When is it Right to Lie? A Christian Perspective on the Nazi Dilemma.

By William Mann

During World War II the Nazis would go door to door looking for Jews who were in hiding. People were asked if they were hiding Jews. If you told the truth the Jews would be taken away and put to death. If you lied they may have remained safe and you may have saved their lives. This was the scenario put forward on a Christian radio talk show one afternoon. I called in and debated with the host. This book is the result of that conversation. This book examines, from a biblical perspective, whether or not it is right to lie when faced with a life or death situation such as this. I call this situation the "Nazi Dilemma."

• Language: English
• Publisher: William Mann
• Release date: Jul 6, 2018
• ISBN: 9781732391406

Book preview

WHEN IS IT RIGHT TO LIE?

A Christian Perspective on the Nazi Dilemma

By

William Mann

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Copyright 2018 by William Mann. All right reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the writer, except for brief excerpts which are properly quoted.

Cover Photograph by William Mann. Copyright 2018.

Acknowledgments

Preface

Chapter 1 – The Nazi Dilemma

Chapter 2 – The Importance of Moral Absolutes

Chapter 3 – Defining a Lie

Chapter 4 – Phrasing the Question

Chapter 5 – Examples of Lies in the Bible

Chapter 6 – Reasoning

Chapter 7 – God’s Hatred for Lying

Chapter 8 – The Value of Truth

Chapter 9 – Death in the Absolute

Chapter 10 – The Slippery Slope

Chapter 11 – Argumentation

Chapter 12 – Conclusion

Appendix A - Definition of Sin

Appendix B - Definition of Related Words

References

Explanation of quotations

The Bible verses quoted in this book are copied from the New King James version. The verses are set in italics for easier reference. In most biblical texts, some words were placed in italics. Those words were put in italics to show that they were not in the original Hebrew or Greek, but were added for translation clarification. Those italicized words will show up here in brackets [ ].

Acknowledgements

I would like to express thanks to my former pastor/teacher Dr. John F. MacArthur Jr. (Senior Pastor at Grace Community Church, Sun Valley, CA), Phillip R. Johnson (Executive Director of Grace to You), Dr. Michael Grisanti (The Master’s Seminary), and my current pastor/teacher, Dr. David Hegg (Grace Baptist Church, Santa Clarita, CA), for taking the time to read my first drafts and giving me input that assisted me in clarifying issues and making it a better product.

I would also like to thank my friend and mentor, Dick Knolls, for the time he spent teaching me the foundational principles of biblical hermeneutics and instilling in me a Berean mindset.

Preface

You never know how much you really believe anything until its truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life and death to you. – C.S. Lewis

This book is the result of a conversation that took place between me and a well-known radio broadcaster on a Christian radio talk show. The issue that we discussed has a literal historical context as well as a moral context. It is a context that hits to the heart of Christian theology and world view. That context is the actions of one who is hiding Jews to foil the attempt of the Nazis to eradicate them. When asked if they are hiding Jews, the person is put into a dilemma. Do they lie or do they tell the truth? I will refer to this situation as the ‘Nazi dilemma.’

I felt it necessary to write this book due to the faulty conclusions that can be thrust upon the Christian community when a well-meaning, but misguided person speaks up dogmatically or theoretically. Sometimes, that person is a pastor, radio host, or television personality. Many popular people (politicians, musicians, and movie personalities) make erroneous statements they intend to be taken as absolutes when they are merely a strong opinion.

In this day and age, the voice of one person in a place of authority or popularity can be broadcast throughout the world, causing many to be led astray. Unfortunately, some of those people are followed without question. They are looked up to as the ones with knowledge and they are not readily questioned. When they are questioned, it is usually long after the wrong thinking has had a chance to develop and infect those without discernment. In some cases, those people insist that their opinion is the gospel truth and that they have won the debate, yet they will not even give the other side a chance to debate. I hope this work will cause many to rethink their positions, bring a critical light on God’s truth, and allow the Berean mindset to abound.

In writing this book I decided not to read other books with similar topics so as not to take their ideas from them. I wanted to deal specifically with the issue of the Nazi dilemma and not other perspectives on lying in general. Although on this, I think I failed, as they all come together under one roof. If my thoughts on the Nazi dilemma are correct, then all lying, for any reason, must be seen as a sin.

Chapter 1 – The Nazi Dilemma

The unexamined life is not worth living. – Socrates

I was driving home one afternoon listening to a popular Christian radio talk show and heard the host ask a controversial question. Putting yourself back in World War II and presuming that you were hiding Jews from the Nazis, the question was this: If the Nazis came to your door and asked you if you were hiding any Jews, would you tell the truth or would you lie? I listened for several minutes as others called in and nearly every one of them stated that