The Danger of Politeness in a Decaying Nation

 

Politeness is a virtue—until it becomes a lie.

We live in an age where politeness has been mistaken for righteousness. As long as we nod, smile, and say the “right things,” the world applauds us. But truth, especially when truth cuts against the grain, is anything but polite.

The prophets of Israel were not polite. Jeremiah thundered against Jerusalem while priests told him to hush. John the Baptist called out Herod to his face and lost his head for it. Our Lord Himself overturned tables, called Pharisees “whitewashed tombs,” and was accused of blasphemy for speaking the truth plainly. None of these were acts of courtesy. All were acts of honesty.

The old Southern song I’m a Good Ole Rebel carried that same unpolished honesty. It declared openly: “I won’t be reconstructed.” No compromise, no false allegiance, no bowing to what had been imposed. The words were not polite, but they were true to the singer’s heart.

I cannot, with integrity, pledge allegiance to a nation that has abandoned its own foundations. To do so would be to pledge falsely. I stand respectfully when others recite it, but I will not lie. The Scriptures teach us, “Therefore, putting away lying, let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another” (Ephesians 4:25, NKJV). A false pledge is still a lie, and no amount of politeness sanctifies it.

Perhaps that is our problem as the Church in America: we have been too polite. We have smiled while the truth of God was mocked. We have nodded along as the culture redefined what God has ordained. We have stood quietly while His commandments were torn down. We were polite, but we were not faithful.

Politeness cannot rebuild a nation in ruins. Only truth can. And truth, by its very nature, will sometimes sound abrasive, defiant, even rebellious. It will offend those who prefer comfort over conviction. But Christ never called us to politeness—He called us to be witnesses. And a witness swears to the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

In a decaying nation, polite lies accelerate the rot. Honest words, even sharp words, plant the seeds of repentance and revival. Better a rough honesty that offends than a polished falsehood that damns.

So let the Church learn again to speak plainly. To refuse the false pledge. To call sin sin. To say without shame, “We will not be reconstructed.” Truth before politeness. Christ before compromise.