Discernment in the Age of Instant News

And engaging in weekly radio show and podcast produced by the North Carolina family policy Council hi this is John Rustin, presidency, family, and were grateful to have you with us for the speech program is our prayer that you will be informed, encouraged and inspired by what you hear on family policy matters and that you will fold better equipped to be a voice of persuasion for family values in your community, state and nation. Now here's our host family policy matters, tracing the veterans. Thanks for joining us this week for family policy matters Bassett been consuming way more news than usual in these weeks of social distancing. We hear a lot about fake news and some have even wondered how much of our current societal and economic situation is the result of excessive panic stirred up by media outlets. Well, it's always been imperative that we read or watch news with the discerning mind and heart is also important to help protect our children from getting weighted down by too much news today were joined by Pastor Joe Carter. He is executive pastor at McLean Bible Church in Virginia editor at the Gospel coalition and communications specialist for the ethics and religious liberty commission of the Southern Baptist convention. Pastor Carter recently wrote an article entitled how to read the news with discernment and dance are very important topic of discussion today. Pastor Joe Carter. Welcome to family policy matters Millan will start with the basics. What do you mean exactly by discernment consumers the ability to judge will for Christians.

Biblical discernment is a skill of understanding and applying God's Word with the help of the Holy Spirit course supported truth mirror right from wrong Department of Mr. Deberry in the transit from the so were not just talking about a wisdom that interprets the Bible correctly say in a church atmosphere, but we can apply what we learn in the Bible to what were reading in the news. How in a practical way can we do that with the locals.

Wisdom is how to apply God's word to our lives and understand how we should live. Everything we do should be focused on living in the way God wants and more ways we do express immediate going to look at how does this differ from what God is. Tell me our bubble is cobalt once said you read the Bible in the newspaper today with the description interpreted what you read the Bible.

That's the key to letting Scripture determine how we see the world so in your article you said for Christians, the priority must always be the truth. Truth must even take precedence over our political objectives set that what you mean by that wealth was about God's sovereign control.

We tend to think one is not really in control because we don't act in certain ways that the outcome we don't what will happen is especially true politics for what we think that we want is more important than the truth in the sum of the bubbles as well so we should be concerned about the truth and let God more about outcomes. 1 Key Way we do visibly see this just every day on the news in the media and politics is that we misrepresent what people say or do what they believe what we try to most agree just whatever their position is the biggest sound terrible signal will be attracted and I think it's a problem so were so afraid that if we present our political opponents is reasonable people and again.

What started out as a true if there's something reasonable in the arguments.

We should understand that we should know biofuels people and how we can make sure that arguments are stronger than we. We almost got it so by misrepresenting people work misrepresent God because what works and will got the best are stronger.

This one was because be so concerned about the truth and be presenting their work. So by doing this, I think this is what you're saying which is a great point that by allowing people who disagree with us to kinda punch holes in our argument and be open to that, we can discover what the weaknesses of our arguments are that we should be able to explain symbiosis position in a way they would say yes, that's exactly what I mean and wish and hope for the same thing most people start to poke holes in this is like Christian colleges for years have not been afraid to say here's what the Bible says this is how to explain it. So let's talk about sources of information that, if they discerning for going to try to discern some truth out of all this that were hearing out there in the marketplace and it's not just the COBIT, 19, of course, this has to apply to all of our collections that are coming up.

So how do we do that.

What are some good sources of information for us to begin the wall we were to choose or reject a source of information based on whether we think it's biased. Truth is, all source of information or Boston's body just simply favored one perspective over another. But what we mean by bias is that what ever makes those parts of the 1980s 1990. Conservatives like me to complain constantly that he had a little box and they can talk radio and Fox News.

Now we had all the sources that appear unbiased when really they were despised in different direction result wasn't so called conservative media is getting us to believe all sorts of things were true simply because they were to be wanted here. So I think a better approach is to sources of information based on what they have to use a source like the neurotoxins that we have a liberal bias also have a lot of credibility to lose said newspaper is that they know just outright false contrast, some anonymous personal Internet with little or no risk to lose. They may have no qualms about spreading laws or inaccurate information. So in general it's often better to source as luck would lose the wrong unit. They don't steer optical boxes as I would say we should be watching to lose law think you will lose it's the wrong way to get information, but I think that's the problem when looking again will focus on the bias will try to find a balance between despising that bias was the truth. What is the trip the situation one the facts. What I need to know to make a reasonable opinion about this instead of like what kind of information got taken to confirm what I already believe confirmation bias this summer and I don't know. So I think we need just a balance of by the left.

Truth is always the middle may be on one end of the other may be on the extreme conservative bid may be a Mr. liberal and we don't know the true message of the sum of the just try to balance out the biased right so it sounds like you're not all that thrilled with broadcast news and steering us toward reading and why would that be the case. All the news with LTV ordered his absolute worst way to get our news and the reason was because TV video has a lower informational density, such as newspaper, all the words spoken in our TV news to fit on a single page of a newspaper or TV viewers are from the start getting much less news content.

