Truth vs Fallacy

Author: Dr. Fitzroy Nembhard (Bethel Abundant Life Ministries, Palm Bay, FL)

Is Neil deGrasse Tyson right? He stated, “There are three categories of truths that shape our understanding of the universe: personal truths, political truths, and objective truths.” He has been named the world’s most famous astrophysicist by National Geographic. Tyson further made the following statement followed by a question: “Search engines on the internet are the epitome of confirmation bias; are you going to use that as evidence that you are correct?” Where, then, should the people of God go to discern between truth and fallacy?

A follower of Christ has to know how to discern between worldly knowledge and spiritual knowledge. Tyson is right in his categorization of world truth. However, as it relates to spiritual truth, there is only one truth and Jesus defined it for us in John 14:6, which states “I am the way, the truth and the life…” This means we should turn to the Word of God for direction in all matters of life. We should also be led by the Holy Spirit, whom the Bible said will guide us into all truth (John 16:13).

Should we abandon world truth because we believe in biblical truth? No, biblical truth should be the bedrock upon which we build our lives. When “my truth” and “your truth” go walking, they should befriend God’s truth in order to be classified as truth. The Bible states that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom…” (Proverbs 9:10). Therefore, in order to be wise enough to discern between truth and fallacy, we should fear God, seek to develop a strong relationship with Him, and obey the Spirit of God as He speaks to us. This way, as we learn more about the universe, we will have a strong foundation upon which to build. As we glean more information from online sources and the people around us, we should allow the Spirit and Word of God to help us sift through that information to turn it into knowledge and ultimately into wisdom.