I want to live in a world where all leaders serve for the good of the people and where I can trust all the news media. The last thing I want to do is to assign malicious intent to individuals, authorities, or institutions.

But, I don’t want to stick my head in the sand. I also don’t want to be swept up in ill-founded controversies. Honestly, I wish it was as easy as letting fact-checkers like Snopes do my work or having some divine insight beamed into my mind. If only it wasn’t necessary to fact-check the fact-checkers.

However, there are definitely potential conflicts of interest – in our news media outlets, our government authorities, our pharmaceutical companies, our medical establishments, our educational institutions, our search engines and social media. Greed and power frequently cloud judgment, leading to policies and practices that harm people and the beautiful world around us. As Americans, we often seem able to readily identify corruption in other countries, but unable to admit its existence in our own.

Calling people “conspiracy theorists” OR “sheeple” is unhelpful and unloving. Just because someone says one stupid thing doesn’t mean we should discount everything they have to say, although we also don’t need to swallow it whole. I am concerned about our inability to be in dialogue with those with whom we disagree. I know that I have often written off a book or person because I found one point of disagreement. Instead of being able to find the kernel of truth, I focus on their angry tone, and ignore the messenger and the message.  I find one thing that I don’t like about the person or their stance and fixate on that, shutting my ears to the rest of the dialogue. I don’t like to have to question what I believe, and avoiding people who think differently is one (unhealthy) but easy way to cope with the complexity.

So what can we do?

I’m challenged to listen to someone who has a different perspective, to read an article that has a different slant. Be ok with the cognitive dissonance that may surface. Sit with it. Wrestle with it, not immediately discounting something from a different point of view. Acknowledge the heart of the person behind the view.  What has their world been like and how have they come to these conclusions? Is there anything I can learn from them, albeit small? I’m not saying all ideas have equal merit, but how am I engaging with people who have different ideas? And what am I missing? What is the Spirit of God saying in the midst of all of this?

I’ve also been watching how I consume ANY form of media – news shows or sites, books, magazines, podcasts, and social media. What is being sold? I wish I wasn’t just talking about advertisements. Who is benefiting? Which voices are being elevated, and which are being silenced? What I’m consuming and how much I’m consuming are both valuable things to consider. For example, I’ve taken Instagram and Facebook off my phone and set up timers for those websites on my laptop (Leechblock is a great program for that).

Discernment is hard work and it requires intentionality.  We must lean into the difficulty instead of denying its existence. This has been quite the year to practice – from covid controversy, to racial tensions, to election dynamics. I’m (slowly) learning how to consider things from multiple perspectives, and to not be afraid of where I’ll eventually arrive.  Or if I’ll arrive anywhere at all!

I’m reminded of the phrase “as wise as serpents and as innocent as doves.” I’m not sure I’m either of those! Lord, we need your discernment. We need your grace.