"Untrustworthy" (Bonnie Kristian)

TITLE: Untrustworthy: The Knowledge Crisis Breaking Our Brains, Polluting Our Politics, and Corrupting Christian Community
AUTHOR: Bonnie Kristian
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, 2022, (240 pages).

There was a time when many people had to deal with information overload. With technological advancement, the challenges of managing information have not only grown but have also multiplied. No longer can we simply trust the stuff thrown at us, we need to question their authenticity more and more. Questions like: Who is the publisher? What is their agenda? What kind of people are they hiring? What do they stand to gain? What political alliances are they a part of? Who is funding their business? Is it fake news? These are fundamental questions dealing with the tip of the iceberg of published "facts" and gross misinformation trolling the Internet daily. Sometimes, when a piece of news is published, one has to ask why before accepting what was dished out to us. We are in an information crisis. How do we trust news that is presented to us as "facts?" Author Bonnie Kristian goes beyond such mass misinformation by calling this a "knowledge crisis" (technical term: "epistemic crisis") that permeates wide segments of society. For Christians, this is also a faith crisis. Based on her wide experience as a journalist, she notices the incredible amount of half-trust being masqueraded as facts for public consumption. Whether it is the left or the right, moderate or middle-ground, all are guilty of manipulating facts for their own ends. The difference lies in the extent of the manipulation. Unfortunately, those who believe such information wholesale had lept to drastic measures on their own lifestyles. Kristian shares how some folks who feared a Trump loss would lead to an economic disaster stopped buying a house or curtailed their economic activity. From gay marriages to conspiracy theories, politics to Covid-19 matters, and how news media has led to divisions in various communities, misinformation dominates our media. These have driven a wedge that divides societies all over the world, even families. In writing this book, author Bonnie Kristian has three key objectives:

1. Help us name the crisis
2. Identify its rotten fruits
3. Find the air that is still undefiled

She names three broad domains affected by the knowledge crisis. Politically, countries are divided as people feed on information that pushes them further apart. Socially, many well-intentioned individuals spread fear based on false news. Faith-wise, world media has increasingly moved people further away from biblical truth. Sadly, even Christian media are guilty of disseminating half-truths or biased opinions. From profit-making purposes to over-zealous proselytizing, it is increasingly difficult to be objective. On using social media, she warns us of the four ways we encounter "epistemic confusion." Such confusion leads to mob mentality behaviour that crucifies those who offer a view counter to mainstream views. People have been known to lose their jobs and be exposed to public shame via "cancel culture." She looks at conspiracy movements and reminds us with Proverbs 3:5 not to lean on our own understanding but on God. Plus, as people increasingly feel empowered by what they read on the Internet, they start challenging conventional experts and specialized training in a skeptical fashion. Gradually, Kristian offers us some hope to correct such scenarios. In "epistemic reconciliation," we learn that even when the Bible shows us glimpses of the Truth, we lack the capacity to comprehend them. We need new lenses to see Truth. Prayer, humility and wisdom to discern the differences between knowledge, opinion, and conjecture. Human beings are not as objective as they think they are. She promotes the three "epistemic virtues" of studiousness, intellectual honesty, and wisdom to counter our decaying environment of epistemic confusion. The chapter on "A Practical Epistemology" is worth the price of the book.

My Thoughts
There are many shrewd observations done by the author that most people don't normally see. She is spot on when examining how our modern culture is becoming more arrogant just because we know a little bit more from the Internet. Just as we demand humility from various experts in our world, we need to stay humble ourselves, to know that what we believe today may not be the whole truth. Perhaps, when we read about a certain piece of information or news from the Internet, it is good to even ask why we are shown that particular article at any one particular time. Are we being fed by certain algorithms to promote their views? Are we unwitting pawns being used by the tech titans of our day? Have we trusted dubious sources more and legitimate sources less? Have we lost our own ability to discern truth from falsehood? It has been said that we are what we do on social media. In a culture where many people think they are experts based on what they see on screens, we need great humility to begin questioning the things we see even before we start challenging the experts of the sciences and the arts. If we could all nip falsehood in the bud, we limit the spread of misinformation that could lead to unnecessary fear and public panic.

We need a renewed call for discerning actual facts from personal opinions. We need wisdom to differentiate the silent voices of truth versus the noisy cymbals of fads. For people of faith, we need the Word of God to shed light on the works and words of the world. The timeless truth is that we need to read and study the Bible more each day. Otherwise, we are vulnerable to many untruths. The Holy Spirit will guide us in all truth. The way of love, the humility of thought, and the fruit of the Spirit are all truths according to the Word of God. Kristian has given us a powerful clarion call to wake up from any slumber even as the world around us are sinking into epistemic confusion. We are called to be the light of the world, and not to become conduits of errors promoted by the world. Just as John Wesley famously said, "The world is my parish," we need to wake up and remind ourselves that the technological world is our new parish. 

If you consume a lot of news online, this is a necessary read. If you do not read a lot on the Internet, this book is an important equipping resource. Whatever it is, it is helpful to remember that the Internet is not a neutral tool. It is a principality where the spiritual forces of darkness are thriving with. It is time to stand up and counter falsehood, beginning with not spreading falsehood. Let this book help initiate that.

Bonnie Kristian is an experienced journalist skilled in compelling opinion writing, concise news delivery, and meticulous editing. Bonnie is the author of A Flexible Faith: Rethinking What It Means to Follow Jesus Today (2018). As a deputy editor and acting editor-in-chief at The Week, Bonnie writes and edits opinion pieces on foreign policy, religion, criminal justice, urbanism, civil liberties, electoral politics, and more. Her column, "The Lesser Kingdom," appears in print and online at Christianity Today. Her work has also been published at outlets including USA Today, Defense One, the Los Angeles Times, CNN, Politico, Time, Reason, National Interest, and The American Conservative. A graduate of Bethel Seminary, she lives in Pittsburgh with her husband and twin sons.

 
Rating: 4.5 stars of 5.

conrade

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This book has been provided courtesy of Brazos Press and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.