#FakeNews and #RealSin

#FakeNews. #AlternativeFacts. There seems to be a lot of buzz these days about the media we ingest and whether or not we can opt-out of reality. For Christians, that brings with it a tremendous opportunity, as I’ll try to explain in my next post. But it also carries with it a clear and present danger.

Now, I feel a bit like Jude in wading into this topic. Like him, “although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write” (Jude 3) on a subject that distracts from more important topics. But then, most of the New Testament letters are occasional in nature—that is, occasioned by some circumstance or other—and I suppose blogs should occasionally function the same way. I was surprised and pleased to see two excellent recent blogs by gifted, insightful Christian leaders—Trevin Wax and Ed Stetzer—that treat the same subject, so I guess the occasion is real.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, what is the danger we face as Christians living in a post-truth culture? What temptation lurks in an era of #FakeNews and #AlternativeFacts? It is, quite simply, the temptation to gossip. After all, what is gossip? It is the willful spreading of misinformation for the purpose of tearing down an opponent (whether social, political, etc.). And isn’t that exactly what #FakeNews is?

Consider some recent examples from both sides of the political aisle. (Sin, you’ll remember, is bipartisan.) We’ve endured eight years of relentlessly false information about Obama’s birth certificate from those on the right who question his legitimacy. #NotMyPresident is #NotWithoutPrecedent. And then there was the #PizzaGate scandal, alleging a massive left-wing child sex scandal—thoroughly debunked, thoroughly untrue—which led to a shooting at the Comet Ping Pong pizzeria. On the other side, we’ve had a shamefully inaccurate hit piece on Rick Perry widely disseminated, as well as the MLK bust dust up after Trump’s inauguration.

Why do fake news stories spread so quickly? It’s not difficult to analyze the human psyche here. We want to believe facts and stories that confirm our view of the world. As Solomon noted long ago, “The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to the inmost parts” (Proverbs 18:8). In other words, #FakeNews tastes good, feels right. So if you’re a liberal, you want to believe stories that demonstrate the idiocy or malevolency of the right, and vice versa. It feels instinctively true, so considering the source and examining the (missing) evidence doesn’t even occur to us. Just click retweet. Share. Feel a smug sense of (false) superiority because you belong to the right side of history/morality/politics/science.

I’ve written and spoken before on the danger of imbibing a single stream of information, so I won’t repeat myself there. But I do want to point out that spreading misinformation—even if you think it might be true—and especially if it assassinates the character of a divine image-bearer (that would include Democrats and Republicans, members of all races and genders, etc.)—is sin. Unequivocally, Spirit-grievingly sin.

When Paul describes how it looks to suppress the truth of God’s existence (the original #AlternativeFact), when he describes the horrifying contours of humanity in rebellion against a good and gracious Creator, what habits does he mention? “They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips,  slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil” (Romans 1:29-30). One way we express hatred of God is by gossiping. That fact alone should be enough to make me think twice before sharing a questionable story. Gossip and slander routinely make Paul’s “sin lists”—lists of those activities that Christians should unquestionably avoid—as in 2 Corinthians 12:20; Ephesians 4:31; and Colossians 3:8.

A few practical considerations to close then—more wisdom from Solomon.

1. First, many rightly lament the deep divisions and sad hostility plaguing our culture now. Is there anything we can do to quell the quarrel? Solomon says yes: “Without wood a fire goes out; without a gossip a quarrel dies down” (Proverbs 26:20). It is a small step, but in the right direction at least. Refuse absolutely to spread gossip. Don’t share #FakeNews or other hit pieces about the side you’ve vilified. Don’t put wood on the fire. Perhaps the quarrel will die down.
2. Second, some publications have developed a reputation for partisan journalism (I’m actually struggling to think of any that haven’t), which now sadly includes spreading misinformation in service of “the narrative.” If we’re going to refuse to spread gossip, perhaps we should also consider refusing to hear gossip, which may include adjusting our news intake. As Solomon reminds us, “A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid anyone who talks too much” (Proverbs 20:19). Perhaps we should contextualize this wisdom to include social media: avoid those media outlets—BuzzFeed and Breitbart, for an example from each side—that seem to relish dishing out choice morsels of sinful gossip. And maybe, just maybe, we need to avoid following certain people on social media who retweet and share and throw wood on the fire—who “talk” too much in a virtual world.

First, don’t be that person. Second, don’t listen to that person. No more #FakeNews. No more sinful gossip. That’s the commitment I want to make.

What other wisdom would you suggest for a culture of #AlternativeFacts and partisan reality?