By Deborah H. Rabern

The philosopher, Diogenes, was famous for his antics in Athens. He carried a lamp in the daytime in his search for an honest man, and skewered those spouting exalted theories about virtue. He was a fan of action, not talk. Like us, he wanted to see people live out unwavering principles.

Once upon a time when a person gave his word or shook hands on a deal, that was as binding as a legal document. People trusted one another to be reliable and honest. Most people didn't renege on their promise because having a reputation of being as good as your word was important. Robert Service said, "A promise made is a debt unpaid."

You see, integrity goes beyond the refusal to tell a lie or mislead others. It means that we have discerned between right and wrong, and made an intelligent choice for right - one that we are ready to defend in word and deed. Most of us have found ourselves on the information hamster wheel. We are inundated with facts, political rhetoric, wishful thinking, and flat-out fiction. The misinformation cycle perpetuates via the internet. Are we lying and gossiping when we fail to verify our information before passing it on? We offer lip service to the truth, but our behavior reflects our trustworthiness.

Solomon asked the Lord for the wisdom to discern between good and evil so he could make right judgments in governing the people of Israel. His request pleased God and brought blessings to him. His legendary wisdom has endured through the ages. His wealth remains virtually incomprehensible, and peace existed with all the nations around him. Imagine what our nation would be if our leaders operated with an integrity borne out of divine wisdom.

Daniel is the Bible's poster boy for integrity. He made a decision as a young man that governed his entire life. He chose to put God first. Although he was a prisoner of war, Daniel refused to go against the dietary code of his faith. It was risky. He was in a strange environment learning a new language and customs. He could have either lost his life or been removed from the elite training program, but God caused an official to give him favor.

Daniel proposed a ten-day experiment so he and his friends could eat according to the kosher rules and then be evaluated in comparison to the other captives. God honored Daniel and his friends in the king's service. They had ten times more wisdom, knowledge and understanding than all the devotees of the occult.

Daniel never broke protocol. He asked questions and assessed the facts before he acted. Although the reigning authority was a pantheistic, arrogant ruler, he showed proper respect. He approached King Nebuchadnezzar through the proper channels even though death was imminent. When the lives of the wise men were on the line to reveal the king's dream and interpret it, Daniel interceded for them all, whether they were friends or enemies. He asked for time to pray, and God revealed both the dream and the interpretation.

Although Daniel could have taken credit for himself, he was careful to let the king know that a man was unable to do this. His integrity yielded praise to God in heaven who brings light into darkness and makes known secret things. The king rewarded Daniel with lavish gifts, elevated him to rule the province of Babylon, and appointed his friends as administrators. Despite the acclaim, he remained steadfast in his dependence on God for direction.

Prayer and integrity placed Daniel on the wrong side of political correctness. Since he wasn't corrupt, negligent, or untrustworthy, the other government officials couldn't discredit him. They plotted his downfall by manipulating King Darius into signing a law forbidding any petitions other than to the king for the next thirty days. Anyone who disobeyed this decree, which could not be changed, faced the lion's den.

Daniel chose faithfulness to the one true God over obedience to an earthly king. He chose uncompromising loyalty to God over life, knowing the consequences. Position, wealth, royal favor, opposition, persecution, threats, or pressure didn't move him. Nothing mattered more than his relationship with the Almighty. Integrity means we are willing to take a risk and face adverse circumstances rather than deny our principles.

Not all people of integrity survive so well. Dietrich Bonhoeffer opposed Hitler's anti-Semitic laws and the co-opting of the German church for political purposes. He continued to train others to spread the Gospel while he was active in the Resistance.  Although he could have bowed to political pressure and imprisonment, he conducted services in prison, and smuggled written material out to encourage others. A Nazi judge ordered his execution. According to Wikipedia, the camp doctor said, "In the almost fifty years that I worked as a doctor, I have hardly ever seen a man die so entirely submissive to the will of God."

Dietrich Bonhoeffer could have ignored Nazi interference. He could have refused to get involved. He could have saved his life by remaining abroad in safety, instead of returning to Germany to lead in the fight against evil. In the days preceding his death, he wrote this poem excerpted below:

"Daring to do what is right, not what fancy may tell you,
valiantly grasping occasions, not cravenly doubting-
freedom comes only through deeds, not through
thoughts taking wing.

Faint not nor fear, but go out to the storm and the action,
trusting in God whose commandment you faithfully follow;"

Our integrity releases us from fears that we can never measure up to what the Almighty expects of us, or what we expect from ourselves. We can dare to go beyond the limits of political expediency (and physical safety) the culture sets for us if our integrity is intact. Choosing integrity sets us apart, wins respect, and expands our influence. It frees us to live with passion. Integrity keeps our moral compass true and our actions bold. So maybe it's time for all of us to follow Daniel's lead to embrace the "wrong" side of political correctness.

^1. Quoted from "Stations on the Road to Freedom." Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Martyred Christian, ed. Joan Winmill Brown. (New York: MacMillan, 1983), 91.

Deborah H. Rabern is a graduate of Georgia State University. She has spoken and taught in assorted venues including churches, parachurch organizations, federal prison and the public school system. In addition, she has been a spokesperson for the National Day of Prayer Committee (Cumberland, MD) and Tri-State Celebration (1999) during her employment with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.