Hey, Church! 

I recently read a fascinating book by a Christian psychiatrist on the nature of evil. In People of the Lie, Dr. M. Scott Peck presents case studies from his career showing that evil doesn’t always manifest in dramatic ways. Instead, it often appears in ordinary flaws, like attacking others’ character while ignoring one’s own failures. Peck gives many everyday-life examples and argues that evil should be studied scientifically and treated as a core category within psychology.

Dr. Peck defines evil in a very specific way: “Evil people are characterized by an absolute refusal to tolerate the sense of their own sinfulness.”¹ When a character flaw is identified, amending it requires painful work. Good people make a habit of self-examination and count the hard work of improvement to be well worth the struggle. Evil people make a habit of the opposite; they refuse to confront their own sin and instead habitually focus on the perceived sins of others.

On this point, Dr. Peck says it is important to distinguish between “evil” and “ordinary sin.” “It is not their sins per se that characterize evil people, rather it is the subtlety and persistence and consistency of their sins. This is because the central defect of the evil is not the sin but the refusal to acknowledge it.”² Evil wants to hide its true colors, so its host lies to deceive others for the sake of preserving their self-image. Ultimately, evil people lie to deceive themselves because “They cannot or will not tolerate the pain of self-reproach.”³ This is the basis for the book’s title and why evil people may be called “people of the lie.” 

Another related, predominant characteristic of evil is called scapegoating. “Because in their hearts they consider themselves above reproach, they must lash out at anyone who does reproach them. They sacrifice others to preserve their self-image of perfection.”⁴ Scapegoating is what psychologists call projection. Since the person is unable or unwilling to confront their faults, they will inevitably fault the world around them. “They project their own evil onto the world. They never think of themselves as evil; on the other hand, they consequently see much evil in others.”⁵  

Yet another characteristic feature of evil is its opposition to life. “Evil is that force, residing either inside or outside of human beings, that seeks to kill life or liveliness.” Evil, as Dr. Peck’s 8-year-old observed, is “live” spelled backward. “Specifically, [evil] has to do with murder–namely, unnecessary killing, killing that is not required for biological survival… I do not mean to restrict myself to corporeal murder. Evil is also that which kills spirit. There are various essential attributes of life–particularly human life–such as sentience, mobility, awareness, growth, autonomy, will. It is possible to kill or attempt to kill one of these attributes without actually destroying the body.”⁶  

Considering these contours of evil within a person, it should not surprise us when someone who has made a habit of self-deception and ignorance of the truth picks up a gun and enforces their own sense of justice against others who proclaim light, life, and liberty. This is the sum result of narcissism and laziness. Narcissism says: “I am good, right, and blameless.” Laziness says: “I don’t want to do the hard work of proving or correcting that.” The result is that, instead of self-correction, the person engages in self-deception. Instead of guilt, they feel justified. Instead of growth, they become rigid and defensive. Inevitably, that internal conflict will spill over into outward attacks on others. 

When reality contradicts their self-image, Peck argues that these individuals will quite predictably take the law into their own hands, and punish or destroy the lives of others who threaten their innocent façade or beliefs (i.e. lies). This is where Peck locates the transition to evil: not merely doing harm to others, but doing so while insisting on one’s own righteousness. They have so thoroughly deceived themselves that they no longer believe themselves capable of wrong. The violence they inflict on others is, in their minds, perfectly just–even virtuous. 

I am reminded of the scripture passage that says, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter” (Is. 5:20). We live in a time where teaching the Ten Commandments is “harmful” and tearing a fetus from the womb and selling off its body parts is called good “healthcare.” We are lectured on human biology, human rights, and discrimination by people who deny the most elementary differences between a man and a woman. I could go on, but you have endless other examples in your news feed… 

Rio, there is real evil in our world! We must be vigilant to guard against the demonic forces at work, which begins by demanding “just one little” compromise of scriptural truth. “Did God really say…?” When the cultural opinion and the Word of God conflict, it is the culture that must bow the knee, not the other way around. That shouldn’t be controversial to anyone who calls himself or herself a Christian. When disobedience becomes a person’s norm, deception becomes the escape from the pain of change, and willful resistance to truth and self-awareness becomes an automatic response, they have become a person of the lie. 

So, what do we do with all of this? 

1. Pray. This is the first step because evil, by nature, hides itself. We can’t always see it, especially when it is within us. We need the Spirit of God to reveal our blind spots, show us the truth, and set us free from the deceiver’s lies. Namely, “the twin progenitors of evil: laziness [to eradicate sin] and narcissism [to believe ourselves sinful].”⁷
2. Repent. Here’s the best news of all: Jesus has already done the hardest work. Your work is simply to surrender–to trust Him more than you trust yourself. Lean not on your own understanding (however culturally laudable it may be), but in all your ways acknowledge Him, and let Him make your paths straight. 
3. Be bold. Nothing changes for the better when good people remain silent. As we have seen, evil tends to be loud and proud. The righteous are meek. But remember: meek does not mean weak. If a shepherd sees a wolf coming for his sheep and chooses to turn a blind eye, he is not only a bad shepherd, but he is culpable for the ruin of the flock. A meek shepherd is tender in his care for all, but dangerous and violent against predators. 
4. Pray again! First, you prayed for the evil within. Now, pray for the evil without: against evil authorities and powers at work in our world, for the deliverance of those who have taken the lie hook, line, and sinker, and for protection for your family, our church, and the governing authorities at every level. 

“For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12, NIV)