Particularized Trust

I read an interesting article in Time by James Poniewozik today called "The Myth of Fact."  "Technology now enables rumors to spread at the speed of the Forward E-Mail button," he writes.  "But the common explanation - that new media let us self-select into groups and never hear news that contradicts our beliefs - may be too simple.  We do hear contradictory news.  But we have better ways to invalidate it...Farhead Manjoo writes that the rise of self-selecting media tribes has led to a decrease in "generalized trust" but an increase in "particularized trust"...People now live in self-buttressing fortresses of myth, where debunking a belief only confirms it."

The internet and media have brought an abundance of information unparalleled in history.  With an abundance of information has ushered in an incredible amount of mis-information.   It is so easy to pick and choose which version of the truth we are comfortable with or suits our pre-conceived bias.  For instance, there is currently a debate raging concerning the establishment of a mosque near where the Twin Towers fell in New York on 9/11.  NBC claims President Obama "endorsed" the building of a mosque near Ground Zero.  Another local new agency starts an article with this statement:  "After skirting the controversy for weeks, President Barack Obama is weighing in forcefully on the mosque near ground zero, saying a nation built on religious freedom must allow it."  NPR states something different:  "...President Barack Obama said Saturday that Muslims have the right to build a mosque near New York's ground zero, but he did not say whether he believes it is a good idea to do so."  So does President Obama "support" the establishment of a mosque or just the right of muslims to build one?  It is likely only he knows.

With all of this rhetoric, what more do we really learn?  All we have done is confirm our previous beliefs of President Obama.  The same thing can happen between church fellowships and their interpretation of scripture.  People bounce from group to group, looking more for style than substance.  The very real danger is we would bring a worldly perspective to the Bible instead of allowing scripture to confront our bias.  The Bible is living and powerful, able to speak to any situation or person.  One verse may have many different applications but the truth remains unchanged forever.  Scripture is multi-faceted, not limited to a single idea or theme.  But the overall theme of scripture is God Himself.  We learn of His character, attributes, holiness, and purity.  It is in learning of Him that we see ourselves in our proper light:  we are sinners, without hope of salvation through us.

When was the last time you read the Bible and learned something completely new?  It should happen all the time.  God says things that can be downright shocking to our flesh, totally different than we would expect.  But God must be trusted, and His Word remain our sure foundation.  One thing God will NEVER do is contradict Himself.  If there is an apparent contradiction, it is our failure to understand.  As Paul says in Romans 3:4, "...Let God be true but every man a liar."  Our beliefs evolve over time as we gain more information.  Often when we are young in Christ we are very rigid in our views and think everyone should see things the way we do.  But as we mature and grow we realize we weren't as right as we once thought we were about everything.  God does not evolve and neither does His character.

We should not treat the books of the Bible like the hordes of news agencies which vie for our viewership.  One book should not be discounted because of another, neither should we ignore the Old Testament for the New or vice-versa.  The same God can be seen throughout both, for He is the same God yesterday, today, and forever.  The New Covenant has replaced the Old, but His Word will endure forever no matter when it was spoken.  Let's give God an invitation to debunk every false myth we might cherish about Him above His Word.  He remains the authority no matter what we think of Him!  Thank God for the Holy Spirit who guides us into all truth and quickens our understanding to receive of it.  May we grow in "particularized trust" in our God and His Word.