“…is made-up stuff, masterfully
manipulated to look like credible journalistic reports that are easily spread
online to large audiences willing to believe the fictions and spread the word.”1
PolitiFact’s 2016 Lie of the
Year was “fake news”2 Imagine that! Some
would view this as the crowning achievement of what is now considered a
post-truth world, a world deluged in lies that attempt to drown out the
distinction between what is true and what is false. When there is no love for
truth, darkness prevails.
A definition of post-truth was
quoted as “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are
less influential in shaping public opinion that appeals to emotion and personal
belief.”3 But I also liked
the examples not cited from this lexicon: “in this era of post-truth politics,
it’s easy to cherry-pick data and come to whatever conclusion you desire,” “some
commentators have observed that we are living in a post-truth age.”4
This cherry-picking statement is
precisely how the Bible is being treated today by so-called believers, cherry-picking their way through the Word of God and coming to whatever conclusion they
desire (cf. Jdg 21:25). It is nothing more than being cozy with living in a
false narrative! Fake news run the gamut from extraordinarily brazen fabrications
to the look of authenticity; the most subtle and dangerous is the latter.
Is it
any shock wave that Satan espouses a religion of lies, and fake news (in the
context of greed and character assassination) that spring from that belief? There
is a warning put out there by God; he that sows the wind will reap the
whirlwind (Hos 8:7). If fake news is not caught by someone on this side of eternity, the
buck will stop with God Almighty. Judgment is around the bend; you know.
If Obama’s characterization of the
media ecosystem of our day where “everything is true and nothing is true”5 is correct, then ultimately, any dialogue is meaningless. Truth must be at the
foundation of any conversation to be meaningful, helpful, and profitable. It is
one thing being careless and not getting your facts right and misquoting or misrepresenting
someone, but fake news is altogether insidious, dishonest, and intentional
whether relating to secular or spiritual matters. A lie is a lie, and it causes
all kinds of problems.
One reason that gives birth to fake
news is a strong dislike for someone; there are laws protecting us from slander
or libel and the legal right to address, but my, the hassles and costs
associated with the process of drawn-out adjudication. Another driver of fake
news is greed which doesn’t care who it hurts; some deliberately deceive the
public via fake news in order to generate quick revenue by directing high
traffic to their website. Have you ever seen a posting on web pages that
suggests a certain personality had died? Then you inquire, out of curiosity,
and find it was a lie just to get you to click on their website to bombard you
with advertisements. This disturbs me to no end. I make a mental note to never
buy from any company resorting to such tactics.
There is another rationale for
some fake news. For example, during the cold war (1947-1991), it was called
disinformation (propaganda). Such misinformation was deliberate for the purpose
of influencing or confusing rivals (foreign adversarial governments) in order to
gain a strategic advantage. Competing businesses do it all the time in maneuvering
to gain market share. Though “fake news” (or disinformation) was coined in
2016, it has been around since the fall of man by those with an agenda disseminating
untruths. I am sure there are other reasons, but these came to mind.
It is an interesting observation
living in a post-truth world, that a secular website quotes someone who
characterizes fake news as “a real darkness here if we give up on facts.”5 This is my thoughts exactly with the rulers of
the darkness proliferating untruth (Eph 6:12), and the father of lies (Jn 8:44)
going to and fro on the earth (Job 1:7; 1 Pet 5:8), and so forth. I would
certainly agree with PolitiFact that we need to be well-informed and discern
truth from untruth. If we give up on factual accuracy, everything becomes
meaningless. Though factual accuracy is hard to come by these days, let’s look
at factual accuracy that is unadulterated, absolute, and relevant that is not
only available to most inhabitants of the earth, but we, who love the LORD,
should never give up on it, the Word of God.
The Apostle Paul had to deal
with fake news everywhere as he journeyed about, spreading the good news, the
true news of the Gospel (cf. Eph 2:8-9; Jn 14:6; 1 Cor 15:1-4). There were
false teachers (legalizers) who had infiltrated the local churches in the Roman-controlled
province of Galatia, modern-day Turkey after Paul established several churches
in the southern region during his first missionary journey.
The fake or false news of the Judaizers
was an attempt to do the theological impossible, merging grace
through faith in Christ and keeping the law [works]. This was nothing short of undermining
the very heart of the Gospel, justification by faith alone (Gal 2:16, 21; 3:11;
5:6, 8). In addition, these bearers of fake news were attempting to discredit
the messenger (the Apostle Paul) so that others would doubt the reliability of
his message (cf. Gal 6:17)! Paul was a solid fact-checker on spiritual things,
and he didn’t like what was happening in the churches of Galatia (ca. A.D.
