How to Discern Truth: Examine all the Evidence!
When we hear only one side of a story we tend to believe its the truth. But, listen to what the Bible says about discerning truth:
The first to speak in court sounds right— until the cross-examination begins. Proverbs 18:17
This verse emphasizes the necessity to discern truth by thoughtful examination of evidence from all sides.
In our culture today we have multiple voices loudly proclaiming their views on many topics. These voices, in many cases are stating contradicting or incomplete evidence.
However, not all those voices can be true if they do not agree.
We need discernment in what we see and what we hear and what we believe. Chuck R Swindoll
To Discern Truth: Principles From the Bible
When we hear only one side of a story we tend to believe it is the truth. But, what does the Bible say about discerning truth?
The following principles from the Bible provide guidance on developing and exercising discernment effectively.
- Seek wisdom from God through the Word of God and prayer James 1:5
- Study the Scriptures, the ultimate source of truth. Hebrews 4:12
- Be led by the Holy Spirit, open your mind to His promptings. John 16:13
- Evaluate everything carefully by examining doctrines and prophecies, to ensure they align with biblical truth. 1 Thessalonians 5:21
- Strive to mature your faith by practicing and applying biblical principles. Hebrews 5:14
- Pursue counsel from godly mature individuals. Proverbs 11:4
- Foster a humble heart which is teachable and receptive to God’s guidance. James 4:6
- Practice discernment in a community of believers. Acts 17:11
- Be patient and wait on the Lord as God’s timing is often not our timing. Psalm 27:14
In summary, discernment enables Christ-followers to differentiate between truth and falsity, good and evil, and God’s will versus the desires of our fallen nature.
Discern Truth: In the Media, how do we apply these principles?
At this time in the history of the world there probably has not been a more challenging task to discern the truth. There are so many places to listen to news these days and it often does not give us an unbiased view!
That is where the wisdom of Proverbs 18:17 needs to be implemented in the discerning process.
The first to speak in court sounds right— until the cross-examination begins.
Reporting by many news stations is biased. Why is that? Many news stations are mainly supported by the Government- at least in Canada- and they have a bias to supporting the narrative of the left leaning ruling party for that reason. CBC’s latest annual report states that they received $1.24 billion in direct support from government and $651 million in “other revenue.”
As the old saying goes, “You don’t bite the hand that feeds you.”
What does bias mean?
Bias is when a story is only presented from one viewpoint without considering the other side of the story. A balanced story would include various viewpoints and angles, offering the complete picture so you can make your own judgements….
A balanced news report doesn’t try to make you believe one specific thing or nudge you in a particular direction. Instead, it shows all angles of the stories, talks about both the good and the bad aspects, and allows you to make an informed decision.
There is also Confirmation Bias
This type of bias affects our view of the stories and news we come across. This is when we favour ideas or beliefs that we already have rather than challenging them or seeking more evidence to discern truth.
BBC Bitesize Other Side of the Story askes this question:
How can the news be biased and how does this affect the news we see on social media or more traditional media like TV and newspapers?
The answer given is this:
“Journalists, like us, have their own perspectives and view stories in different ways. Sometimes this bias can be reflected in the way they report on the big issues of the day.
In some cases, news organisations may sway towards beliefs or ideas that they express in their stories. This can be identified when they only present one side of a story, and don’t provide other viewpoints.
This final paragraph from BBC Bitesize has an important message to us as consumers of the news:
As consumers of news, it is important to be aware of such biases and think critically about the information we receive. By doing so, we can seek out diverse perspectives and make more informed decisions about what we’re presented with.”
Discern Truth: Current examples of conflicting views!
President Trump– “The White House has also accused Canada and Mexico of failing to prevent criminal gangs from smuggling fentanyl into the US (BBC.com)
PM Trudeau of Canada says that less than 1% of the fentanyl intercepted at the U.S. border comes from Canada.
What is the TRUTH?
Truth we can agree on: this deadly drug can be fatal with as little as a two milligram dose of fentanyl – roughly the size of a pencil tip.
Another side to this story?
What pieces of the puzzle are missing?
Listen to this short video and you will hear a very disturbing view on this issue.
The second video hosts Sam Cooper, an investigator who has been working on this story for 10 years, tells us what he knows to be true.
I urge my Christian friends and fellow Canadians to look at all the evidence regarding the very precarious situation we dealing with at this time in Canada.
We need to listen to unbiased news as well as the mainstream media to see if there is another side to the story so that we can discern The TRUTH.
Prayer of Response:
Father God,
We look to you, the only one who is Truth. We need you God as we are in a serious situation in Canada.
I pray that we, your people who call you their Lord in Canada, will humble ourselves, that we will pray and seek your face. I pray that we will turn from our wicked ways so that we will hear from heaven, so that you will forgive our sin and so that you will heal our land as the verse in 2 Chronicles 7:14 promises.
I pray this in the strong and mighty name of Jesus, Amen
