And the Truth Is...

Paul Ryan’s apparent “mis-statements” in his speech to the Republican National Convention are disturbing and revealing. It’s hard to believe that he was able to tell the story about the GM plant in his own hometown in a speech that had been carefully (presumably) written and reviewed by a reliable team, and then even more carefully rehearsed, without someone, sometime, saying, “Hey, that didn’t happen! You can’t use that story!”

Hard to believe, but not in politics.

Some 2000 years ago a Roman governor named Pontius Pilate faced a particularly dicey decision about executing an innocent man because the polls on the street indicated the public wanted him dead. When Pilate’s detainee started talking about truth, and claimed that those who are committed to the truth listen to him, Pilate sneered the question, “What is truth?” (Read the Gospel of John 18:33-38 in the Christian Bible for the original story.)

Pilate sneered (better, spat out) that question because his political instincts were perfect: whether you are seeking to slay the innocent or to defeat your opponent, precious “truth” must not stand in your way. As he spoke Wednesday night, Mr. Ryan was apparently deafened to the voice of that man who stood before Pilate. Yet he makes loud claims to be one of his followers.

Years ago I heard some wag suggest “the homiletical theory of truth,” which is: “A statement or story is true in direct proportion to its usefulness in preaching.” If it works, present it as truth, even if it isn’t. And the better it works, the truer it surely is. Preachers in pulpits and politicians behind podiums are subject to very similar temptations when it comes to truth-telling. And the claims of politicians who sound like preachers require our most critical scrutiny.

UPDATE: I turned off Mitt Romney after he told us Paul Ryan loves his mother. Maybe he does...but that doesn’t excuse his lying about his home town...also makes me wonder...but it’s unkind to wonder that...