Hello my friends,

I am currently on vacation with my family, celebrating my parent's 40th wedding anniversary! As I was preparing for this trip, I was thinking of how grateful I am for the community that we have built, even around this little newsletter. I really look forward to talking with you when I return.

In the mean time, have you ever been challenged by past you? Where you wrote something down and future you found it and was challenged by what you read? Well, that happened to me recently and I was thankful for how "past me" challenged present me, especially in today's online world.

I thought I would share that piece with you today. Perhaps you might find something of worth in it as well.

Doing Away With Confirmation Bias

Confirmation bias is the tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms or supports our prior beliefs or values. We tend to unconsciously select information that supports our views, but ignore non-supportive or contradicting information. We also tend to interpret ambiguous evidence as supporting our already existing position. This effect is strongest regarding our desired outcomes, for emotionally charged issues, and for deeply entrenched beliefs.

We are all susceptible to this approach.

This is one of the most significant factors that is contributing to our current divisions in our culture. So many of the most complex issues we view through cut and dried, either/or filters, even before we turn on our preferred news source or social media platforms (which have algorithms designed to feed us things with which we have already shown our interest through every click). This only inflames our bias.

We so deeply believe that we are on the right side that anything that sounds even remotely like the other side, is automatically assumed to be not only wrong, but evil. In this mindset, objectivity is lost. Not only are we then unable to sustain truthful and discerning discourse with one another, we as the general public are unable to hold our leaders accountable when they spread falsehood. When those two factors are in play, enemies are made, fear takes hold, and things quickly devolve into chaos. Everything becomes a battle and everyone a potential enemy.

This is not the way, especially for Christians.

We have been so convinced that there is a totally good side, a totally evil side, and there is nothing in between. We conclude that the side we have chosen is the good side and thus conclude that “the other side” is totally evil. The powers that be, numerous media outlets, as well as social media influencers play on this deep seeded bias. It plays to our deepest emotions and fears and we quickly get caught up in what we consider a “noble fight” of “our side” forgetting that the “other side” are also human beings created in the image of God.

Human beings are deeply beautiful, complex, and nuanced, which means our world is as well. Reducing this complex nuanced world to categories of “either/or” is simply the methods of people who desire power and control rather than love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23).

So what are some small steps we can take to make a more positive impact on this trend?

-Resist getting and spreading information from memes, Facebook groups, and YouTube channels, and pundits who specialize in only sharing their slant on the news rather than the news itself. While some information from these sources might be helpful, they are often emotionally charged, sensational, and reactionary, leading us to confirmation bias.

-If you find yourself immediately agreeing with information, ask yourself why you are agreeing so quickly. What factors have led to such quick agreement? Do your best to go and listen to the conversations being had from the opposite perspective. Ask yourself why you might be disagreeing so quickly. What factors have led to such quick disagreement? Are we able in that moment to think beyond emotion and pre-existing beliefs to see things objectively and from another’s point of view?

-Give yourselves time to contemplate. If you’d like to share or post something, think on it for a few hours or maybe even the rest of the day. Fact check the claim several times from several sources and measure the multiple conclusions you find against one another. Read an academic, peer reviewed historical perspective on similar issues. Has an event like this happened before? How did the culture respond to it then? How should they have responded to it? How should that shape the way we respond to the events of our day?

-Look up the biases behind the news media by those who are devoted to assessing such things. I have found the statistical findings of Allsides.com helpful this year in showing the grid of bias from all sides of the political spectrum regarding news media sources. You can find that work here: (https://rb.gy/epthlx).

-Talk with each other, not at each other. Confirmation bias sets up a false narrative that when someone disagrees with our belief they must fervently believe the exact opposite way, which often isn’t true at all. They may simply believe it differently. When we are not proactive in embracing nuance, it causes us to be people who are trying to convert others to our immovable beliefs, seeing them as something to be conquered rather than being compelled by an authentic desire to come together and conquer the problems that divide us in solidarity.

-Finally, it’s not our job to change the mind of every person we encounter, but it is our responsibility to love them. Love includes setting healthy boundaries and discerning when to engage and when not to. When you enter conversations with those who refuse to change their minds and insist on being confrontational, it’s vital to chose opportunities of engagement wisely. Sometimes, it really is the most loving thing not to engage at all. God really does love everyone deeper than we ever could and God is constantly bringing people into our lives to speak wisdom and truth, but it’s up to each person to choose to listen. The truth is, we have all been entrenched on beliefs we shouldn’t have been at times. Ask yourself what has brought you out of those entrenched beliefs in the past? Was it through harsh rhetoric or someone you trust, calmly asking you really good questions and walking with you to process the answers? Some won’t let us do that with them and we individuals can’t be that for all people. It is wise to interact with those who welcome you and with those who don’t, leave the work for someone else they do trust that God has brought in their life. This will save you a lot of emotional energy in relationships.

It won’t matter how many technological advances we make as a society. If we can’t even think, act, and talk with one another in love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, we will continue to advance division rather than solidarity.

May this begin with me.
May this begin within the church.

Now I would like to hear from you. How have you been able to navigate confirmation bias in your own life? Has it been a struggle for you? What ways have you found helpful in confronting it?

Many of you have kindly asked how you can support my work. So, I created a way for you to do so. Simply click here: support.​

If you’d like to invite a friend to join, here is the link you can send them: https://benjamin-cremer.ck.page/​

Thank you so much for being here.

-Ben

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