Search in ARCHIVES

fake news

Feature Image

TruthTalks: How to Evaluate Truth Claims

Top Image

Last week Dr Christopher Peppler wrote THIS post called “How to Evaluate Truth Claims”, this is the audio version of that post.

So, I have to ashamedly put my hand up when asked if I have ever bought into conspiracy theories. Sometimes the world seems just crazy enough that my thought process (for example) is thus: “So my friend sent me a warning about people dressed as bunnies hijacking cars now” – “hey, why not?” (shrug).

Of course, I am in the great position of asking Christopher Peppler (Dad) to do the grunt work of researching these furry felons, and in this TruthTalks podcast he tells us how to do just that.

By the way, you too can ask him for clarity on anything if you can’t find the answers yourself – it always works for me.

Please scroll down to listen to the audio here, or subscribe using the top buttons and never miss an episode. TruthIsTheWord.com is non-profit and we rely on YOU to help us spread the word, so please like, comment, subscribe and interact with us.

Book Advert

 

TruthTalks: How to Evaluate Truth Claims Read More »

Feature Image

How to Evaluate Truth Claims

Top Image

Learning how to evaluate truth claims has never been more important than in the 21st century.

COVID-19 may be on the wane but theories of its origin, purpose and composition are still circulating as fast as airborne viruses. In the past, we only had to contend with flat-earth poppycock, faked moon landings, and so on. Now we are faced with conspiracy theories and misinformation that would make Joseph Geobbels envious.

It would be OK if the tidal waves of misinformation washing through our brains via social media were just entertaining distractions, but they aren’t. They confuse, increase insecurity, raise tension levels and can cause both physical and mental harm.

In May 2020 I wrote an article titled So Pass It On where I gave some advice on what information not to pass on to others, and why we shouldn’t. Since then I have been obliged to view dozens and dozens of posts and videos covering such things as why all COVID-19 vaccines are actually deadly venom injections, how a cabal of all-powerful people are taking over the entire world, how the end of the world will come in a matter of months, and so on. During a recent discussion regarding these matters, I was asked why ‘the church’ had not taught us how to evaluate such claims. Now, I am not ‘the church’, but I accepted the challenge to write something on evaluating truth claims … so here it is.

Logic versus Emotion

If it were only a matter of applying logic then it would be relatively easy to filter out the, well you know what, from the media posts, but it isn’t.

Emotions play a big role in whether a person will accept disinformation as valid and unfounded theories as truth.

There is an interesting article on sciencefocus.com where the author sets out a few researched emotional reasons why some people are more prone than others to conspiracy theories. I think that the prime culprit is fear, specifically the fear of not being in control and of being helpless in the face of impending catastrophe. Ironically, the thing that eases the fear of not being in control comes from buying into the idea that a shadowy elite group is in control. They then find a sense of worth and validation by passing on information to like-minded people and warning sceptical friends of the impending doom. Of course, this just increases the general level of stress and anxiety and fails miserably in providing practical help and solutions.

Emotions aside, what we all can and should be doing is applying critical thinking to truth claims that come our way.

Critical Thinking Skills

Two essential preliminary steps to take when exposed to new information are;

  1. Test the premises: A premise is the base of an argument or theory and a good way to identify it is to a work backwards to a previous statement or proposition from which it is inferred. What you are doing here is checking the validity and connectedness of the statements made. i.e. If this is true then that would also probably be true. For example, I recently read a claim that an un-named ‘Spanish lab’ had tested the Pfizer vaccine and found that it was 99% Graphine Oxide. The person spreading this ‘fact’ across the world went on to state that this particular chemical was lethal. So the ‘logic’ is that Pfizer is attempting to kill off millions of people by injecting them with deadly venom. There is reliable evidence that Graphine Oxide in substantial doses can be harmful, so the main premise in this media post is not the claim that it can be toxic, but the claim that it is a major component of Pfizer vaccines. This premise can be tested by scanning the list of contents on a vaccine label, consulting the Food and Drug Administration list, or accessing the research of an accredited laboratory that has analysed the vaccine (not an un-named Spanish lab).