Newspaper readers, we are much more able to gain information for word the welcome images because images are all about change. If we look at him. It's too long. We quickly get bored and that's why cable most of the several images paying for attentional respect and listen the person talking was postprocessed all these rapidly changing graphics through the scrolling text of the bottom and is not there because the Tronic provide us with information is there.

Just because I want capture our attention. All this activity just gives them personal works regarding something what TV news actually does make us dumber work were not getting more information would be better off watching some reality TV show that cable news because it's not really providing accurate information in a way that's really helped form and if we wanted in the form. The best way to reduce order to get our news course from print form in words when were reading we do have the opportunity to follow some links and look things up for ourselves.we absolutely expressive, but in the age of the Internet. We have so much access to go to the actual sources listed talking get on TV say here's what is in this law, we can exit go on the lock on episode where electric service and even with printed media.

Most of it is this cloth and here's a quote based on what people think about this.

Then there's the fact the matter. I think that's what we should be looking milk was walk on the information we need to make decisions.

COBIT's a great example of how it's it it's a disease he doesn't care about our opinions respected young people is either to people. Sorry people what's not.

That's does affect the opinions that people bike out how serious is it we should listen to experts who have had recent judgments about this. Now we like to point fingers at everyone else. Don't wait for sharing fake news or creating sensationalized stories, but sometimes where the culprit absolutely unheard of study that 60% of the news stories that were shared online course and didn't even bother to read the store. They were shared just read the headline to confirm what they arty believe that shirt in the age of the new snow because of social media we become unpaid interns for Fox news or CNN or any other source where this kind of out there become their own distributed that stuff most on we don't take time to say we really understand what that article saying we actually believe it and while Sharon it because that's it's like Jesus is immaculate on the day of judgment will be held accountable for every empty war that we spoke that should make us more careful about what we share because were socially sharing empty words of we don't even know if this is true. There were stern and expect people believe it is faith or view the world based on this information was given. We take the time � understanding ourselves during this coded 19 social distancing people are finding themselves at home. Quite often, more often then than ever before with Eric kids all day long young kids older kids. How do we go about helping them to form a foundation that will help them be discerning when children learn to make distinction by asking variations of the question is this, that they learn to discern the difference between a cat or dog by looking outside this category.

That category is same with alphabet letters.

Everything they do. They put in categories based on his discs and that some of the contingent, like biblical discernment by questioning things such as the difference between sin improvements. For example, it might not be wise.

The chocolate cake for breakfast is not Mr. Lewis sent you. However, because if a child is told about the mom not the child care for breakfast and they disobeyed will discipline your parents as soon we can come to help discern the distinction between sin and things like that to learn the product plotted to Christian life. Another way is to play the game. A spark of online advertising. For example there watching toward commercial or serial commercial asked them to point out the claims are true, that we want to turn the skeptics, but kids often assume that most hoping to hear from adults is true.

So helping children learn to identify exaggerations or outright lies in the media can help them make broader instruments goes for later life amount of time so we know we want good sources. I we want to be discerning about what we read that much time should beast be spending looking at news these days do you think we can look at that backwards. We break I would stop Chubb spin on this activity rather than was the corpse of this activity where my trying to get from this activity and if need to be going up with that mindset like reasonable embargo on the covert issue would I need to know what I need to know to live my life, not just to scare me or to give me anxiety. What I need to know today that will help me live today struggle in there and search for news by the image that takes 5 to 10 minutes. It should take you off towards to read up on things that you can't really apply novel actual and I think that's the other one spoke every thing we did immediately post the Bible like that. Rather than say Bonneville spent 15 minutes with bubble stamps like what what does God want me did know, and therefore determine how much time I should be spitting on that activity that will really change how we approach life. It's a great point you know it's it's a mental health issue to the suicide rates in the rates of depression already so high in our country seems like it's a it's a matter of good mental health. Do not spend a lot of time dwelling on that absolutely the problem is that it used to be. The good news we know about his actual reformers needed no what's Wilcox world were selling for what the weather was going be like that was the news for them. There is something to correct affect on now, most of our news is inexorable. We hear things we have no control, but we can't really do reading about your symptoms of rehearsing homage family we can decide look at why need to find some way to support them or give them aid. Most of the year, but it's just it's is no postman the technologist once said, it's all about the seven deadly sins and we arty know about those already.

We don't need to hear more stories about murder or rape or greed all the stuff we see enough that in all parts of me don't need to go out looking for news.

We spend our time looking for action items. How can I help my neighbor based on the news here. We would work as this line is we just don't need to know about what just about out of time for this week before we go. What are some resources that you recommend for people who want to become better at discernment about 10 years ago my muffins and Charlies published a book titled the discipline of spiritual discernment. It's really helpful book about how Christians can be more discerning. I also recommend see John Sommerville's book how the news makes us dumb is probably the best book ever written on how Christians should think about the news so the two resorts on highly recommend screen will thank you very much, Pastor Joe Carter. He is the author of the article how to read the news with discernment.

Thank you so much for being with us today on family policy matters so much from you and listening to family housing.

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