FOIL THAT FAKE NEWS

Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise—dwell on these things. 
(Philippians 4:8)

I was recently reflecting on the above scripture and it suddenly hit me how vulnerable we can become, as believers, to the lure and damage of fake news, if we are not intentional about "dwelling on whatever is true".

Fake news is a rising tide in our society and a boiling topic in popular culture. But like Ed Stetzer wrote, fake news is not just about the media industry or a cultural issue. It becomes a discipleship issue because we are people of truth in a world that has been dealing with alternative facts since Eve's encounter with the Serpent in the Garden of Eden.

In the face of the growing problem of fake news, pastors and church leaders, need to take advantage of the opportunity to teach and challenge Christians to be more discerning about the stories they consume and share via various platforms.

We should not be seen or known as mongers and harbingers of spurious information. We need to think more critically about the world in which we live, and not be caught in the web of mob mentality. With our faith comes the need to be responsible and ethical with our communication.

Borrowing from Stetzer, let me highlight a few tips that can help us apply Paul’s exhortation in Philippians 4:8, against the wave of fake news:

1. Never share what you cannot verify. Do not share something you only find in off-beat sources. Check out some mainstream sources. They are a great way to verify if something is a true story.

2. Guard your integrity. We are people of truth. When people of truth participate in sharing false information, we do not just injure the other person and the process, but we also injure our personal reputation and testimony. When we are gullible, we hurt the team of people called believers. In fact, you make the team look silly when you post false information. How can we successfully offer freedom through truth when we are bound to untrue stories plastered all over our social media page? The information you share reveals your heart. Be careful with that.

3. Apologize if you are part of the problem.
If you share something and then find out it was a hoax or fake news, apologize for being part of the problem. Don’t justify your gullibility by saying, “Well, it could have been true,” or “Something like it happened.” Own your gullibility. This goes back to the integrity issue. Being people of the Truth means that we clear up what we mess up. Apologizing helps prepare you to be more careful the next time around.

To conclude, we must remember that by our faith and calling, we are supposed to be truth-tellers and truth seekers. We are liberated by the truth, we are sanctified by the truth. Truth is honorable, truth is just, truth is pure, truth is lovely, truth is commendable, truth is morally excellent and the truth is praiseworthy. Let's dwell on whatever is true!

MIND YOUR DIGITAL FOOTPRINTS

When we share or react to any comments at all, on social media, it should be based on the principles that:

1. We must engage in the interlocution of ideas and opinions to shape our communities whether real or virtual.

2 That the platforms we use to do this and the issues we generate give us the opportunity to be ourselves- humans - who are created to express ourselves and build networks of relationships.

3. This implies we must learn to listen to one another and add value to ourselves.

4. This also demands that we are ethical in the way we communicate, that we communicate responsibly, this includes but not limited to ensuring that we communicate the truth, we are not disingenuous with info for whatever vested interest, we authenticate our sources, we admit to the right of others to disagree with us and even concede to them when they are right even when it hurts our ego, avoid the lust of winning arguments and losing friendships.

Now, I do not advocate these principles just because I'm a person of faith, which is very significant, but also because of my discipline. As a media professional, and Social Media enthusiast, these are the issues I raise in my interventions with millennials, and more recently pastors and Christian educators.

What do all these mean? First, we must approach the virtual community with a learning attitude and gracious disposition. We need to be open minded and respect the diversity of views and even the right of people to air them. We must watch out against the tendency for outbursts that reeks of arrogance, against opinions or expressions we don't share. We need to insist on engaging ideas rather than attacking personalities or cyber-bullying fellow social media users. We shouldn't turn ourselves into a nuisance or social media trolls, just to prove a point or win an argument, for which we are never going to get a trophy.

Second, we should always take with a pinch of salt info from the Internet or social media, because, online, anything goes. We should be particular about the legitimacy of our sources based on the track record and character of the source when we post or share information.

