The Moment Of Truth is a new game show on FOX that has been stirring up some controversy. I’ll say upfront that I would recommend NOT watching it. The premise is that individuals on the hot seat are asked personalized list of extremely personal questions. But there’s a polygraph involved. The more they answer truthfully, the more money they receive. If they ever are caught lying, they’re out and win nothing.

These questions are designed to not only take the skeletons out of the closet, but to dust them and polish their bones, then amass that collected dust with the dirt swept under the rug, then mounting all that into a glass case for all to see. Sample questions (and you can see how the last one is quite personalized):

• Have you ever parked in a handicapped spot?
• Have you ever lied to get a job?
• If the opportunity presented itself, would you consider getting back together with any of your former boyfriends/girlfriends?
• Do you fantasize about cheating on your spouse/partner?
• Have you ever cheated on your spouse?
• Is part the reason you’re delaying having kids because you don’t think you will still be married in 5 years?

But what makes the show unwatchable is not just its terrible production and pacing and editing (with overdrawn, lame gaps for suspense), and not even the wrongness of the concept itself. The part that bugs me the most is that the underlying competition in the game is played, for gain, between these two contestants: honesty and integrity.

You can tell the audience is torn to react. When the host asks the question, the audience is giddily horrified (“Oooohhhhh!”). And when the contestant answers it (“Yes, I’ve cheated on my taxes”), the audience is appalled (“OOOOOOHH!!!”). But here’s the clincher.. when the host reveals that the contestant has told the truth, and therefore wins $10,000 more, the reaction is joy, applause, and congratulations!! Is that not the most wrong, most disturbing part of the show?

Integrity is sold here at the expense of honesty, returned in the form of American currency.

It disturbs me that we would praise and reward honesty when what the honesty reveals is lack of integrity. It doesn’t make sense to pit one against the other. The audience cheers when he gets money for admitting that he doesn’t see himself still married to his wife five years from now. Oh, and yes, the wife is sitting there on stage with him. He shoots her a shrug and small grin as though to say “Sorry, honey. But hey, we just made $25,000!” She shoots him a look in return that says “Divorce.” His friend actually asks on camera, while applauding, “Um.. should we be clapping?”

(Side note though, I do realized they’re not going to put any people above reproach on the show, because that would be very boring TV.)

I’m reminded of two instances in the Bible where integrity and honesty came together. Ananias and Sapphira lied about the amount of money they had received and were giving to the church, they were condemned Peter and struck dead by God (Acts 5). Now, the sin was not that they did not give all their money; that was not a requirement. The sin was that they lied about it, saying they were giving everything. It was a lack if integrity that prompted their dishonesty, and they were killed for lying against the Holy Spirit. I guess this parallels getting kicked off the show with $0 upon lying.

On the other hand, when the prophet Nathan confronted King David regarding his adultery with the married Bathsheba, David was filled with grief, remorse, confession, and repentance over his sin (2 Samuel 12, Psalm 51). No one was cheering for David, “thank you for being honest!” No one was rewarding him. And of anyone, David was the most distraught over his sin, not contented in any gain that he got from it (in fact, that baby died).

Yes, it is important and necessary to have integrity. But when that is compromised, yes, it is necessary to be honest regarding your sin, not necessarily broadcasting it to the whole world, but at the least to recognize it within yourself and to confess it before God. And all we should gain from that honest repentance is a greater faith in knowing God’s grace yet deeper, which covers our sin with righteousness in the blood of Christ. That is the reward of honest integrity and integrous honesty.