Thought for the Day 21/04/21 - There's no such thing as an NDA

 AUDIO

Non Disclosure Agreements are back in the news ... and, oh Man! They can be so counter-productive.

The basic idea of them is that somebody does something they're ashamed of, thery admit it to the person or people that they've wronged and that wronged party signs to say that in consideration of some money they will keep what has happened a secret. 

And it was the Archbishops of Canterbury and York were in the newspapers yesterday and on the TV, writhing  in honest pain at their existence and use of these NDAs in the C of E.

Justin Welby said he had not been aware confidentiality agreements were being used to stop people speaking publicly, but crucially the Archbishops haven't stopped there.

The Archbishop told Times Radio the documentary was "rightly shaming".

Mr Welby added that he was "horrified" to hear the extent of racist abuse within the Church and the way it was being covered with NDAs.

"I have said many times that I am totally against NDAs [non-disclosure agreements]. NDAs are unacceptable. I am just horrified by that and horrified by the fact of racism," he said.

Together with the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, he has taken action, and  written to senior members of the Church, telling them confidentiality agreements are no longer to be used.

Now look, I am certainly no card-carrying Anglican ... but you've got to respect such plain honesty and respect this sort of bold moral leadership.

And repudiating the bribing of people who've been wronged to purchase their connivance in covering it up is going to be on the right side of history.

NDAs are on the wrong side of history

There's a very encouraging reason for saying that ...  so please let me tell you  a story.

One day Jesus went to the home of a Pharisee because He'd been invited to go there for dinner.

As dinner began to unfold it emerged that He was going to be 'guilt shamed' for not going thriough the outward trappings of their religion.

He was put in an awkward position by people claiming to occupy high moral ground to protect their personal high status ... people who were actually something very different inside.

And Jesus denounced them for this pretending to be better than you are, and He calls it by its name ... it's hypocrisy.

Jesus opened up the big guns on their pretending

 It's all there to read in black and white: Luke 11:37-52

And so for good theological reasons this week the Archbishops have banned putting such hypocrisy in written legal agreements with their ban on these wretched NDAs ... documents designed to cover up (in this case) institutionalised racism in parts of the hierarchies of the C of E.

In this they are following in the footsteps of Jesus ... check this out:

"when a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one another, 

Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, saying: 

‘Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 

There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, 

or hidden that will not be made known. 

What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs."

                                                                     Luke 12:1-3

The Point

There's no such thing as a Non Disclosure Agreement ... at least there's not one that is going to work.

Get this: by the solemn word of the Lord Jesus you can find peace, there's no way you've been wronged that can actually be covered up.

God isn't keen on hypocrisy and no-one can cover up and avoid the consequences of their actions ... there will come a revelation of it all and a reckoning on it all from the Lord.

At first that looks 100% good news ... but the problem with it may already be occurring to you ... 

We ALL have things that we'd rather cover up.

Now please don't switch off at this point because there's much better news to come and you REALLY don't want to miss out on this bit.

There are two GREAT things that need to be said about this

You can't cover your faults with any NDAs or threats or violence that you put in place  ... no-one can deal with their shortcomings that way because ultimately NOTHING is going to be hidden.

But that doesn't mean there's no way for our (very human) sins, errors and failures to be covered.

And here's where the second very encouraging thing about this comes in.

The Lord Himself has got a cover job sorted on this for you, but you need to qualify by not being a hypocrite, and by putting the task 100% into His hands.

Way back in the Old Testament, when he'd messed up again, David discovered a GREAT thing about all of this:

(He's singing!)

"Blessed is the one

whose transgressions are forgiven,

    whose sins are covered.

Blessed is the one
    whose sin the Lord does not count against them
    and in whose spirit is no deceit.

When I kept silent,   

 my bones wasted away

    through my groaning all day long.

For day and night

    your hand was heavy on me;
my strength was sapped
    as in the heat of summer.

Then I acknowledged my sin to you

    and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, ‘I will confess
    my transgressions to the Lord.’
And you forgave
    the guilt of my sin.

                                      Psalm 32:1-5

See?

NDAs are just not going to work, because God hates hypocrisy and cover ups.

But there is hope for the person who renounces the wrong they have done and trusts their whole package of problems to the mercy of God.

The Takeaway

The takeaway is summed up neatly in Proverbs 28:13

"Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy."

Following the Lord is not compatible with pretending to be anything better than we are, but (like David) rejoices in making much of His grace to ME, a sinner.

If this raises any issues for you please feel free to contact us using the contact form below.