My media literacy has taught me to know how to select my sources and also filter the nuances. We need to cultivate the habit of ardently monitoring info from traditional news channels to corroborate and fact-check our online sources: these include all the analysis, in-depth reports, special focus, and so forth. We shouldn't be in haste to make pronouncements that border on 'outcomes' that are still in progress.

It is very important to be mindful of how we carry on with our Social Media activities because what goes online stays online. The permanency of the contents we push online demands that we strictly mind our digital footprints.

A digital footprint, sometimes called a digital dossier, is the body of data that exists as a result of actions and communications online that can in some way be traced back to an individual.

A digital footprint is relatively permanent once the data is public -- or even semi-public, as may be the case with Facebook posts. For that reason, there is a need for caution about our online activities, to control the data that can be traced to us.

We don't want to get hurt when there's a blast from the past!

THE ANATOMY OF LOVE

INTRO
It's the month of love. The atmosphere ideally lends itself for unforgettable moments with those we love and hold dear. We think that there can never be too much love in the world and it should be celebrated, and Valentine’s day has been symbolically set aside for the celebration of love and romance. Hopeless romantics set the mood with the 'rituals' of candles, flowers, scents, romantic tunes, wine, cakes and ice creams of exotic flavors, all for that special someone or as a ploy for seductive romance. And many times, all the beautiful feelings and expressions are nothing but a fanfare of fancies, passion in the moment. When it's all done, we slide back into the usual humdrum routines of everyday life. Love is, however, more than a fanfare of fancies, more than a moment of passion, more than a day or night of seductive romance or even the rituals that romantics have come to make of it. From a biblical perspective, let's take a peek into the phenomenon of love.

THE IMPORT OF LOVE
Love is a virtue of God (not of the world). Peter says we have been called by His own glory and virtue [moral excellence or goodness] (2 Pet. 1:3.) That is we share God's nature or character. We have the capacity to express this moral excellence, of which love is core. We demonstrate this communicable attribute of God, first by loving God, who first loved us and second by loving others the way God loves us (volitionally and unconditionally). Our demonstration of love finds meaning and expression only in our love for God.

THE IMPERATIVE OF LOVE
#We are configured to love (Rom. 5:5 ).
We are God's workmanship and so we are a masterpiece of His love. (Eph. 2:10). It was as if God puts us on display as models of His love, to the world.

#We are commanded to love (Eph. 5:1-2).
First, because we have the inherent capacity to love. Second, we have the tendency in our soulish faculties to do otherwise (Eph. 5:3-5).

#We are compelled to love (Rom. 13:8).
We are obligated to love, we are creations of love, created to love, in loving others we fulfill the law.

THE IDENTITY OF LOVE (John 3:16, 1John 3:14-19, 1John 4:7-20)
#Love is selfless:
It is devoid of self (personal) gratification.
It does not seek sensuous pleasures.
It is not emotional or filial- it is volitional.
It is a demonstration that is consistent with our configuration- just as God's love is consistent with His character or nature.

#Love is self-giving:
God's love means that God eternally gives himself to others.
Love is self-giving for the benefit of others. Love is benevolent, not malevolent. The whole idea of self-giving is that the one who can give him/herself will give everything (Rom. 8:32). Love gives, it doesn't take (obtain). Every true lover is a giver, but not every giver is a lover. People give for obnoxious or egotistical reasons. Because we are a 'workmanship' of love- we exhibit good works of love- touch lives, build lives, add value to lives.

#Love is sacrificial:

Love is not pricey; it is priceless. However it is costly- it takes something significant away from you. It cost God His only beloved son. It cost Christ his divine status and privilege and his life. It cost him sharing his inheritance with us. If it doesn't cost us something significant- it may not be love. When it is sacrificial- it can be 'painful'.

FINALLY
In loving (whether God or others) we don't feel short-changed, because we are unmistakably conscious of God's love to us, which is continuously diffused, produced in us in an overwhelming measure by the Holy Spirit (Room. 5:5).