Tag: fake news

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Why were there so many false prophets?

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Some “through the bible” thoughts from Jeremiah 14.

The Lord said to me: “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, worthless divination, and the deceit of their own minds” (Jeremiah 14:14).

Why were there so many lying prophets at the time of Jeremiah?

On the one hand, you have the prophet Jeremiah warning the congregation of enemy invasion, starvation, and illness (sword, famine, and pestilence).

On the other hand you’ve got “prophets” who say just the opposite, that is, “There will be peace and prosperity.” Their message is nothing but worthless lies, stuff they made up on their own. They will suffer the fate they deny, death by sword and famine.

Throughout history, Satan, always opposes God. The adversary will use what ever means he can, from demons to counter the angels, lies to challenge God’s truths, and false prophets who contradict the messengers of God. Martin Luther said, “Where God builds a church, the devil builds a chapel.” Satan always imitates God for the purpose of leading a person (or a nation) astray.

In 1 Kings 9, Saul is worried about consulting with a man of God because he has nothing to bring him. Fortunately, his servant has a quarter of a shekel they can give to the prophet Samuel. One could make a living acting the part of a prophet, even if you hadn’t been called by God.

How hard is it to tell people what they want to hear? Most people preferred to hear that everything was going to be okay, rather than a real prophet’s threatening call to repentance. False prophets abounded while those who actually called by God were few and far between.

Jesus told his disciples to be on guard against false prophets. They would abound and continue to proclaim lies in the life of the New Testament church.

That is a troubling truth. We sheep better know well the genuine voice of our shepherd.

Posted in preaching, sermon

The one who walked out

Posted on by William Douthwaite

As I continue digitizing my old journals, I came across an entry from Monday, December 26, 2016. I wrote that I received a hate comment in the candle collection bin after the Christmas Eve service. I wish I had saved it or taken a picture of it. The person was so offended by my political comments that she wrote down her objections on a prayer request card, threw it into the box, and walked out.

You’re curious, aren’t you? So am I. You won’t find much politics in my sermons. So I went back and found that sermon.

It was the time when fake news was the rage. In contrast the good news Christmas was real news or great joy. Here’s what I said:

“Here’s a few [headlines] that may have fooled you. Every one of these was out there and seen by millions of people, and every one is fake.”

  • FBI Agent Suspected in Hillary Email Leaks Found Dead in Apparent Murder-Suicide.
  • Donald Trump Protester Speaks Out: “I Was Paid $3,500 to Protest Trump’s Rally”
  • Pope Francis Shocks World, Endorses Donald Trump for President, Releases Statement
  • Donald Trump Sent His Own Plane to Transport 200 Stranded Marines
  • FBI Director Comie Just Put a Trump Sign On His Front Lawn

“I repeat: these are all fake headlines! Yet 2/3 or more of those surveyed said they thought they were true.”

These were the top five believed fake headlines according to Buzzfeed. It was my critic’s first visit to our church, and she was appalled at what she heard. She wrote that she wouldn’t be back. She did not leave her name, just the note.

I thought they were all pretty funny. But I guess not everyone appreciates my humor. I didn’t get that much backlash from pro-life sermons. I always reminded folks (and myself) that no one ever gets a one hundred percent approval rating. I’ve gotten called out for using words in a sermon that some thought was inappropriate. But that’s a story for another day.

If I hadn’t been paging through old journals, I never would have remembered this. Here’s the sermon, in case you wanted to listen:

Posted in questions

Sounds good to me.

Posted on by William Douthwaite

giulia-bertelli-104575
Photo by Giulia Bertelli on Unsplash

I read a lot of articles on Medium, another publishing site, as well as blogs on WordPress and Blogger. A lot of pieces have titles that begin

“The ultimate guide to…”
“Simple tips to…”
“What it takes to succeed at…”
“How to become…”
“Strategies that really work…”

I know these titles are meant to get readers, reposts and ratings. And they work, because they get your attention and you think for a second, “This is just what I need.”

Maybe it is. But what do you know about the author? What’s his or her experience and expertise? What are their credentials? How do you know they know what they’re talking about? I’ll bet you don’t. Chances are you don’t check. Most of the time, you accept their words as authoritative. You read their advice, tips or strategies and think, “This is just what I need…”

That’s scary. Without knowing anything about the source, you are just taking someone’s word for it and implement their suggestions! Why is that? Why do we so easily give credibility to the massive amounts of information we take in each day via blogs, social media, and digital newsletters? On top of that, our friends and family are very quick to share, “So-and-so says we should try this…or go here…or eat this…” No wonder fake news works so well. Or bot-generated comments.

There must be some science to this. I’ll have to do a little research. What makes an anonymously generated idea so believable? Can we learn to be more discerning?

I’ll let you know what I find out. And I’ll bet you’ll believe me, too.