My brother pastor and I are taking turns preaching for our Lenten midweek services in our respective congregations using the them "Return to Jesus" put out by our denomination's publishing house. This week he preached on the theme "Return from False Witness" and used as one of his illustrations the story of Richard Jewell. The timing was rather ironic because I had just began watching the Netflix serious on the Centennial Olympic Park bombing. I followed the story as it unfolded as the authorities tried to capture Eric Rudolph in the Nantahala National Forest. This area of the country was just a few hours from where I grew up and I had hiked the Appalachian trail through the northern portion of that forest a few years before. But as much as this story is about Eric Rudolph, this story is also about a man named Richard Jewell.
Richard was working as a part-time security guard during the US Olympics and in the course of his rounds spotted a suspicious back-pack and alerted authorities who upon discovering it was indeed a bomb were able to partially evacuate the crowd certainly saving many lives.
But the pressure was on. The FBI was on the case and the agents investigating were feeling the heat from upper leadership who needed a "win". This was on the international stage and the FBI at the time was still reeling from a number of very public enforcement events that didn't go well (Ruby Ridge, Waco...). The mayor of Atlanta was pushing for a suspect to be named quickly to minimize the economic impact of the bombing. In just a few days Richard Jewell who before had been labeled "a hero" would be labeled "a hero bomber", a particular time of bomber who plants the bombs so he can discover them and be a hero. The only problem -- it wasn't true.The FBI would leak it to the press and the press would run with it. Jewell lost his job, his reputation, the ability to leave his house safely, his privacy. He had to get rid of his phone. Later when the truth came out big networks settled, but the local paper fought and fought defending that while it wasn't true that Jewell was the bomber, based on the information at hand it was fair and respectable journalism to report what they reported. That a man's life was destroyed for some time didn't matter.
The most potent part of the Netflix series for me was the scene where Jewell is speaking and saying (paraphrased here) "I can understand why people would think someone like me would be a suspect, someone fat, slow, who has made mistakes in his past, who doesn't have girlfriend, who isn't successful at life..."
Character assassination.
Martin Luther wrote in his Large Catechism regarding the eight commandment -- you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
Here belongs particularly the detestable, shameful vice of speaking behind a person’s back and slandering, to which the devil spurs us on, and of which there would be much to be said. For it is a common evil plague that every one prefers hearing evil to hearing good of his neighbor; and although we ourselves are so bad that we cannot suffer that any one should say anything bad about us, but every one would much rather that all the world should speak of him in terms of gold, yet we cannot bear that the best is spoken about others.
Take the following story for example.
Mat 26:57-68 Then those who had seized Jesus led him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered. (58) And Peter was following him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and going inside he sat with the guards to see the end. (59) Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death, (60) but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward (61) and said, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.’” (62) And the high priest stood up and said, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?” (63) But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” (64) Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (65) Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy. (66) What is your judgment?” They answered, “He deserves death.” (67) Then they spit in his face and struck him. And some slapped him, (68) saying, “Prophesy to us, you Christ! Who is it that struck you?”
People don't lie about others, don't work to destroy the reputation of others without reason, but the reason is usually not an honorable one. The Sanhedrin wanted Jesus gone. He had challenged their exercise of their authority calling them hypocrits. He disobeyed rules to not associate with sinners, tax collectors, and prostitutes. He had ignored their rules for religious observance including healing on the Sabbath which they defined as "work". But the big one was Jesus claimed to be divine, to be God's Son and the promised Savior. How big a deal was this for them? I really began to understand just how much their blindness lead them to ignore all the true facts about Jesus (His compassion, His love, His miracles, His divine power) when a chaplain rabbi I served with commented that for him the Pharisees, Saducees, and the Sanhedrin were the heroes in the story because Jesus has to be a false Messiah. Why? Because if Jesus is the Son of God and the Savior, their theology so carefully crafted by experts would have to be at least in this case, wrong. The FBI needed a win. The media had money to make selling newspapers and advertising.
