I have almost given up on sports talk radio. Callers are becoming too obnoxious, rude and crude. It’s one thing to say positive things about your own team, but quite another to be so negative about others that it is nauseating.

I was driving down the road and scanning the radio dial. I caught one of the nationally famous sports broadcasters. What got my attention was his ranting and raving about integrity. He not only doesn’t believe it really exists; he was especially making fun of Christians.

He brought up serial killers and child predators who carried on active rolls in their churches when caught. He tried to use those same old reasons to trash the church and belittle the idea of integrity.

This commentator has a problem. Integrity made this country strong. My grandparents didn’t use attorneys; rather their word was as solid as a rock. As the old saying goes, when they said something, “You could take it to the bank.”

Not only did integrity make this country strong, it makes individuals and families strong as well. Beyond that it can make a church within a community stand out among the rest.

What has destroyed integrity in America? The number one problem is the double standards that too many people espouse today. You cannot be a person of integrity if you advocate or promote different “personalities” from day to day throughout the week.

One reason the church has taken such a hit is that too many Christians celebrate their faith on Sunday and live a counter-culture to their beliefs during the week.

The Bible has some powerful statements about integrity. Job, in all of the turmoil of his life stated, “I will not deny my integrity, even if it costs me my life” (Job 27:5 “The Message”).

David wrote in Psalm 27:11, “As for me, I will walk in my integrity.” That is the same King David who sinned but found restoration in God. He was later described in Hebrews “as a man after God’s own heart.” The Apostle Paul testified to his integrity.

The scripture 2 Corinthians 7:2 tells us, “I have wronged no man; I have corrupted no man; I have defrauded no man.”

Integrity is not necessarily about being perfect; it’s about being honest and trustworthy. It means knowing when to apologize for attitudes, actions, and activities that rob us of that sacred trust.

I’m not going to quit loving football. I probably won’t tune into sports talk radio for a while. But, this commentator has it all wrong. I hope one day he will discover a true Biblical Christian that will model integrity for him. Maybe he will change his mind; I can only hope so.

Integrity is real. It still makes a difference. It makes a big difference when I am doing business in the community. It makes a big difference in my life.

Most of all, it makes life “simply beautiful.”