My Personal "Pro-Truth Pledge"

""Post-truth" was the Oxford Dictionaries' international word of 2016...It describes a situation "in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief." Stated another way: "people are more likely to accept an argument based on their emotions and beliefs, rather than one based on facts.""*

No, I did not post this quote to critique President Trump (or any other national leader) or Fox News (or any other media outlet for that matter) or, here in Canada, to make some kind of political statement with regard to any of the intense controversies currently prevalent in our normally agreeable Canadian culture.

Rather, I posted this quote because I believe we do live in a Post-Truth Era, and thus most of the appeals made for us to consider are based on emotions and already established personal beliefs.

"The result is post-truth discourse. In our new normal, experts are dismissed, alternative facts are offered, and public figures can offer opinions on pretty much anything. And thanks to social media, pretty much anyone can be a public figure. In much public discourse, identity outranks arguments, and we are seeing either a lack of interest in evidence, or worse, an erosion of trust in the fundamental norms around people's accountability for the things we say."*

So why did I post this? As Peter Enns writes, "...my field of study is the Bible and I think about it a lot." My experience tells me that people of faith are being impacted by post-truth discourse. Biblical experts (e.g., academics in the fields of biblical studies, Near Eastern studies, Egyptology, and Archaeology, to name a few) are dismissed as alternative facts are offered (e.g., academics don't believe the Bible and are trying to undermine our faith in it) and public figures (e.g., anyone who cares to post on FB, write a blog or create a podcast) offer opinions which often have nothing to do with what is true, but rather what feels right or makes us feel good.

So, I want to state clearly that my personal goal, for the remainder of my career in biblical studies, is to present experts' observations, opinions and conclusions to anyone in the faith community (and beyond) who cares to read/listen. Thus, I make the following 10 promises** to my readers/listeners...

1. To fact-check information to confirm it is true before accepting and sharing it.
2. To share the whole truth, even if some aspects do not support my opinions.
3. To share my sources so that others can verify my information.
4. To distinguish between my opinion and the facts.
5. To acknowledge when others share true information, even when I disagree otherwise.
6. To retract my information if it is challenged and I cannot verify what I wrote/said.
7. To defend others when they come under attack for sharing true information, even when I disagree otherwise.
8. To do my best to align my opinions and my actions with what I understand to be true information.
9. To compassionately and respectfully inform others to stop using unreliable sources even if those sources support my opinion.
10. To acknowledge the opinions of experts as more likely to be accurate when the facts are disputed.

I am requesting (with as much humility as I can muster) that my readers/listeners would compassionately hold me to these commitments, as I write and speak about how to understand all things biblical. Thank you.

*These quotes are taken from the Pro-Truth Pledge (https://www.protruthpledge.org/)

**These promises are my attempt to personalize the various pledges found at the above website.