being violent. Another of the Protestors collapsed and died of a heart attack (apparently not related to any violent acts). Also, a Capitol Police officer was crushed in what looked like a doorway and succumbed to his injuries. While the “storming” of the Capitol (even having been let in by police) was wrong, the news media, print media, and social media immediately began widespread attacks, censoring, and banning, leading up to the permanent ban on the Twitter account of the President of the United States for “violence-inciting posts that present a danger to others”. While President Trump did keep the fires burning of questioning the 2020 election results, he never, EVER suggested, endorsed, or encouraged violence in any form. Further, his text and video posts to Twitter and Facebook trying to tell his supporters to back off and to pursue peace – in which he clearly denounced the violence – both social media platforms deleted the posts! Their selective outrage and censorship actually silencing a voice that could help calm the anger. #hypocricy.
In the days that have followed, many posts on these same platforms have endorsed violence against anyone who supports Trump. And one particularly well-known SBC pastor actually tweeted the insinuation that (white) folks should have been shot in the Capitol. How is this any more acceptable than the other hate-filled vitreol from the Left that consistently goes untouched, while even questions of WHO was involved in the storming of the Capitol is grounds for having posts deleted and accounts suspended or banned?
And the hypocrisy goes on – with post after post by major figures calling this event an act of insurrection. Yet such a horrific event – and these so called terrorists (a term actually used) even respected the satin ropes protecting various parts of the building. Nobody lit the place on fire (though I’ve seen pictures depicting the Capitol on fire being used!). And the actual damage done was relatively minor, particularly in comparison to the widespread and horrific damage done to cities all over this nation by those on the political Left.
And lest we forget – whe Donald Trump was confirmed as the victor in the 2016 election, there was massive rioting in DC that included setting cars and buildings on fire, destroying landmarks, and much more. Or more recently, the BLM protests in DC that not only saw the destruction and vandalism of property and attacks on innocent bystanders, but these “protestors” stormed an historic church just a block from the Whitehouse in an attempt to burn it down (for what political purpose, other than the hate of Christianity?).
We’ve been told for years that labeling an entire group of people (especially identified by skin color) is wrong, yet the explosion in the last few months of the acceptability of blatantly racist posts and statements, so long as they come from those of the “oppressed group” (based on Critical Race Theory) have become commonplace. The image of the Mara Gay tweet was reposed by someone that I have long considered a brother and friend, who happens to be African-American. Someone who I though knew me better than to post or confirm something like this that is so brazenly racist.
And further, to justify the year-worth of violent rioting, bloodshed, and property losses on “angry people trying to have a voice when they feel they are unheard” – yet when every court in the land refused to even allow a LOOK at evidence of widespread corruption in our election system – a fundamental constitutional crisis – that is not even worthy of people posting on social media, much less having an event that a tiny portion of the people involved acted badly (with the help of the Capitol Police), is utterly mind-boggling.
And then we have the other race-baiting, selectively-outraged, racists who claim that the folks who stormed the Capitol received special “white privilege” and would have been treated far more differently were they “people of color”. I suppose that unarmed people getting shot to death by police is only bad when it happens to drug dealers with non-white skin? NO – its’ ALWAYS bad. But again, #hypocrisy seems to be winning the day.
And when the likes of Dr. Russell Moore of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission call for the dramatic prosecution of every person who entered the Capitol building on January 6th (even those that just stood and watched/videoed), but remained absolutely silent on the widespread violence all this past year – its hypocrisy demonstrated in selective outrage.
I even drew a 24 hour suspension from Facebook for reposting a tweet that points out the hypocrisy.
And the hate just keeps flowing –
Hypocrisy is wrong, regardless of who is committing it. Double-standards are wrong, regardless of who benefits from it. And selective outrage is among the most vile of all forms of hypocrisy.
Pray for our nation, though I personally have stopped praying for peace and God’s blessings. We as a nation don’t deserve God’s blessings. We deserve His wrathful judgment. And remember – Scripture says that judgement begins in the House of the Lord! I do pray for a spiritual awakening, beginning with me, my family, and the church I try to lead. I pray for my fellow believers and pastors who are desperately trying to tell the Truth – regardless of the circumstances. I’m praying for churches that have been fighting to even keep their doors open. I pray for God to raise up great spiritual men who will boldly stand for truth. And I pray God would bring to repentance those who seem to love a lie more than the truth.
Contending For Christ 