I posted a blog a few weeks ago called “Do you know what your missionaries are actually doing?“, and though it didn’t exactly go viral or anything, I can’t help but think this whole situation with NBC news anchorman Brian Williams is like icing on the cake for some of the points I brought up in that article.
For those who don’t use social media and haven’t seen any news or memes about it, he “misremembered” not actually having been on a helicopter in Iraq that was shot at (or as we call this in Canada, “lying” about something one didn’t actually do).
Nobody but Williams knows why he inserted himself into the Iraq story, and I’ve seen a few articles and heard a news clip speculating his motives, but ultimately we don’t know.
I sympathize with Brian Williams because I also can’t remember if I’ve been shot down in a helicopter or not. #BrianWilliamsMisremembers
— Chris Rock (@ozchrisrock) February 7, 2015
Embellishing For the Glory of God or Yourself?
What if you found out your pastor or favourite preacher did the same thing?
As I mentioned in my blog post about missionaries, I’ve seen people exaggerate and flat-out make stuff up and I thought “doesn’t this person know that I was there and could easily blow the lid on the fact events did NOT transpire the way they’re trying to impress Facebook into thinking?”
What if some story you’ve heard your favourite Christian author or preacher share over and over, was also something he “misremembered”?
What if the same way Williams got found out, the purifying Spirit of God decided to blow the lid on his ministers around the country and world, and expose the things they’ve been “misremembering” from the pulpits, books, blogs or their radio and TV shows? Would there be many who survived such an exposition unscathed?
Or would we find out that many preachers have been doing the exact same thing to impress their followers?
What if that sordid testimony of how rank a sinner someone was, was completely made up or at the very least, embellished a little?
Just an honest question.
I’m not finger-pointing, as I’m holding myself to this same question, as I’ve faced the same temptation when blogging or sharing stories publicly and needed to hold myself in check that I’m ACTUALLY remembering something the way it happened and not portraying it a certain way for a specific reaction or result.
The thing I find is that I have this sense of conviction on the inside of me when I know I’m lying or exaggerating and I just “can’t do it” without being bothered inside. But we’ve seen a few high-profile people as of late get busted for plagiarism or gross misinformation, and it makes me wonder if it even bothers other people who are “misremembering” things for the “glory of God”, or if the end justifies the means, because hey, people are getting brought into the Kingdom of God after hearing these ‘testimonies’.
What are your thoughts?
