Voxology Speaking Truth in a World of Spin: Oaths, Integrity, and the Politics of Jesus (Sermon on the Mount Series)
What does it look like to be a people of radical honesty in a culture built on manipulation, spin, and social performance? In this continuation of the Sermon on the Mount Series, Mike Erre and Tim Stafford unpack one of Jesus’s seemingly simple yet deeply subversive teachings: letting your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no.
Using Matthew 5:33–37 as a launch point, they explore how oath taking in the ancient world functioned as a tool for verbal manipulation and how Jesus cuts straight through that tradition to call his followers into truthfulness rooted in love and trust. The conversation digs beneath the surface of swearing oaths to examine how modern Christians still cloak self-interest in spiritual language, project inauthentic personas, and often use “God talk” to avoid honesty and vulnerability.
Along the way, Mike shares revealing insights on spiritual maturity, personal therapy breakthroughs, and what it means to speak truth in love—even when it’s uncomfortable. This episode is a challenge and a comfort for anyone seeking to live with integrity in polarized political environments, performative church culture, and the day-to-day moments where honesty feels risky.
Key Takeaways: • The Kingdom Way of Speaking – Why Jesus doesn’t prohibit oaths because they’re formal, but because they represent a deeper issue of manipulation and spin. • Verbal Manipulation as Spin – How invoking God to justify personal decisions, political stances, or hidden agendas misuses His name and distorts the gospel. • A Call to Integrity – What it means to literally let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, and why healthy community depends on that truthfulness. • Naming the Religious Game – Exploring how spiritual leaders, churches, and even worship music often subtly encourage “Christian performativity” over honesty. • Resistance as Truth-telling – How truth, confession, and integrity function as a form of resistance in a culture of misinformation, hype, and partisanship. • Grace and Growth – A hopeful reminder that growing in truthfulness is a process and that the gospel makes space for confession and course correction.
Resources Mentioned: • Matthew 5:33–37 – Jesus’s teaching about oaths in the Sermon on the Mount • Matthew 23 – Jesus critiques Pharisaic oath traditions • Leviticus 19 and Exodus 20 – The Old Testament context of oath-taking and the misuse of God’s name • The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard – dwillard.org • Tim Gombis – Episodes and perspective on Christian misuse of authority and God-talk • Ecclesiastes ("Let your words be few…") • The Book of Acts – “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us…” as a model for discernment • Song Reference: “Let My Words Be Few” and Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror” quote cameo
Join the conversation and reflect on what being truth-tellers really looks like in our moment. Want to help others discover what Jesus’s kingdom really looks like? Subscribe, rate the podcast, and share this episode with someone wrestling with what it means to speak with integrity today.
As always, we encourage and would love discussion as we pursue. Feel free to email in questions to hello@voxpodcast.com and to engage in the conversation on Facebook and Instagram.
We're on YouTube (if you're into that kinda thing): VOXOLOGY TV Our Merch Store! ETSY Learn more about the Voxology Podcast Subscribe on iTunes or Spotify Support the Voxology Podcast on Patreon
Follow us on Instagram: @voxologypodcast and "like" us on Facebook Follow Mike on Twitter: @mikeerre Music in this episode by Timothy John Stafford Instagram & Twitter: @GoneTimothy
As always, we encourage and would love discussion as we pursue. Feel free to email in questions to hello@voxpodcast.com, and to engage the conversation on Facebook and Instagram.
We're on YouTube (if you're into that kinda thing): VOXOLOGY TV.
Our Merch Store! ETSY
Learn more about the Voxology Podcast
Subscribe on iTunes or Spotify
Support the Voxology Podcast on Patreon
The Voxology Spotify channel can be found here: Voxology Radio
Follow us on Instagram: @voxologypodcast and "like" us on Facebook
Follow Mike on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mikeerre
Music in this episode by Timothy John Stafford
Instagram & Twitter: @GoneTimothy