Hypocrisy by Zig Ziglar on Creators.com

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Hypocrisy

The hypocrite is ranked just slightly below the rapist, child abuser and murderer. Hypocrisy is defined as "the practice of expressing feelings, beliefs or virtues one does not hold or possess: insincerity." A hypocrite is someone who gripes and complains about the sex, nudity and violence on his VCR.

Invariably, the hypocrite is referenced as the Christian who goes to church, dons his "halo," and then picks up his horns and acts like the devil himself. My faithful executive assistant, Laurie Magers, expressed some of her feelings about the hypocrite with which I completely concur. She observed that church is not the only place to find a hypocrite.

First, are the politicians. The most noted example of a churchgoer/politician hypocrite is former President Bill Clinton. At his inauguration, he promised that his would be the most ethical administration in the history of the presidency, but more resignations, convictions and lawsuits have been brought against his staff and cabinet members than in any administration in history. His conduct in the Oval Office as well as his regular church attendance have both been well-publicized.

Many companies tout their products as being the best, and yet, their executives and sales staffs don't use them themselves. Ditto for the celebrities on TV who brag about a product they don't use. That's hypocritical.

Employees who take their paychecks and make disparaging remarks about their employer are being hypocritical. Husbands or wives who publicly are kind and gracious to their mates, and then berate them behind their backs are being hypocritical. Even our "friends" who butter us up, profess undying loyalty, and then undermine our character and influence with other people are being hypocritical.

The point Ms. Magers is making is that hypocrisy is common to all of life, but it's church people who are generally branded with the label.

She recognizes that we do see church people who profess their faith in Christ, and then behave in an un-Christlike manner. However, she said, "I've come to believe that few of them are deliberately attempting to deceive." She believes that "this behavior indicates a lack of maturity in the Christian faith. There are professing Christians who attend R-rated (and worse) movies, plays, and so on, who gossip, curse, use drugs, alcohol, tobacco, abuse their families, and so on." She believes that they don't understand the ramifications of those activities because of their spiritual immaturity.

Personally, I've been astonished at the number of professing Christians who live with a member of the opposite sex and break the fornication law that God established back in the Old Testament (and reiterates in the New Testament), as if it had no consequences. The Bible is clear that the only appropriate sexual relationships are between husband and wife — any other sexual relationship is sin.

Unfortunately, many preachers, pastors, priests, rabbis, and so on, are fearful of offending their flocks by taking Bible truth and "telling it like it is." Even the old standard, "judge not that ye be not judged," is erroneously perceived. The Bible clearly says that Christians are not to judge non-Christians, but they are to hold Christians accountable. Amazingly enough, some of them, particularly new Christians, do not even know when they are breaking God's laws.

One young woman I know even went so far as to say "God told" her and her boyfriend that they were to leave their spouses (and his three children) and marry each other. Wrong. God will never contradict Himself or His Word.

Good news: The Bible clearly says it will reveal "even unto the babe that which has been hid from the learned doctor." Prayerfully read the Bible. God will let you in on the truth. Every Christian should make it a part of his or her personal mission to never knowingly feed the unbeliever's cop-out of perceived hypocrisy.

To find out more about Zig Ziglar and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com. Subscribe to Zig Ziglar's free e-mail newsletter through info@zigziglar.com.