However, here is the problem for us ordinary mortals:

To adequately check the validity of a false truth claim such as the one I have just presented requires both access to the right kind of information and a level of expertise that most of us do not possess.

So, we refer to time-honoured reliable sources such as reports by well-known medical faculties at major universities available on the internet, or to articles in accredited news or fact-checking sources such as Reuters , Associated Press , Factcheck , and so on. But here comes the rub – the advocates of the theories we are testing immediately claim that our ‘reliable’ sources are not reliable at all because they have sold out to big pharma, big tech, or a shadowy cabal of supermen … and so the conspiracy deepens and widens and presents itself as unfalsifiable.

  1. Evaluate the argument logically:
    1. Falsifiable: Is there enough valid evidence to prove it wrong or are the claims made too general, vague or unsubstantiated to find against them. The idea here is that new truth claims must earn their right to be accepted by demonstrating that they can be tested, evaluated, and found to be truthful.
    2. Probable: What are the chances of this being true? For instance, most of the world conspiracy theories require that almost every authority and expertise source in the world is in cahoots – The British government colluding with the Iranian leaders, the American with the Chinese, The North Koreans with Japan, and subject matter experts all singing off the same out-of-tune hymn sheet.
    3. Generalisable: To use an old example, spotting three dogs that are black does not mean that all dogs are black. Some adverse reactions to a vaccine do not mean that everyone will experience adverse effects.
    4. Convergent: Are there several lines of research and reasoning that are all coming to similar conclusions or is the evidence emanating from just a small number of similar-minded people?
    5. Credible: Is the source of the information credible? Does it come from a well-known and generally well-regarded institution? Is the person promoting the ideas suitably qualified and experienced in that field?

To these five criteria I would add the matter of Rhetorical Malpractice:

  • Does the source attack the opposition to the idea and not the ideas themselves?
  • Does it capitalize on the fear of possible adverse consequences?
  • Does it beg the question by assuming that the conclusion is true without proving it to be true?
  • Is it peppered with inconsistent and self-contradictory statements?
  • Does it argue that because it happened after X it must have been caused by X? Does it exclude any other reasonable proposition other than the one it is promoting?
The Bottom Line

All well and good, but at the heart of the issue are some fundamental choices we all have to make:

  1. Are we prepared to do the hard work of researching and evaluating truth claims?
  2. Are we determined to allow logic and careful thinking to prevail over emotional and sensational appeal?
  3. Are we committed to refusing to pass on fear and confusion-inducing theories until we have personally verified them and satisfied ourselves that the recipients can do something positive with the information?
    Do they encourage, hearten, and fill us and others with faith. Do they point us to Jesus?
  4. Are we prepared to abide by the scriptural principles that we can easily deduce from the Word of God? For example:
  • Exodus 23:1 ‘Do not spread false reports. Do not help a wicked man by being a malicious witness’.
  • 2 Timothy 2:16-17 ‘Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. Their teaching will spread like gangrene.
  • 2 Timothy 4:3-4 ‘For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
  • 2 Timothy 1:7 ‘For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love, and sound judgment’ HCSB.
Conclusion

I am convinced that most of us have the mental capability and basic skills to test truth claims, but I am not convinced that most of us are prepared to do the time-consuming and mentally challenging work that this requires. I am equally sure that some people find comfort in emotional validation rather than logical deduction. I also believe that most disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ want to help others, but some do not appreciate that the way to do this is not through imbibing and passing on conspiracy sewerage but by drinking and sharing the pure water of Jesus and his word.

 

How to Evaluate Truth Claims Read More »

Good Tidings

Top ImageYesterday, I received both good tidings and bad. One was a forwarded WhatsApp voice message and the other an internet link.

Isaiah 52:7

Three weeks ago the Holy Spirit led me to re-read Isaiah 52:7: ‘How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”

What I took away from this was that

I should focus my writing, at least for now, on encouragement, hope, and love. I guess that this is a pretty good mandate for all of us.
So, bearing this in mind, I now wondered how I should respond to the very disturbing voice message passed on to me.

