Unveiling the Truth: Understanding Purposeful Disingenuousness
By Elizabeth Prata
Beth Moore’s “aw shucks, li’l ole me, I’m here to serve you” demeanor is a lie. It’s actually purposeful disingenuousness. I remember that time she said she spent the weekend at “a beach house” but it was really her own $900,000 waterfront mansion. She couldn’t just say “my beach house” but instead she purposely crafted a statement that gave the opposite impression.
Today, she said her 2 million square feet of forested land is “some acres.” The post leaves one with the impression that they are lucky homeowners to be able to cling to a few trees on their lot, when the truth is her property is actually the largest land tract in the entire area, 2 million square feet equaling 45 forested acres with a spring running through it. This is a well-established pattern with Moore, and in fact, most false teachers. A contrived version that either exaggerates what is not there or hides what is there. It’s non-transparency.
I have no doubt that she loves it. That’s fine. But taking time to parse her words in order to give the reader an impression that is not true is less than holy.
Merriam Webster dictionary defines purposeful disingenuousness as “giving a false appearance of simple frankness: calculating“. And that is false teacher Beth Moore to a T.
Ladies, remember what Paul said about being transparent. He didn’t use the word transparent, but he described transparency in 2 Corinthians 1:12-14, saying “For our proud confidence is this: the testimony of our conscience, that in holiness and godly sincerity, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you. 13 For we write nothing else to you than what you read and understand, and I hope you will understand until the end; 14 just as you also partially did understand us, that we are your reason to be proud as you also are ours, on the day of our Lord Jesus..“
Paul was saying he had been plain, open, clear, has a pure conscience, and does not rely on fleshly wisdom (which is actually no wisdom at all).
Transparency, or openness, or allowing ourselves to be vulnerable, is what makes us human. It’s what allows for human connection. Our bonds will be strong if we are real with one another.
Like Beth Moore, if we continually carefully craft an outer persona that does not match the inner woman, all she are left with is lies and a rotten core; and for us, an eventual feeling of betrayal when the truth is finally uncovered. And it always comes out. People can tell when we are being humbly honest and when we are equivocating. When we are vulnerable in real ways, and when we are serving up poop on a plate.
AN oft-cited verse when discussing transparency in our relationships is from 1 John 1:7, but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
Walking in the light is walking in truth, sincerity, honesty… Barnes’ Notes makes this insight on the 1 John 1:7 verse,
We have fellowship one with another – As we all partake of his feelings and views, we shall resemble each other. Loving the same God, embracing the same views of religion, and living for the same ends, we shall of course have much that is common to us all, and thus shall have fellowship with each other.
How can we be resembling one another in our pursuit of Jesus’ likeness when we conceal our selves by presenting a dishonest persona to our fellows?
The false teacher HAS TO hide themselves because they are false. They have constructed a careful but artificial persona.
While true Christians live a natural life full of honesty and bonded meaning with one another:
False teachers have to present a parsed, curated, artificial version of themselves both in word and deed. But especially words. As a discerner, we need to hear the words but have an ear to understanding when their words do not match their behavior or lifestyle. Carefully crafted but artificial humility and hiding the truth, will do no one any good. A false teacher may survive her concealment for a while, but discerning folks will see the truth behind the words. And if not, anyway- in the end “nothing is concealed that will not become evident, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.” (Luke 8:17)
