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March 20, 2008
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=========================== TODAY'S ARTICLE ==========================
How Falsehoods Diminish Truth, by Rubel Shelly
The story is absolutely mesmerizing! It is a touching tale from the
years of the Holocaust. A little Jewish girl from Belgium makes her way
across Europe to search for her Nazi-deported parents. She is able to
escape capture herself only by taking refuge with packs of friendly
wolves. In the course of her incredible escape, she even kills a German
soldier.
This multi-layered account of Nazi cruelty, childhood innocence, and
unlikely rescue was published as Misha: A Memoire of the Holocaust
Years. It generated millions of dollars in revenue and was translated
into 18 languages. A French movie from the book has been a hit during
its current run.
Then came the confession through her lawyer last Thursday that Misha
Defonseca's dramatic story is a shameful lie.
Defonseca spent the war years in safety in Belgium. Despite her moving
speeches about experiences that led to her bestselling book, we know
now that she made up the stories about wolves and Nazis. She isn't even
Jewish.
Scholars had challenged a garble of dates, events, and information in
the book. But their research largely fell on deaf ears, as the public
received the book with eagerness. Now the house of cards has collapsed.
People who misrepresent significant realities with trumped-up,
self-serving false claims actually manage to tarnish the truth. In the
words of Dr. Lawrence Langer, one of the scholars who knew all along it
was a hoax: "What happened to the Jews was the worst atrocity in
history, and people who exploit it for profit, by posing as Jews or
lying about being part of the experience, insult those who went through
it. It's as bad as saying the Holocaust never happened."
Truth's credibility is always tied to the integrity of its messengers.
The gruesome facts of the Holocaust don't change; a woman's
misrepresentation of her experiences related to that event minimizes
it, however, and gives comfort to Holocaust-deniers and anti-Semites.
Neither do the facts of Christ's resurrection and the life-changing
power of the gospel change; people who misrepresent themselves as its
messengers or devotees tarnish the Christian faith, discredit Jesus of
Nazareth, and decrease the likelihood that unbelievers would consider
-- much less embrace -- it.
Sleazy televangelists, gay-bashers at military funerals, priests who
molest children, church-member moms and dads who betray families,
Sunday school teachers who bully or curse employees at work -- all are
agents of betrayal. They sabotage the gospel, undermine Christ's
appeal, and make faith unattractive.
Truth's credibility is always tied to the integrity of its messengers.
For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure
motives, nor are we trying to trick you. On the contrary, we speak
as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are
not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts. You know
we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed
-- God is our witness. We were not looking for praise from any
human being, not from you or anyone else, even though as apostles
of Christ we could have asserted our prerogatives. Instead, we were
like young children among you.
Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, so we cared for
you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with
you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well. Surely you
remember, brothers and sisters, our toil and hardship; we worked
night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we
preached the gospel of God to you
(1 Thessalonians 2:3-9 TNIV).
---------
(c) 2008 Used by permission. From Rubel Shelly's "FAX of Life"
printed each Tuesday. See Faith Matters for previous issues of
the "FAX of Life."
RELATED LINKS:
* Is It Really Just All So Much Talk?
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200601/20060119_alltalk.html
* More Valuable Than You Know
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200707/20070703_valuable.html
* A Ray of Light in the Dark Night of Souls
http://www.heartlight.org/two_minute/2m_990421_raylight.html
* RubelShelly.com
This article can be found on the web at:
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200803/20080320_diminish.html
=========================== FEATURED PRODUCT =========================
WILD AT HEART, by John Eldredge
Helping men rediscover their masculine heart, this is a guide to
understanding Christian manhood and Christian men.
http://shopping.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/link?153
Find more great books, CDs and videos at the Heartlight store! With
each purchase you make, you're helping to support Heartlight's
ministry. Thanks SO MUCH for your help!
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