Just the Facts

In the classic police drama “Dragnet,” Sergeant Joe Friday (portrayed by the late Jack Webb) implored informants, “All we want are the facts.” Parodies have paraphrased this to where many believe Friday frequently said, “Just the facts, ma’am.” The truth is he never uttered that exact phrase on radio or TV. However, it was used to promote the 1987 movie “Dragnet” and as the title of an authorized biography of Jack Webb.

As stated before in this blog, I refuse to pass on chain letters. They often contain outdated or inaccurate information. A new one that’s appeared in my Facebook news feed is Tim Tebow warning us about the government preparing us for a cashless society. I don't believe Tim wrote this. It resembles a meme falsely attributed to another well-known Christian. 

For years, a prayer request has circulated with Joyce Meyer’s name attached to it. It claims twenty churches got burned down in an Indian province called Olisabang. There are no provinces in India. They have states and districts. None of which is named Olisabang. Joyce Meyer Ministries has confirmed that the message did not come from her.

During the last year, fact-checkers have gotten a negative reputation. Some have tried suppressing information about the 2020 election and the coronavirus. That doesn’t mean we should dismiss non-partisan fact-checkers like truthorfction.com (a website I often refer to). So before sharing a meme or story sent to you, please take a few seconds to verify its legitimacy. There’s too much fake news going around as it is. Would you like it if people claimed you wrote something that wasn’t true?

“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” - Exodus 20:16

Think Before You Share

It’s often been said, “Think before you speak.” As James 1:19 says, “So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.” Nowadays with texting and emails, we should think twice before typing and posting something online. In the words of one pastor friend: “Put brain into gear before putting mouth/finger into action.”

Too many people quickly share stuff on social media without checking its veracity. As a result, hoaxes have circulated for years such as the “22 Christian missionary families that will be executed today in Afghanistan.” I have a policy not to forward any chain letter or meme and will block (but not unfriend) individuals who persist in sending me these messages.

One type of chain letter that can have negative consequences is those involving missing people. I’ve received messages with pleas such as, “If it was your child, you would want all the help you could get.” If it was my child and he/she was found, I wouldn’t want these messages to continue circulating. In recent months, many alerts appeared in my Facebook news feed with the appeal, “It takes seconds to share.” It also takes seconds to click the link provided to see if an alert has been updated. Most missing child reports I’ve seen online have already been resolved. 

Two days ago, a friend posted one that turned out to be seven years old. My investigation also found the above meme from the mother of that once-missing child. I don’t understand why some people keep resolved alerts posted on their Facebook pages. Not everyone takes time to scroll through all the responding comments to see a possible update. It’s better to delete the entire post. 

Another thing to keep in mind is that not all missing person alerts are legit. Some are posted by abusive parents and spouses who have court orders not to go near their estranged relatives. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police has warned that sharing these photos may put lives at risk. Sometimes the "missing people" in these posts aren’t missing but hiding for their safety.

So think before you share. Better yet…Pray first! Then check for a location and date in the missing person report. If it doesn’t include these, contact the local police to confirm the report is real. Once again, God’s people should have higher standards when sharing information. 

“Keep yourself far from a false matter; do not kill the innocent and righteous. For I will not justify the wicked.” - Exodus 23:7 

Tell Them the Truth

Unfortunately, many traditions associated with Christmas have pagan origins. Rather than make a fuss about them, let’s create traditions that glorify the Lord. When I used to get together with my mother’s side of the family on Christmas Eve, one of my aunts insisted on us singing “Happy Birthday” to Jesus before we opened up presents. That’s a clever way to remind people of the reason for the season.

One holiday tradition I am strongly against is parents giving presents to their kids saying they are from Santa Claus. Many people think this is harmless fun. But when I was little and discovered Santa, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy were all fictional characters, I started questioning God’s existence. Parents who don’t tell their kids the whole truth about St. Nicholas are setting them up for a letdown.  

A few years ago, one television news anchor got in hot water for speaking the truth about Santa Claus. In response to comments made by a co-anchor regarding gift expectations, Robin Robinson of Fox Chicago said on the air, “Stop trying to convince your kids that Santa is Santa…That’s why they have these high expectations. They know you can’t afford it, so what do they do? Just ask some man in a red suit. There is no Santa.”

Angry parents flooded the station with demands for an apology. Although Ms. Robinson did so the next day (possibly to save her job), it’s the angry parents who should apologize to their children for deceiving them. Most kids are taught not to lie to their parents. Why then do many parents not practice what they preach?

If you do the Santa thing with your children without telling them the truth, they’ll learn it from somebody else. I was in second grade when a friend at school told me my presents from Santa Claus were really from my parents.

Don’t lie to your kids anymore. Tell them the truth!

“Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, but those who deal truthfully are His delight.” - Proverbs 12:22

Break Every Chain Letter

Since I started using email in the late 1990s, electronic chain letters frequently show up in my inbox with the exhortation to “pass it on.” They vary from inspirational stories to virus warnings. Often these messages contain partial truths mixed with false information. For years I received online petitions against Madalyn Murray O’Hair campaigning for all Christian programming to be taken off the air, even though O’Hair had been dead since 1995!

More recently, a couple of Facebook friends posted a prayer request for a 22-month-old boy who supposedly shot himself in the chest with a nail gun and was near death. Upon seeing this, I started praying about the situation and immediately perceived it was an e-rumor. A search on truthorfiction.com revealed this prayer request has circulated online since 2010 (meaning the boy would be 8-9 years old now). The validity of this is in question since no places are mentioned or even the boy’s name.

I’ve also received emails containing valid information but try putting guilt trips on others who won’t forward them to their friends. These emails contain statements like “If you really love Jesus, forward this to everyone in your address book” or “If you are not ashamed of all the marvelous things God has done for you...send this to ten people and the person who sent it to you!” Just because I won’t forward messages like these doesn’t mean I don’t believe in God or I’m ashamed of the gospel. Comments like these are not inspired by the Holy Spirit but are of a controlling manipulative spirit.

Now as an evangelist, I’m certainly in favor of using the Internet to reach people with the gospel. But when we’re “preaching to the choir”, it’s best to be a little more selective on who you forward emails to. Back in the old days, people used carbon paper that permitted one to make a few legible copies. That caused one to think good and hard about who to send those copies to.

Nowadays, people forward information to others without even thinking. In general, this is rude. People have less time than ever today with so much information to absorb. One should learn to respect another person’s time and bandwidth. Before forwarding a message to friends and colleagues, ask yourself “Do they really need to know?” This includes Facebook posts exhorting others to “like and share if you agree.” Since I don’t want to clutter other people’s accounts, I ignore these posts even if I do agree with them.

Finally, we can do our part in reducing the number of e-rumors spreading over the Internet. Whenever you receive a story or prayer request that’s been forwarded many times, don’t automatically assume it’s true. Take a minute to verify its authenticity. Christians who spread misleading information do not advance the cause of Christ. It only undermines their witness. 

“You shall not circulate a false report.” - Exodus 23:1