Walking in the Truth

In the book of 3rd John, we find that the apostle is writing to a friend named Gaius:
2 Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.
3 It gave me great joy to have some brothers come and tell about your faithfulness to the truth and how you continue to walk in the truth.
4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

We are called to be devoted to the truth of the Scriptures - and we have to be careful that we are exposing ourselves to that truth, not making ourselves vulnerable to being carried away from God's Word or developing ideas that run contrary to His teachings.  Through the Holy Spirit, we develop discernment so that we can distinguish what lines up with His Word and what does not, and so that we may live in accordance with His ways.

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In the times in which we live, it is so important that we are grounded in the truth of the gospel of Christ and the life-changing, life-saving power of God. Paul wrote in Romans 1:
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."

On this edition of "Survey Thursday," I want to focus on a study that includes data that is, well, questionable, an inauthentic survey, if you will.

The WORLD Magazine website has the story. The study claimed people that people who were opposed to gay marriage would change their minds after having a 20-minute conversation with someone canvassing their neighborhood who identified as a homosexual. The study also claimed other members of the same household were more likely to change their views as well.

The WORLD piece says that the data supporting the study was too good to be true, according to the Daily Caller.   The study was published in the journal, Science, and showed dramatic results. But when several graduate students returned to the study to build off the work, they found irregularities in the research. Methods widely recognized to produce inconsistent results and anomalies in other studies seemed to yield almost perfectly consistent results in this study. The two graduate students and a Yale professor wrote a report and sent it to the study’s senior author, Columbia University political scientist Donald Green.  Abnormalities included: data was not collected as described, the response rate that was markedly lower that originally reported, and the firm that was allegedly hired to carry out the research denied knowledge of the study.

After looking into the claims and finding they did not line up with the evidence, Green asked Science to formally retract the study.  In the retraction letter, he wrote: “I am deeply embarrassed by this turn of events and apologize to the editors, reviewers, and readers of Science.”

So, it looks as if you have research here that could have been manipulated in order to fulfill an agenda.  It's another example to us that we can't believe everything we read or hear.   There are abundant media outlets, but we have to be discerning as to the ones we consume.  And, when we come across something that doesn't quite seem right, we can either reject it outright or at least do some further research.  These are times that call for discernment.  This doesn't invalidate using surveys to identify trends or attitudes, but we also have to recognize that there is a reliability factor - using samples to project information can be risky and inaccurate - think about the imperfect science of political polling, for example.

But, one reason that I look at and relate information from surveys is that it helps us to think and even to respond.  For instance, that massive Pew survey, which can be corroborated with other similar research, showing a rise in the religiously unaffiliated and the decline in the number of Christians, primarily in mainline denominations, I think is a highly instructive and fairly accurate portrayal of what is going on in culture.  And, we can craft a response based on such data.

Other, less scientific and even manipulative surveys may not be as helpful.  For instance, take this bogus study based on 20-minute conversations about homosexuality that supposedly resulted in people's attitudes being changed.   While I submit that we may respond differently and maybe with more understanding toward someone who practices different beliefs and lifestyles than we if we actually have interaction with that person, that doesn't equate to changing deeply held beliefs on their practices.

But, we have to make sure that we have deeply held beliefs - rooted in the Scriptures. Otherwise, we do become vulnerable to changing our minds or at least softening our stance on Biblical truth as we come in contact with persuasive individuals - either personally or virtually.

Do remember this - exposure to Biblical truth can cause someone to change their mind in a relatively short period of time.   An evangelistic encounter - through a conversation or an event - combining the power of personal testimony, of truth, and the conviction of the Holy Spirit can cause someone to change their mind and their eternal destiny instantaneously.  Such is the power of the gospel, and we can be challenged to be so convinced of that truth that we are willing to allow God to use us to share it.  God can change hearts and minds - the trajectory of a life - from death to life, from darkness to light - in a moment; a moment saturated with the compassion of Christ and the promise of eternity with Him.