The Voice Message

The message was from a man who claimed to have been informed by his GP that those living in Gauteng were about to experience the full might of the pandemic that has stalked us for the last three months. He went on to say that the virus was causing bizarre conditions not previously witnessed and that we should all place ourselves back into Level 5 lockdown. He added a lot of fear-inducing detail and advice. The timing coincided with the latest pronouncement by our Minister of Health of what he called the pending COVID-19 ‘storm’, and this gave the voice message an appearance of legitimacy.

The ‘bad news’ went viral and I even had it forwarded to me by a friend now living in the United States. Fortunately, the doctor who was ‘quoted’ as the source got to know about the message and immediately disclaimed it. The guilty party then owned up and made a public apology, claiming that the message was only intended for his immediate circle to shock them into being more careful. Hmmmmm!

My Response

I am writing about this because the dissemination of this sort of ‘news’ is such a serious issue. The message must have caused fear and anxiety to rise in everyone who heard it. This wave of fear will continue to many more people as it continues to be passed on, despite the disclaimers made. It was a blatant lie in parts and, at best, misinformation from someone not qualified to advise others on such matters. Any caution it could have instilled was overwhelmed by the negative effects of fear, anxiety, and anger.

However, it has made me think about the many people who must have received the message but did not pass it on. So, to those folks (hopefully you dear reader) I say:

  • Well done for exercising common sense, for applying logic and identifying the several ‘red flags’ that indicated that the message was ‘fake’.
  • Thank you for not passing it on ‘just in case’ it was true; you prevented many people from experiencing anxiety, fear, and confusion.
  • Thank you for acting responsibly.

The Good News Internet Link

The second communication I received yesterday was from my son. He sent me THIS. I scrolled down over page upon page of good-news stories from around the world. Not anecdotes or testimonies, but mini-presentations of things happening in our world that are positive, innovative, productive, and world-bettering. Now, this is something worth forwarding to others.

The Gospel

The news items in the ‘beautifulnewsdaily’ collection are economic, medical, financial, and so on. We Christians have good news that tops them all and is always worthy of being shared.

God reigns. Peace has been restored between the Godhead and humanity through Jesus Christ of Nazareth. All who believe can be saved. God is with us now and we can be with him eternally.
So, again: ‘How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”’

Footnote

I have previously written in more detail about the real plague of false news and I strongly recommend that you read THIS, even if for the second time 😉

Good Tidings Read More »

Feature Image

So Pass it On

Top Image

When I say “so pass it on”, I don’t mean the virus! A long, long time ago we used to sing a song that started, ‘it’s love, it’s love, it’s love that makes the world go around’. Its chorus was, ‘so pass it on, so pass it on to everyone’. So in this article,

I want to write about what to pass on and what not to pass on during this time of international crisis, or at any other time for that matter.

What Not To Pass On

First the negative. Obviously, we must ensure not to be carriers and conveyors of COVID-19, but sometimes we unintentionally pass on an even more insidious plague – fear. Many of the governments of the world, including here in South Africa, have made the creation or transmission of false news a punishable offence. Yet so many people unwittingly violate this regulation on an almost daily basis. Why? Well, I am addressing Christians in this article, so I assume that there are no malicious and wicked people among the disciples of the Lord Jesus. No, the folks that pass on fake news, hoaxes, and fear-inspiring pictures and stories are motivated by something other than hate and malice. They want to warn, inform, and help protect other people. Yet so often what they do has the opposite result.

Some Examples

A few weeks ago I received a WhatsApp voice note purporting to be from a lady in Spain warning everyone that the hospitals were turning away the elderly and leaving them to die so that younger people could receive treatment, and that the virus was transmitted just by breathing in the vicinity of an infected person.

A few days later another voicemail arrived, apparently from someone working in a Cape Town hospital, presenting all sorts of alarming ‘facts’ – this one at least was proven to be false news/malicious hoax.