The experts say. People in positions of authority carry a lot of weight. There is a scene in the Netflix series where the FBI is searching Jewell's house and his mother keeps asking him "what did you do"? Whether Netflix is taking artistic license here that his own mother suspected him, the story as portrayed is true to life. She says, "The FBI doesn't just do this for no reason." The FBI, the Press, not the gossip rags but the big names -- CNN, NBC, the New York Post. People in positions of authority carry great weight when they make a proclamation.
The truth came out. The FBI folks that made mistakes didn't really pay any price. Most of the media groups settled their libel suits but it is just money for them. CNN survives. NBC survives. The local paper survived. Jewell died young at the age of 44 from chronic health conditions not likely helped by this episode, though the police chief of Luthersville gave Jewell his second chance and he was hired as deputy.
Character assassination: at the heart of the crucifixion of Jesus, in the public eye with the story of Richard Jewell. But how many stories are out there that don't see the light of day, perhaps your own story. I know brother pastors who have had their ministries and in some cases their careers destroyed by this kind of behavior.
The lay deacon, one of the founders of the church, and treasurer who begins tearing down the pastor because he won't practice open communion. (See for more information). The deacon finds an ally in the Congregation's president, another founder. Surely these leaders can't be wrong about the pastor. Ironically six months after the pastor leaves it is discovered that these same men had been putting a portion of the congregational offering into a separate bank account to pay the previous pastor under the table so he wouldn't lose his social security. The attacks on the pastor had began during the church's leadership board five year planning process, when he encouraged them to do an audit and take a detailed look into the history of the congregation's finances.
The narcissist associate pastor who awes the selection committee and the church's staff on first impressions but soon after arriving goes to war with the senior pastor because he isn't conservative enough. There are things in worship like children's messages that don't belong. And the processional cross is in the wrong place. And you have to do this different and you are doing that wrong. Finding allies among some of the most conservative elders, a fishing expedition is started against the senior pastor who is trying to draw boundaries and put the breaks onto destructive change. He is labeled a bully and divisive and encouraged to move along.
The economy is tanking and the church's attendance and offerings are going down. Stress is up among the leadership and the pastoral staff. There are concerns about layoffs. Then the older pastor gets sick and has to take some time off. His assistant takes the opportunity to start feeding misinformation to the older pastor about the staff and lay leadership who acts on it from a distance thinking he is offering guidance for the good of the church. But the assistant is able then to twist the older pastor's words and actions in such a way that the leaders begin to believe he is not longer fit to serve and the assistant is able to move into the position with a corresponding increase in salary.
The young pastor in a small town who tries to council a young woman (daughter of a prominent church family) regarding the pitfalls of living together outside of marriage who finds his character and performance suddenly under attack by an elder, president, and trustee (all who happen to be in the same family). Rapidly losing the trust of the members he moves on to another congregation.
If it can happen to Jesus, the Son of God, if it can happen to pastors, if it can happen to an ordinary man doing his job and saving lives like Richard Jewell, it can happen to anyone.
If people who spend their lives trying to do what is right and stand for what is right -- the Sanhedrin, rabbis and Pharisees and Sadducees, FBI agents and reputable journalists, church leaders and even pastors can fall into the trap of thinking that the attacking of another person's character is justified, anyone can fall into the trap and become the harm that befalls our neighbor.
If the public can be swayed by the erroneous testimony of experts (Sanhedrin, FBI, the media, pastors, church leaders, _______ fill in the blank), so can we be sucked into the feeding frenzy.
The world, our communities, our churches, our families, or workplaces would all be better if we actually paid attention to the 8th commandment. People's lives would be better, maybe our own.
Luther's Small Catechism: (8th Commandment)
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. What does this mean? — Answer.
We should fear and love God that we may not deceitfully belie, betray,
slander, or defame our neighbor, but defend him, think and speak well
of him, and put the best construction on everything.
So how do we return from this? When we are the victim we seek solace in the truth, in the light of day, in the loving presence of God. When we are the perpetrators it is the same. We face the truth (about ourselves) and acknowledge our sin, own up to it, even apologize, and find forgiveness for harming our neighbor from the love of Christ who died for our sins.
