A Christian Response to.... Fake News

     I've decided to resurrect an old blog to post on a biblical and Christian response to political issues of today. I've heard a lot about how conservatives and liberals, or Republicans or Democrat, or Left or Right feel about issues, but not much about what the Bible or historical Christianity says about it. I'll be posting daily for the month of October as we go into this election season. If nothing else, it helps me organization my thoughts and establish my voting priorities. 

Post One: Fake News

               Imagine trying to discuss speed limits with someone who denies the existence of cars or space exploration with someone who insists the earth is flat. Before two people can disagree on one thing, they must agree on others. When I debated in high school, there was an agreement that most published and edited sources were truthful--- they could be bias, but they were not lying. In the last several years, this foundational assumption has come under constant attack from social media phantoms, who enjoy labeling anything they question, disagree with, or even mildly dislike as “fake news.”

               In the Bible, the truth is a sacred thing. In the Old Testament, honesty is one of the Ten Commandments (Ex 20). In Proverbs, the sage says that lying is an act of hatred against those a person lies to and liars are identified as a group the Lord “detests” and those who tell the truth his delight (Pr. 26:28; 12:22). Government leaders are deemed unfit if they lie to their constituents or gain their wealth through dishonesty (Prov. 17:7; 21:6).If you jump to the New Testament, there is the disturbing story of Ananias and Saphira nestled between the happy texts of the believers sharing all things and the apostles healing many. This couple sold a piece of land and donated half the proceeds to the church, but said it was all of it--- a seemingly mild lie. God literally struck them dead for it (Acts 5:1-11).

When we look at God’s hatred of lying, there is one group in particle that the Bible calls out: religious leaders. The Old Testament prophet Jeremiah repeatedly target religious leaders for telling people what they want to hear and twisting the words of God rather than preaching the truth of God (Jeremiah 23:9; 8:8, 43:2) Ultimately, the lies of those false prophets led the people of God to destruction. Another Old Testament prophet, Ezekiel, also goes after these false prophets and priests because they claimed to speak for God, but what they said did not resemble the Word of God (Ez 21:29;22:28). One accusation of his against these prophets is especially chilling in the time of COVID-19--- “By lying to my people, who listened to your lies, you have killed those who should not have died.” (Ez 13:9, emphasis added).

               Truth is Scripture is never subjective. Requesting God to guide the psalmist in his truth is a common refrain of the Psalms (Ps. 25:5, 52:3, 145:30). In his novel Piecing the Darkness, Frank Periti has the pastor Hank Busch instruct the heroine Sally Beth Roe to read Psalm 119--- not because it was the longest chapter in the Bible, but because what Sally Beth Roe needed to hear to bring her to God was objective truth--- “a genuine right and a genuine wrong.” Again, jumping to the New Testament, Jesus declares that for God to be purely worshiped, it must be done “in Spirit and in Truth” and that freedom is found in the truth (John 4:24; 8:32). In the “love chapter” love is described as rejoicing in truth (I Cor 13:6). At this point, this may be overemphasis on top of hyperbole, but even one of the names of God is “Truth” (John 14:6; 16:3).

               So, what impact should this detest for lying and love of truth have on a Christian?

·        They should “seek the truth” (Jer 5:1). It is not enough to be passive receptacles of whatever meme, tweet, or video comes across our newsfeed. It takes work to find the truth, especially in today’s inundation of information, but this is the duty of a believer.

·        They should use extreme caution when labeling something “fake” or calling someone a liar   Lying about someone else’s character by accusing them of lying without even a cursory investigation is itself the heinous sin of lying. (Ps 109:2, see also Ps 120).

·        They should recognize that there is a difference between dishonesty and bias, between fake and uncomfortable, and between an agenda and a lie. Liberal does not always mean dishonest and conservative certainly does not always mean honest.

·        They should respect proven sources of truth such as academic research and experts in their fields. If they have doubts about these, they should educate themselves on the rigorous training and vetting these sources must go through before dismissing them.

·        They should hold political and religious leaders to a high standard of honesty. When a leader repeatedly denies facts, dismisses opinions they disagree with, or are double minded on their own positions, a Christian should question their ability to fulfil their position of leadership.

·        They should base their political and personal decisions on truth, not rumors.