May 28, 2026

Solving the Dishonesty Problem

1 hour 1 minute

Welcome to the Influence Podcast! I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.

“Honesty matters, and people care a great deal about it,” writes Christian Miller. Yet we are facing an unprecedented erosion of honesty today — what I call an honesty crisis. Indeed, we are facing not just one crisis, but a variety of honesty crises in different parts of our society. … Fortunately, in many cases, there are concrete steps we can take to turn the tide.”

In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I talk about those steps with Christian Miller. He is the A. C. Reid Professor of Philosophy at Wake Forest University, president of the Society of Christian Philosophers, and author of The Honesty Crisis: Preserving Our Most Treasured Virtue in an Increasingly Dishonest World, published by Oxford University Press.

https://traffic.libsyn.com/influenceresources/427_Inf-Pod_Christian-Miller.mp3

Show Notes

00:00 — Introduction and Sponsor Ad

02:25 — What is honesty, and why do you think we’re having an “honesty crisis”?

07:30 — How honest are most people typically, and why do we lie?

13:24 — What’s the “online infidelity” crisis, and what can we do about it?

25:58 — What is the “fake news and politics” crisis, and what can we do about it?

35:30 — What is “sermon plagiarism,” why is it wrong, and what can we do about it?

46:23 — Pastors sometimes fall to the temptations of “online infidelity” and “celebrity.” What’s going on here and what can we do about it?

50:44 — As a Christian philosopher, what general advice would you give pastors about helping their congregations become more honest both individually and corporately?

57:40 — What are you reading right now that is interesting, helpful, and/or personally challenging?

1:00:16 — Conclusion

P.S. This podcast is crossposted from InfluenceMagazine.com by permission.

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