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“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16: 11)

Growing Dominion, Part 115

“Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?” (Prov. 20:6).

This is a passage that will help us understanding the nature of advertising. The biblical skeptic will not accept at face value the advertising claims of “excellence,” “integrity,” or “quality ingredients.” Most men will proclaim that they stand out from the crowd, but, the text goes on to remind us, in most cases this is not true. Most who claim excellence are doing so falsely. It may not be a deliberate lie, but the fact that the falsehood was inadvertently told does not make it true.

And this means that Christian merchants need to think about their advertising claims. Are we claiming “excellence” because it is true, or because we are advertising in a climate where all claims are inflated? I recall a New Yorker cartoon, where a general is standing before his officers, strategy board behind him, and pointer in hand. He says, “Gentlemen, we have to go from being a super power to being a super duper power.” That is the nature of claim inflation.

We have to take care not to claim things simply because they ought to be true, and besides, “everybody claims it.” Such behavior is a confirmation of this proverb, but unfortunately is a verification of the wrong end of it.

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