Truth is Truth No Matter Who Says It

Consider the following:

>Someone you detest could tell you the truth while someone you admire could tell you a lie.

>An uneducated person could be correct while a professor could be wrong.

>A YouTuber etc. could be honest while a network news anchor could be dishonest.

>A person with mental illness could speak words of wisdom while a psychiatrist could speak foolishness.

>A message scribbled in the dust could be accurate while a textbook could be inaccurate.

>An unpopular opinion could be correct while a popular opinion could be incorrect.
AND VICE VERSA

>Truth is still truth even if no human believes it.  Lies are still lies even if every human believes them. 

As an apologist, I see that there are many people who believe in evolution etc. not because of the strength of the evidence for evidence itself but because they heard about it from a professor or teacher that they trust, they read about in an expensive textbook, or they watched a professionally produced documentary on television.  In other words, they believe it because of the packaging and they rarely take time to really examine the truthfulness of the claims themselves on their own merits.

From a political science perspective, I also see that many people are blinded by their reliance on "trusted" sources so that they create their own personal echo chambers.  They automatically reject information from any other perspective because it came from a source that does not fit their preferences.  For example, they may unquestioningly accept information from a large news provider with a billion dollar studio, but while they would automatically reject the exact same information from YouTubers recording in their bedrooms as a conspiracy theory.  But, we need to remember that truth is not determined by money, studios, or high quality video production.  The Wright brothers were able to harness the truths of aerodynamics to build an airplane in their bicycle workshop while now airplanes are built in multi-billion dollar factories.  But the same truths apply.  Likewise, the YouTuber of today, may be the Walter Cronkite of tomorrow.  We should not despise humble beginnings.  The computers that we are using today were invented in garages. 

Whether dealing with Apologetics, Political Science, media, culture, or any other field, we need to remember that truth cannot be created by the credibility of the presenter.  It also cannot be destroyed by the lack of credibility of the presenter.  In my own life, I have heard great foolishness come from the mouths of PhDs and I have also heard great wisdom come from the mouths of the homeless.  

You may ask, "If humans cannot create (nor destroy) truth, where does it come from?"   Truth comes from God the Creator.  Truth is whatever corresponds to reality.  The ultimate reality is God and His character. For example, God cannot lie (Hebrews 6:18).  John 14:6 says, "Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."  Jesus Christ claimed to be the truth and He confirmed it through the resurrection. Romans 3:4 says, "Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. As it is written: “That You may be justified in Your words, And may overcome when You are judged.”

Here are some guidelines that help me find truth in the modern world and avoid being deceived. 

1. We should not judge by the outward appearance.
The Bible teaches us to look beyond the surface to see truth as God sees truth.  1 Samuel 16:7  says, "But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”  Therefore, we should not judge the truthfulness of the information by the "outward appearance" but look deeper at the heart of it.  For example, a simple 25 cent tract that accurately teaches God's truth about salvation is more valuable than a $75 beautifully illustrated textbook that teaches that there is no God. 

2. We should not trust the rich more than the poor.
James 2 also warns against showing favoritism to the rich over the poor.  Likewise, it is equally wrong to show favoritism to the poor over the rich.  This reminds me not to give any more or less respect or skepticism to the information provided by YouTubers etc. recording on their $50 secondhand smartphones than I would to the network news anchor with a $100 million net worth.  All sources of information should be judged equally regardless of their economic status. 

3. We should not just listen to one side.
We live in a time where people are pressured to "take sides."  As a result, we often wrongly take a side before all the information is known.  This is unbiblical.  Proverbs 18:17 says, "The first one to plead his cause seems right, Until his neighbor comes and examines him."  For example, many people cannot accurately describe the policy positions of the opposing political party (or possibly even their own).  Instead, they only have a strawman view of the opposing viewpoint.  As a result, they cannot vote accurately or consistently but are tossed around on waves of random slogans and talking points.  Instead, we should read and listen to the policy position statements from the political parties from the source, not spoon fed from our favorite commentator. Likewise, we should not just listen to sources of information that we agree with but we should also listen to those that come from different perspectives as well.