Truth-telling (or: Divine Justice, Part 2)


WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is no saint and can scarcely be imagined to impart any divine inspiration to his efforts. But if a central component of the Christian life is cultivating an awareness of the Triune God's presence and activity in the world, it is possible to see the ongoing revelations by WikiLeaks as a component of the truth-telling to which we are all called.

In John 8:31-32, Jesus tells "the Jews who had believed in him, 'If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.'" He is talking about the truth of who he is, but we can apply this to any situation in which truth is at stake. Falsehood, slander, and covert actions are agents of imprisonment. Anyone who has been caught in a lie can testify to that. How are we freed? Only by telling the truth.

Listen to what Assange told Time Magazine in the interview published yesterday:

"Asked what his 'moral calculus' was to justify publishing the leaks and whether he considered what he was doing to be 'civil disobedience,' Assange said, 'Not at all. This organization practices civil obedience, that is, we are an organization that tries to make the world more civil and act against abusive organizations that are pushing it in the opposite direction.'"

I actually believe him. Will this cost Hillary Clinton her job and future presidential aspirations? Will it further erode whatever global respect remains for the United States? What other casualties will be taken?

Our age has come to expect that secrecy is simply part of the way the world conducts its business, whether the stage is that of global diplomacy or inter-office politics. WikiLeaks reminds us, however, that the truth will always come to light. Only when it does are we positioned to live fully into the life to which God has called us.

"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved by him, 
a worker who has no need to be ashamed, 
rightly explaining the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15)

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