Rules to verify digital information

Hi Saints

I see a lot of people posting different hyperlinks to different information sources. I personally can breakup information and sort it out from whats fact and whats fiction but it is getting harder for me to do.

I just wanted to know from fellow saints, what are some of your personal rules that you use when trying to make sure the information that you take on is creditable or not. i know that everyone will have different methods and i am keen to hear them.

here is an example of how i look at different topics

Sermons
* check the theological background of the preacher
* check faith statement on their website
* Google the name of the person to see who they affiliate with and fully read different views on the person good and bad to make my own mind up.
* After all of this i will then listen to a sermon and see how it stands with the bible.

Media
* look for biased information in report
* Find out the agenda of the media agent
* what is the point being made about the report.
* look for other sources that either discredit or qualify the report
* check details given in the report

I must say that examining media reports is difficult and although i am not easily deceived there is sooo many lies being told through the different media outlets today.

my methods are by no means the greatest way of doing this but they have helped me so far. so if anyone has some rules they use that have helped them would be appreciated.

Good topic.

Depends, for me, on what I am reading or hearing in the first place and how important the information is. I have done similar filtering as you have, and I have just listened/read straight up to the info or sermon or writing and waited. I will often wait for another writing, sermon, etc. and listen/read again, and judge its content on its own. Sooner rather than later most of the time spooky crazy stuff will be pretty apparent. My habit is if I find it interesting or important, curiosity will lead me into further research on the source and what they write/say/believe and their credentials (where credentials matter).

I think Snopes is a great resource for certain stories that seem fishy, particularly those that are posted and re-posted on Facebook etc.

I don't generally visit certain news sites because I know they are liberally biased (eg msnbc) or ultra conservatively biased (WND). I definitely lean way more on the conservative side, but hype is hype.

Sermon wise, I feel I have heard and seen enough to eat the meat and throw out the bones, so to speak.

Karl-

I had a question for you in regard to sermons. You said you check their faith statement, which is a good thing, but does it have to match up exactly with your doctrinal position before you will listen, or just on certain points of doctrine?

Hi All

thank you for the questions i will respond at a later time in more detail as i haven't much time to post tonight and i need to be wise in my answers.

I don't sit in a position of any denomination as it gives me the freedom to walk with God where he wants me to learn and to encourage saints no matter which denomination they are in. i found that each denomination has its strengths and weaknesses and it is through these that the lord uses me to sow seed or prepare the ground for the seeds to be sown.

each preacher that i have listened too have some areas that I needed God to teach me in. So some of them i only have listened to 1 or 2 of their sermons others i have listened to every sermon i could get a hold of. Sermon index has many that i have listened too.

I will post up more when after i have a good sleep, but i want to say that i genuinely would like to see how saints tackle the digital media in this area and Im not sure if there would be a wrong answer in search methods apart from (in my own experiences) the lack of examination methods.

Hi TMK

No it doesn't have to match up exactly with my doctrinal position. if i listen to or read a sermon before researching the background i look for the intent and belief of the preacher in the sermon which i can normally discover pretty quickly. there are some foundations which i don't touch because i already know where they are coming from and have been burnt by those ministries and they haven't changed since God led me away from them.

There are alot of sermons that i have been influenced by in part with my walk in God. the below list is just a list of a few i have listened to have helped shape my Walk in Christ

Tozer, Milton Green, Paul Washer, A.W.pink, Corrie bloom, Jackie Pullinger, Jessie Penn Lewis, Robert Morey, Derek Prince, David wilkinson. Richard sipley, Ray Comfort.

although I have listened to many preachers i don't take on every teaching that they do.

I learned to check out a ministry before I share any links. I had been blessed by a particular testimony and I was about to share it with some of my sisters in Christ when the Holy Spirit prompted me to check out the ministry prior to sending out the link. I googled this person's name and was appalled to find out that the person whose testimony I was about to send out had been involved in gross sin, to such a degree that even his testimony was being questioned. If I had shared the video with others, I may have led them into error.

That was a wake up call for me. This was shortly after my husband died, and he had been the one that screened things for us to show us as part of our daily time in the Word. I realized that I have to be very careful in sharing things with others. I have always done that for my children, but we must also guard our brethrens' hearts for there are some that are in different areas of their walk.

Hi romanchog

I so agree and have done the same, my intent was to help people through the sermons but i lacked the understanding and sent people on very destructive paths and didn't realize why at the time.

The main reason i came to sermon index in the beggining was because of the audio sermons, that are on this site and at the time i felt protected in the knowledge that these sermons were checked out before being posted. I had already known about a lot of the preachers and reasoned that we where on the same path to the truth in Christ. Now i can discern these things for my self on other sites as i have grown in this area.

Dr. James Boice, I so enjoyed listening to this Pastor now home with the Lord. He was from a different denomination/organization that I was in, I listen to and read so many ministers from such a broad spectrum in the "christian" arena. I really like what a dear brother told me early on in my journey, he would say much of this walk would be like eating steak, there will always be parts that you cut away and discard, parts that you eat. I think the best safe guard will always be self study and prayer always asking for the Holy Spirit to help and teach and give discernment and the Lord Himself to lead us beside the still waters and green meadows, as it were. The FBI has a currency Division and what they do is go after counterfeiters, what they do is have their agents study the real thing and that by studying the real currency they can spot the counterfeit easily. I have always liked that example to be honest. In the end though I do not follow many modern ministries, not even the fellowship that holds my own papers:/

Hi Dohzman

Yeah, i was taught similar methods, i always expect parts of a sermon that are not for me and parts that are. some steaks have more meat then others but as you said praying before hand has led me in the right direction as well and i do venture into different types of sermons especially when they cause a stir as i like to make my own thoughts on the subject.

RE:///This message is the start point of our faith or it is the greatest evil and lie ever spoken by man. There is zero middle ground. I absolutely love it.///

What is an interesting experience is to stand and listen to a couple of Spirit filled Anabaptist conversate with A Spirit filled Calvinist, both of whom have been very influential in my life.

Doctrinal dogma historically has lead to strife ,wars ,murder, divisions. etc

I am listened to it.

I could defend it and I could critique it.

I am agreement that Gods Justice is not Obligated to show Mercy.

What does the FTR acronym stand for ?

When I was referring to standing and listening to a couple of Spirit filled Anabaptist conversate with A Spirit filled Calvinist,

I was not talking about a men's breakfast either.

Men like Spurgeon where intune enough to recogonize men like George Fox as true brethren.