#1. Is it good to be transparent?
This is a good question as the unbelieving world seems to demand that everyone be transparent in their business and other interactions with the public, etc. We do not totally agree with that, of course, especially for Christians.
Transparency is an issue for unbelievers as so many of them practice dishonesty, deceit, they lie and so many other negatives. The Christian operates, or at least should operate, under biblical rules which include verses like ‘do not lie one to another’, ‘do unto others as you would want to be treated’, and other instructions that are designed to help Christians be holy, upright, and honest.
The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines the term transparent in the following ways:
1 a(1): having the property of transmitting light without appreciable scattering so that bodies lying beyond are seen clearly : pellucid
(2): allowing the passage of a specified form of radiation (such as X-rays or ultraviolet light)
b: fine or sheer enough to be seen through : diaphanous
2a: free from pretense or deceit : frank
b: easily detected or seen through : obvious
c: readily understood
d: characterized by visibility or accessibility of information especially concerning business practices (source)
Those definitions do not mean that one has to lose their privacy and not keep secrets. Some things should be kept private from prying and inquisitive eyes. However, we noticed that the term transparency is being used by unbelievers to know everything there is to know about a person.
Nothing is hidden and everyone knows everyone’s business, secrets, what they own, and so on. No Christian should be that open to strangers. After all King Hezikiah got in trouble with being so transparent with his upcoming enemies:
15 Isaiah said, “What have they seen in your house?” So Hezekiah [i]answered, “They have seen everything that is in my house; there is nothing among my treasuries that I have not shown them.”
16 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord: 17 ‘Behold, the days are coming when everything that is in your house, and what your fathers have stored up to this day, will be carried to Babylon; nothing will be left,’ says the Lord. (2 Kings 20)
We do not think it is good for Christians to tell everyone, including unbelievers, everything about their lives. Revealing too much information makes one vulnerable to personal attacks and other dangers that could easily be avoided.
This is evidenced by what God did to Hezekiah and his transparency. It is best to keep things that should be private, private. Be very selective on what you share and to whom. We are not saying that destruction may come upon you but be discerning and only share pertinent details so people do not get too much information on you and use that information for the wrong purposes.
#2. Why complain?
This is something that has mystified us for some time now. Why do people put their personal information on the internet for strangers to read, and then complain about it when strangers respond?
Placing private information on the internet for public view is an action that is asking for trouble. Our example comes from the BG website as he says:
I have always been open about my health.
Then right after that, he says:
This, of course, leads to all sorts of unsolicited medical advice, even when I ask people to NOT send me such advice. My openness turns some readers into medical experts, even though they have no expertise in medicine. Evidently, reading a few books and listening to a few podcasts is the equivalent of 10-14 years of post-high school education, and anecdotal stories are the same as double-blind studies. Typically, I ignore such people, knowing that medical ignorance abounds. On occasion, a few readers have pushed the issue, and that’s when I tell them to fuck off.
If you are going to put the information out there then do not complain when people try to help by offering their suggestions. Also, do not go into long-winded rants about who you listen to because that information just shows your closed mind and that you are missing out on possible aid.
His medical condition is a private affair and should not be placed on the internet, especially when he uses it to get sympathy and attention. Nor should the information be placed there if there is no cure and no positive progress.
No one cares about your medical condition and they do not care about it when you have no solutions for them to try. While these amateur doctors and nurses are trying to help, there is nothing gained by being mean to them.
The information they offer may not help the person whining about their medical problems but it may help some readers who have tried everything else with no positive results. This would be more of a real service than piling on by publishing a black-collar crime series.
These types of people who share information about their private lives yet do not want any help from kind people are showing signs of narcissism. One of the signs of this mental health disorder is:
Need for Admiration
One of the most common signs of a narcissist is a constant need for praise or admiration. People with this behavior need to feel validation from others and often brag or exaggerate their accomplishments for recognition. They also like to feel appreciated to boost their ego. (source)
That is what we categorize BG’s efforts to ‘be open’ about his medical condition. After all, he mentions it and his preaching history in almost every post he makes. He needs to be admired for his decision-making as well as for enduring his health issues.
But that is not the only thing we noticed about BG’s ‘transparency’ he exhibits this sign of narcissism as well:
Grandiose sense of self-importance. This is the belief that your contribution and presence are essential to the happiness, success, or equilibrium of other people and any enterprises or relationships. “The project would have tanked if I hadn’t been on the team.” “If it weren’t for me, who knows where my spouse would have ended up!” (source)
We noticed how he was the best at everything throughout his time at his college and preaching appointments. Everyone else was the villain or bad
What we are saying here is, do not over share. While you are proud of your or your loved ones’ accomplishments, some things are just not for public scrutiny. A Christian’s life should direct other people’s attention to God and not the person themselves.
We are not here to bring attention to ourselves but to have people turn their eyes on Jesus.
#3. Are All Religions Right?
In a word, no! There is only one true faith and way to salvation and eternity and that is through Jesus Christ. Without belief in him, no one gets to heaven. The Bible tells us that Jesus is the only way and that salvation comes through Jesus only.
If you remember the story of Moses before Pharaoh and Mose had Aaron throw his staff to the ground. Here are the verses that record this event:
8 Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 9 “When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, ‘[b]Work a miracle,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh, so that it may turn into a serpent.’” 10 So Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh, and so they did, just as the Lord had commanded; and Aaron threw his staff down before Pharaoh and [c]his servants, and it turned into a serpent. 11 Then Pharaoh also called for the wise men and the sorcerers, and they too, the soothsayer priests of Egypt, did the same with their secret arts. 12 For each one threw down his staff, and they turned into serpents. But Aaron’s staff swallowed their staffs.
The words we highlighted in bold provide the key to the lesson. Jesus is the only way to salvation but evil has copied this message and presented it in a way that is attractive to most people.
That is all evil can do- copy the truth but not dominate it. The truth dominates the false religions. The Bible says unbelievers can do nothing against the truth and they cannot remove Jesus from being the only way to salvation.
Unbelievers can produce copies to deceive people but they cannot create a religion that dominates the real faith or proves the real faith false. Jesus is the only way to salvation and doing what he said is key to becoming holy and a mature Christian.
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