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In the pages of the New York Post, that's exactly what a sports fan did suggest. "I think Notre Dame is acting holier than thou," huffed salesman Jim McNulty; O'Leary should be judged not on his integrity, but on his coaching record.

It's the perfect postmodern answer to lying: It's perfectly acceptable to reinvent ourselves, because what we say and do matter less than how people perceive us.

The good news is that while America's tolerance of lying is greater than ever, Americans retain enough of their Judeo-Christian ethic that they are still scandalized when a public figure lies. We have to help our neighbors understand what's behind the current propensity for lying: A worldview that denies the existence of truth itself, which merely exacerbates our human fallenness in this area. And then we must point them to the Author of truth, the one who said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life."

Copyright © 2002 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Christianity Today addressed honesty in Christian publishing in a 1982 editorial, "Ghostwriting: A Borderline Deceit?The evangelical world is being plagued by ghostwriters in the sky."

In George O'Leary's resignation statement from Notre Dame, he said that "Many years ago, as a young married father, I sought to pursue my dream as a football coach. In seeking employment, I prepared a resume that contained inaccuracies regarding my completion of course work for a Master's Degree and also my level of participation in football at my alma mater.

The Washington Post's Tony Kornheiser wrote that "if the inaccuracies O'Leary carved into his life story had come to light after he had been at Notre Dame for a couple of years, he would not be fired."

For more information on O'Leary's resignation, see ESPN's coverage.

Coverage of Stephen Ambrose's plagiarism and apology includes:

Ambrose Apologizes — The Weekly Standard (Jan. 7, 2002)

Author Admits He Lifted Lines From '95 Book — The New York Times (Jan. 6, 2002)

Stephen Ambrose, Copycat — The Weekly Standard (Jan. 4, 2002)

Articles on Joseph Ellis inventing his own Vietnam War record includes:

A History of His Own Making — Time (June 24, 2001)

The Greatest Dishonor — Accuracy in Academia (July 2, 2001)

According to Baseball Library.com, Tim Johnson was fired as manager of the Toronto Blue Jays after it was revealed he told fabricated Vietnam stories to inspire players.

The Christian Science Monitor reported that "David Brock, the former writer for the right-wing American Spectator magazine that attacked Anita Hill so hard and then later went after Bill and Hillary Clinton, alleges in an upcoming book that he made up most of the things he wrote about Hill in the Spectator."

Telling the Truth and The Day America Told the Truth are available at Amazon.com.

Recent Charles Colson columns for Christianity Today include:

Drawing the Battle LinesWe need to be informed and discerning about the Islamic worldview. (Jan. 9, 2002)

Wake-up CallIf September 11 was a divine warning, it's God's people who are being warned. (Nov. 5, 2001)

The New TyrannyBiotechnology threatens to turn humanity into raw material. (Oct. 5, 2001)

Merchants of CoolWe should be angry that the media hawks violence and that parents allow it. (June 6, 2001)

Slouching into SlothThe XFL is but the latest sign of the coarsening of our culture. (Apr. 17, 2001)

Checks and (out of) BalanceMoral truth is in jeopardy when the courts enter the business of making law. (Feb. 27, 2001)

Pander PoliticsPoll-driven elections turn voters into self-seeking consumers.(Jan. 3, 2001)

Neighborhood OutpostChanging a culture takes more than politics. (Nov.8, 2000)

MAD No MoreIn this post-Cold War era, it's time to rethink our nation's defensive strategy. (Sept. 27, 2000)

Salad-Bar ChristianityToo many believers pick and choose their own truths. (Aug. 8, 2000)

A Healthy 'Cult'A lively response by one unusual audience shows how God's power transforms culture. (June 12, 2000)

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March 11 2002, Vol. 46, No. 3