Then came yet another voice message from a ‘Pastor Jonathan’ claiming that the virus was a symptom of 5G microwave poisoning, that the soon-coming vaccine would make things worse and contain a microchip ‘mark of the beast’, and so forth – David Icke on steroids!

Let’s Get Real

So let’s ask the obvious questions:

  1. Do these messages, and the many others like them, encourage, hearten, and fill us with faith?
  2. Do they point us to Jesus?
  3. Have they been verified as true and accurate by any credible authority?

The answers are invariably no, no, and no! Then why are people sending them to you?

The reason in most cases is that their transmission is a fear-filled reaction of a well-meaning person who has neither applied logic and wisdom nor fact-checked before passing on the message or picture.

My personal opinion is that anyone who passes on fear-inspiring messages of any sort (including “It’s the end of the world!”) needs to think very carefully about the effect that it will have on others.

Some Medical-type Information

I looked at a number of sites that contain information on the psycho-physiological effects of prolonged stress and here is one article that puts it quite well  – https://adrenalfatiguesolution.com/stress-immune-system/

For those who don’t want to read the whole thing, please pay close attention to the following quotes from it: ‘Your immune system is intrinsically linked to your stress levels’, and, ‘The chemical reactions triggered by stressful situations result in an onslaught of stress hormones being pumped around the body. While these hormones are useful in acute situations, their ability to interfere with the immune system can result in inflammation, reduced white blood cells, and a higher susceptibility to infection and tissue damage.’

Now I don’t want my immune system compromised and I don’t want this for anyone else either… and I am sure that you feel the same.

A Helpful Diagram

Here is a diagram I think it sets things out really well:

In-post image

A Scripture For Us All

‘Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things’. –  Philippians 4:4-8

So Pass it On

So, my resolve, and I trust yours too, is to pass on whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable (and funny?). Anything else is either a physical or a soul virus.

I wrote this article two weeks ago and since then I have not received any fear-fake-fatuous messages. So either things have improved in my communication circle or I have been removed from mailing lists and flagged as a grumpy old man… I choose to believe that things have improved; praise God!
Be blessed and keep safe and well.

So Pass it On Read More »

TruthTalks Sermons

TruthTalks (Sermon): How to Fight Fake News

Fake News is a manifestation of something more pervasive, misinformation. By misinformation I mean fabricated or manipulated information used primarily to influence people and further a specific agenda.

Misinformation can have serious implications and devastating effects on the lives of millions… and we are are all potential targets!

Recently I preached on this topic under the following points:

  • Types and examples of misinformation
  • How it is produced and spread
  • Generational shifts aiding the process
  • Strategies to fight against misinformation

Click HERE to read the article on which this sermon is based, or press play below to listen to or download the sermon.

TruthTalks (Sermon): How to Fight Fake News Read More »

About Me

My name is Christopher Peppler and I was born in Cape Town, South Africa in 1947. While working in the financial sector I achieved a number of business qualifications from the Institute of Bankers, Damelin Management School, and The University of the Witwatersrand Business School. After over 20 years as a banker, I followed God’s calling and joined the ministry full time. After becoming a pastor of what is now a quite considerable church, I  earned an undergraduate theological qualification from the Baptist Theological College of Southern Africa and post-graduate degrees from two United States institutions. I was also awarded the Doctor of Theology in Systematic Theology from the University of Zululand in 2000.

Four years before that I established the South African Theological Seminary (SATS), which today is represented in over 70 countries and has more than 2 500 active students enrolled with it. I presently play an role supervising Masters and Doctoral students.

I am a passionate champion of the Christocentric or Christ-centred Principle, an approach to biblical interpretation and theological construction that emphasises the centrality of Jesus

I have been happily married to Patricia since the age of 20, have two children, Lance and Karen, a daughter-in-law Tracey, and granddaughters Jessica and Kirsten. I have now retired from both church and seminary leadership and devote my time to writing, discipling, and the classical guitar.

If you would like to read my testimony to Jesus then click HERE.