By Mark Wilmoth

University of Alaska Professor Chris Kleinke conducted a poll of 650 men and 831 women to find the most effective pick-up lines. After studying the responses, Kleinke reported that the best approach is direct and honest. “I really like your hair” or “I don’t have anyone to introduce me, but I’d really like to meet you” works much better than more devious approaches like “You remind me of someone I used to date.” Questions like “What’s your sign?” are considered flippant and cheesy. “I’d really like to get to know you better” works because it’s transparent. Even when it comes to pick-up lines, honesty is the best policy!

Jesus touted honesty in his Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 5:33-37 (NIV) reads, “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.”

Reading that passage, some have incorrectly concluded that it’s wrong to take or accept a judicial oath. President Franklin Pierce, for example, chose to use “affirm” rather than “swear” when he took his oath of office as President. But God himself uses and accepts judicial oaths, so that can’t be what Jesus meant. In Genesis 22:16-17, God promised Abraham: “I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky…” When standing trial before the High Priest, Jesus accepted and responded to a judicial oath in Matthew 26:63-64: “The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.” “You have said so,” Jesus replied…”

Jesus words didn’t address the use of judicial oaths in a courtroom; they confronted the dishonesty of Jewish society in general. For example, the Pharisees, the religious conservatives of Jesus’ day, allowed for something called “mental reservation.” A Pharisee might make a promise, but if, in his mind he carried a list of 4 or 5 circumstances that would make it hard to keep that promise, then because of his mental reservations, his promise didn’t count. The Pharisees also came up with ways to hide their dishonesty behind proclamations of honesty by swearing an oath. For instance, the Mishnah (a written collection of oral traditions surrounding the Jewish Law) said that if one swore “by Jerusalem,” one’s promise was not binding, but if one swore “toward Jerusalem,” it was binding. Average Jews couldn’t track all those linguistic gymnastics, but they soon learned that even the religious leaders couldn’t always be trusted. Jesus addressed that kind of dishonest, unscrupulous culture when he said, “All you need to say is ‘yes’ or ‘no;’ anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” Jesus preached honesty.

Our own times need this lesson as much as it was needed in the First Century. Back in 2008, after the housing bubble collapsed, some MBA students at Harvard Business School recognized how dishonest business practices had led to the problem and the economic consequences. They responded by developing the MBA oath. It said, among other things, “My decisions affect the well-being of individuals inside and outside my enterprise, today and tomorrow. Therefore, I promise that I will manage my enterprise with loyalty and care, and will not advance my personal interests at the expense of my enterprise or society. I will understand and uphold, in letter and spirit, the laws and contracts governing my conduct and that of my enterprise. I will refrain from corruption, unfair competition, or business practices harmful to society.” Twenty percent of the graduates of Harvard Business School signed that pledge in 2009.

Eighty percent of the graduates refused to sign that oath. By now, those grads are in mid-level or top-level management positions in some of the biggest businesses in America. That might be a big part of what’s wrong with our country.

Mark Wilmoth is with Pinehurst Christian Church in Marietta and can be reached at Minister@PinehurstChristianChurch.org