Editor’s note: Russell Gehrlein was a special guest on the syndicated radio program The Plumb Line, hosted by Jay Rudolph, on Monday, June 17. Russell and Jay discussed the importance of truth-telling in work and life. Below is a partial transcript of their conversation, which has been edited for length and clarity. We invite you to read part one of this conversation or listen to it here. You can listen to the final part here.
Exceptions to Truth-Telling
JR: There is the story of Corrie Ten Boom and her family, who routinely lied to the German authorities to save the lives of the Jews during World War II. That, to me, seems perfectly legitimate.
Most people would say that’s an exception to truth-telling, one that we certainly could do. If we’re dealing with protecting someone’s life, it would be okay to tell a lie. I just wanted to get a little thought or reflection from you on this.
RG: Something similar comes to mind. We’re told not to kill as well as lie and steal. In self-defense, we may be forced to do just that. For example, to defend our home or our family from someone who broke in. These kinds of things happen.
These are moral dilemmas that are very difficult to judge. In certain moments, self-preservation is what God calls us to. I agree, there may be situations where you have to do that, and you have to pray for wisdom.
The Importance of Speaking the Truth in Love
RG: A more common thing that I have faced, especially in the military, where we have a lot of people who really uphold integrity and honesty, are individuals who have been bluntly honest with me. I have had people hold discussions with me about my performance or lack thereof, who have been very negative about it.
As a Christian, if I have something to correct in my soldiers or civilian employees, I am called to speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15). Love is important as is truth. So, when I say something, it has to be edifying; it has to give them some encouragement. It can’t be discouraging; it can’t demoralize them. I can’t just lay out all the negative things without coming through in kindness and concern, actually helping them in the long run.
We have to speak the truth with compassion. That is what Christ would want us to do.
The Golden Rule of Truth-Telling
JR: Any other exceptions to truth-telling in the workplace that might come to mind?
RG: I can’t think of too many. Truth is a universal thing. Everybody expects it. It ties into the Golden Rule. Jesus says we must love our neighbor by doing unto them as we would have them do unto us.
We don’t want to be lied to, ever. Not by a car salesman, our spouse, or a friend. Certainly, there are a lot of situations where we depend on truth. Jesus asked us to be truthful because it’s the kind thing to do, that’s what’s expected, and that’s part of loving our neighbor.
JR: If we’re going to someone’s workplace or business, we are expecting truth, aren’t we? No one goes there expecting to be lied to. That should be the standard.
RG: Absolutely. Everything is built on trust. As Christians, we are representatives of Jesus Christ. He scatters Christians with various gifts and talents throughout the world in all fields of work, and he expects us to be like him. Even if the world goes one way, we stand out.
I think, as we represent him, we have to be truthful. When we have that reputation of being truthful, people can trust us. We have to be worthy of that trust and keep it. There can be opportunities for us to minister to folks as we develop that reputation of truth-telling.
