FAITH & FAKE NEWS

A Guide to Consuming Information Wisely

RACHEL I. WIGHTMAN

William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company

Grand Rapids, Michigan

Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

4035 Park East Court SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546

www.eerdmans.com

© 2023 Rachel I. Wightman

All rights reserved

Published 2023

ISBN 978-0-8028-8245-5

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.

For Brian, who believed in me and these ideas

And for James—I hope we are creating a better world for you

Contents

Introduction

Part 1: The Information Landscape

1. Algorithms and Filter Bubbles

2. The Wide-Open Information Landscape

3. A World of Fake News

Part 2: Evaluating Information

4. Noticing Our Emotions

5. Learning to Evaluate

Part 3: Deciding What to Do

6. Purposefully Seeking Out New Perspectives

7. Loving Our Neighbors

Conclusion

Acknowledgments

Bibliography

Index

Introduction

As we started a first class about the intersection of faith and news and misinformation, I asked the participants why each of them was in the class. What drew them to give up an hour of their time each week for four weeks? Sam said he was overwhelmed by information online and it was hard to know whom and what to trust. Sally said she was a doctor and was discouraged by all the misinformation she saw online about COVID-19 and wanted to learn some tools to know how to talk with others about the misinformation. Carl said he saw so much division and wanted to learn more about what it meant to love his neighbors online. Over and over, I heard the anxieties and frustrations of people in the class:

- How do I know what to trust online and on social media?

- So much information comes at me, I find it all overwhelming.

- How do I talk with people in my life who seemingly believe conspiracy theories or misinformation, or at the very least, have opinions different from mine?

- Should I like a friend’s post if I agree or disagree with it? What if I can’t tell whether it’s true? Will they notice or be disappointed if I don’t like their post?

- Do I comment online when I disagree with someone or should I talk to them in person?

- I’m so overwhelmed by my social media, it’s easier to disengage and not spend time trying to sort through it all. I’ve given up.

These comments at the beginning of class echo what I hear in casual conversation, at church, and with friends. I get a sense that there’s too much division in people’s personal and online lives, and people are simply overwhelmed by all that goes on in online spaces. On a deeper level, I sense anxiety and worry surrounding their time online. Maybe you resonate with those questions or have similar emotions: fear, confusion, uncertainty. So many people are overwhelmed by the world around them and the barrage of information. But there’s hope—hope for us who are Christians to be salt and light in our online spaces just as much as in our physical spaces. For many, online communities have become ...