49-50); hence, the Galatian letter was written under the supervision of the
Holy Spirit (2 Tim 3:16).
Read carefully the next two
verses that is admittedly a little awkward to read since it is heavily injected
with comments.
(Gal 1:6) I marvel [continuous
amazement]
that you are turning away so soon [quickly] from Him
who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different [Gk, heteron, distinction in nature or kind
(Robertson), of another kind, fake or false good news, cf. Acts 4:12; 7:18; Jas
2:25] gospel [good news],
(Gal 1:7) which is not another [Gk, allo, other or some
other, does not exist, there is no other genuine gospel, cf. usage Mt 2:12]; but
there are some who trouble you and want to pervert [mixing works with grace, cf. Eph 2:8-9] the gospel of Christ.
The fake news propagated by the
Judaizers was that you can mix grace
and works together and be saved. It is so widespread that even today we can see
the fake news throughout ancient times plaguing us all today. Why do you think
the vast majority of the peoples of the earth are still trying to work their way to some kind of glory?
They are doing so by listening to fake news due to unbelief.
The truth is that there is no
such spiritual reality anywhere to be found in Scripture that salvation is of
works. There is only one genuine Gospel; there is no alternative. All other supposed good news is false or fake. When
it comes to salvation (positioned in the body of Christ), grace and works are
diametrically opposed to one another; grace is everything; works is nothing (cf.
Rom 11:5-6; Eph 2:8-9). When it comes to sanctification (maturation), however,
grace and works are compatible, and works or fruits are central (cf. Jas
2:17-18).
This fake news by the legalizers
was actually a yoke of bondage. The amazement of Paul (“I marvel”) was probably
due to how quickly they fell prey (volunteered) to the temptation of the
Judaizers [Robertson]. It is mind-boggling that people would trade grace for
works of the law. The law couldn’t save anybody back then, and it cannot now. We
need to be discerning of what is truth and untruth; otherwise, we may be buying
into some kind of fake news about Scripture like some of the Galatian people.
Spiritually speaking, those who corrupt
the good news of Christ with fake or false good news are endangering their
own souls.
(Gal 1:8) But even if we, or an angel from heaven,
preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be
accursed.
(Gal 1:9) As we have said before, so now I say again,
if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him
be accursed.
Paul, under inspiration, is
calling down a curse upon anyone corrupting the Gospel of Christ by proclaiming
false or fake news contrary to the Scripture. When you hear the word “hell” and
“the lake of fire” does it engender anything positive in you? No, these are
horrifying places! Being “accursed” (Gk, anathema)
is terribly frightful. There is no pardon or commutation of this curse if it
carries the same meaning of accursed (Heb, herem,
devoted to destruction, Jos 6:18) as the city of Jericho.
Those who tamper with the good
news of Jesus Christ are dedicated or devoted to destruction, experiencing God’s
wrath. Believers are spared from the wrath of God (1 Thes 1:10; 5:9). Paul was
relaying the seriousness of perverting the truth of the Gospel. Accountability
for fake news concerning the Gospel truth is certain because God Himself holds
the purveyor of fake news or a false Gospel responsible (“accursed”).
Believers are held
accountable for giving ear and acting upon fake news. We should never give up on the teaching of Scripture, never, for
it is our best defense against being deceived by fake news. <><
(Jn 6:66) From that time
many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.
(Jn 6:67) Then Jesus said to the
twelve, “Do you also want to go away?”
(Jn 6:68) But Simon Peter answered
Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have
the words of eternal life.
(Jn 6:69) Also we have come to
believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Thot: The truth of the year is
God’s Word, every year, even in a post-truth age.
Tender Moment: When we give up
on the truth of Scripture, fake news thrives! Fake spiritual news makes a
believer vulnerable to being deceived who chooses not to read, study, memorize,
reflect, and apply the Word of God daily. There is no substitute for sweat;
fake news doesn’t stick to it.
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1.
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2016/dec/13/2016-lie-year-fake-news/
2.
Ibid.
3.
Ibid.
4.
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/post-truth
5.
Op. cit., PolitiFact
has not been without its critics (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PolitiFact.com). I agree with
what they had to say about fake news, but my quoting them does not mean that I
agree with everything reported on their website. Take what’s good and leave the
rest, right?
