Discerning Fake News

Some people love controversies, conspiracy theories, and anything that is not mainstream. Know anyone like that? Then there are those that are so oblivious to outside the box thinking that a meteor could fall from heaven, destroy half the town, and they would ask, did anything happen? Know anybody like that? Some think if CNN said it, it has to be true. Others believe that if CNN said it has to be false. (The same goes for CBC in Canada) Our world is divided like never before. With the miracle of social media, instant transmission of ideas, and no accountability, truth and fake can sometimes be impossible to discern. Interestingly, the Bible speaks to this issue.

2 Timothy 2:23 “Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels.” Maybe that is where the axiom came from that says, “don’t discuss politics and religion” (or your wages).

Titus 3:9 “Avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless.”

So how do we, in this modern age, navigate through the copious articles, memes, videos, and emails in our inbox? Glad you ask.

Here are my guiding principles to discern fake from truth:

1. Truth is not subjective. It is not my truth or your truth. It may be your perception, which is valid, but that does not make it true.

2. God is truth and there is no falsehood in him. The devil is a liar and there is no truth in him. So that makes me cautious of ideas, concepts and dogmatic statements. I subject myself to the enduring and infallible Word of God in discerning and making sense of modern day problems and controversies. And yes, the Bible is very relevant to our culture. There is nothing new under the sun.

3. Source is important. Often I hear people say, I researched it, and this is my conclusion. Finding three sources that agree with each other is not research, but collaboration. Opposing views are necessary and healthy. We have lost the art in our culture for healthy debate and listening skills. When we look to a source: consider its biases, political leanings, agenda, organization’s mandate, philosophy, and who its circle of influences are. This will help you to discern the objectivity (or lack thereof) of your source.

4. Lastly, (in the interest of brevity for this blog and not exhaustively), my final point is, time has a wonderful way of revealing what is fake and truth. So in my old age, I am not as adamant about things as I once was. It is ok to agree to disagree. Giving respect to and expecting respect from others to live out our belief systems as God has shown us.

The major controversy and angst in our world right now is Covid 19. There are numerous theories about this pandemic. Regardless of where you are on this, we should do everything out of love. Therefore, let us respect each other. Be kind. Do what you can to make a difference in the world you live. That is Biblical.

This Sunday, Pastor Alex Rispoli will be continuing in our series called the Doctrine of Sin. If you have missed the message, they are on our You Tube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNT9GnRlN0fPZdvqmaUV_LA

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Jim Reimer, Pastor

May 21, 2020