Character assassination

“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” ~ A.W. Tozer

We all have friends and family members that when we think of them we say; they are quite a character. This can be taken many different ways. It can mean that they are funny and we enjoy their company immensely or it can mean that they exhibit traits, attributes or features that we find particularly unsettling. But we kindly use the label "character" because we are far too gracious to call them rude, crude and socially unacceptable.

There are character traits that we value in others and ones we tend to find not so attractive. Who does not value character traits of honesty, loyalty, friendliness, patience and kindness? And we likely all universally tend to dislike those that we perceive as loud, abrasive, harsh, unkind, cold and indifferent. We evaluate the character of others probably on a daily basis. We are all likely familiar with the anonymous quote; “Everyone tries to define this thing called Character. It's not hard. Character is doing what's right when nobody's looking.” I would submit to you that statement is only half right; it matters what we do when people are not looking and when they are based on who we ultimately represent.

When someone is asked to define the character or attributes of God what immediately comes to mind? For some it is that God is love but for others it is that God is wrathful and jealous. We all tend to migrate to the idea of God that we value or admire the most, but in doing so we run the risk of misunderstanding or misrepresenting God to ourselves and others. While the three attributes I have listed are part of what makes up God, they do not completely define His infinite character. If we have a wrong view of God and in turn misrepresent Him to the world we are in essence performing a subtle type of character assassination of the Most High God.

What is character assassination? Wikipedia defines it like this; “Character assassination is an attempt to tarnish a person's reputation. It may involve exaggeration or manipulation of facts to present an untrue picture of the targeted person. It is a form of defamation and can be a form of ad hominem argument. For living individuals targeted by character assassination attempts, this may result in being rejected by his community, family, or members of his or her living or work environment. Such acts are often difficult to reverse or rectify, and the process is likened to a literal assassination of a human life. The damage sustained can last a lifetime or, for historical figures, for many centuries after their death.”

Wikipedia further developed the definition by stating; “In practice, character assassination may involve doublespeak, spreading of rumors, innuendo or deliberate misinformation on topics relating to the subject's morals, integrity, and reputation. It may involve spinning information that is technically true, but that is presented in a misleading manner or is presented without the necessary context. For example, it might be said that a person refused to pay any income tax during a specific year, without saying that no tax was actually owed due to the person having no income that year.”

In his book “The God Delusion” scientist and author Richard Dawkins describes his view of God. He states; “The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction; jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser…” This is not the God I have come to know and love, and not the God I picture when I read my Bible. The question is how did Dawkins arrive at this conclusion? Did he reach this conclusion based on a limited understanding or reading of scripture or was he raised in an environment where this was how God was portrayed? Was this the image of God put on display to him by those professing to be believers or “Christians”? Was God only presented to him as a angry cosmic figure waiting to drop the hammer on His creation the minute they failed to toe the line?

The question I pose to each of us is this; if we are called to be ambassadors for Christ how are we doing in our assignment? An ambassador is the authorized representative or messenger for the sovereign he is answerable to. Are we presenting God; all of God and His total character and attributes or just the ones we prefer? If the world has a misconception of who God is and what His plan and will are for the life of every human who is to blame? If the world declares war on God is it because His ambassadors have misrepresented Him and His intentions?

We need to be careful that we not just present God as the righteous judge, but also as the only merciful source of clemency for the condemned prisoner on death row. Without a doubt the supreme paradox is that God hates and judges sin, but he also is patient, long suffering, merciful and gracious. A.W. Tozer has written extensively on the attributes of God and in one of his books titled “The Knowledge of the Holy” he very succinctly states; “The history of mankind will probably show that no people has ever risen above its religion, and man’s spiritual history will positively demonstrate that no religion has ever been greater than its idea of God. Worship is pure or base as the worshipper entertains high or low thoughts of God.”

What are our thoughts of God and how do we worship and represent Him to the world?

“Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” ~ II Corinthians 5:20