We live in a world of great deception. It is a world where we find fallacies operating in our debates, TV ads, daily conversations and especially in the political realm. It is important for us to understand these fallacies in order that we too are not deceived. These 14 fallacies are the ones most usually used.

Fallacy #1 – WORDS

Proverbs 18:21 “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”

In his essay called “Politics and the English Language,” George Orwell shared a crucial insight about the decline of language: “A man may take to drink because he feels himself to be a failure, and then fail all the more completely because he drinks. It is rather the same thing that is happening to the English language. It becomes ugly and inaccurate because our thoughts are foolish, but the slovenliness of our language makes it easier for us to have foolish thoughts.”

Mike Bauman says, “Sloppy language makes sloppy thought possible.” In Orwell’s “1984,” the masses are fed redefining slogans like “War Is Peace,” “Freedom Is Slavery,” and “Ignorance Is Strength.” We are in a cultural war and in this battle is often on the use of words. How do we define and redefine words? Language is very important and like Proverbs says: “The tongue has the power of life and death.”

In the next few weeklies for this I want to write about some of the fallacies that are out there influencing us whether we know it or not. These fallacies have to do with how we use words and how we frame our arguments.

The ‘opinion makers’ of this world (those who use words to make a living) are framing their arguments in such a way that they are moving society down a slippery slope. We are told in the Word: “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.” Mark 7:21-23 (KJV)

Also the Word says: “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.” Luke 6:45

In this New Year there are two resolutions that the Lord has laid upon my heart.

First, we need to get the Gospel out to all mankind. What the above verses are telling me is the need to see the heart of man changed and only the Gospel can do that. Wealth, government legislation, education, better standard of living, or like we say here in USA pursuing the American dream (whatever that is), will not change the heart of man. Only the Gospel can do that and we, the church, have a tremendous obligation to do just that using the gifts, abilities that the Lord has given us.

Secondly, we must learn to frame our arguments wisely. Ideas have consequences and some of the ideas that are being bandied about will have a dastardly affect upon us and our children and grandchildren. One of these deadly ideas that is being brought forth is that ‘matter is all that exists.’ In this idea there is no spiritual realm. This is why when the tragedy strikes most of our ‘opinion makers’ had no answers let alone solutions.

We need to understand and be able to explain it wisely that in this modern age God is still on the throne and He is sovereign over the nations and human history. “All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, for dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations.” (Psalms 22:27-28)

To do this we need to learn to think biblically and understand the fallacies that are circulating in our media, entertainment, government, family, market place and yes, even the church.

We know that with every action – there is a reaction. In other words, we have a ‘because – therefore’ situation.

We see this coming out constantly in the prophetic writings in the Old Testament. For example: Ezekiel 26:2-3 “’Son of man, because that Tyrus hath said against Jerusalem, Aha, she is broken that was the gates of the people: she is turned unto me: I shall be replenished, now she is laid waste: Therefore,’ thus saith the Lord God; ‘Behold, I am against thee, O Tyrus, and will cause many nations to come up against thee, as the sea causeth his waves to come up.’”

Because of the action of the people of Tyrus speaking against Jerusalem, therefore we see the reaction that follows in the rest of the chapter of Ezekiel 26.

One of the most powerful things that God has given to us is a free-will and the ability to choose. What do we choose? We need to keep in mind that there will be a reaction to what we choose, whether it is positive or negative.

Do we consider the advice of Deuteronomy 30:19: “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.”

Here we have a because (life and blessing) and therefore (death and cursing) set before. Which one do we choose? Whatever we think about the most will grow and this refers both to the positive and negative ends of the spectrum.

We cannot control all our circumstances, but we can control our reaction to them. It is important when we come into trauma (and we will come into one) our thinking needs to be in harmony with Scripture, like Colossians 3:15 “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.”

October 7, 2017 was a turning point in my life. My wife of 51 years came to me with a terrific headache like she never had before and when we went to the emergency, we found out that she had a brain aneurysm. The next day the aneurysm was secured with coils, but one slipped and brought about further damage to the brain that affected the left side of her body: arm, leg, short term memory, as well as left peripheral vision gone.

There was nothing we could do about our circumstance, but what about our reaction to it? We chose life. Every morning I would ask my wife: “What day is this?” She now responds saying: “This is the day that the Lord has made and we will be happy and rejoice in it.”

By reacting this way we are now finding that our ‘therefore’ is becoming a positive action. My wife is improving with her left arm. She walks a mile with me holding hands (to help keep her stable) in the near-by park. I see signs (small at this time) of short-term memory responding. By choosing the right course (scripturally) we are finding that the brain which is malleable is being altered in the right way.

What is positive for my wife and I because of the choice we made, can also become negative by the choice we make, and wire the brain in a self-defeating attitude.

Colossians 3:15 says, “Let the ‘peace of God’ rule in your hearts.” I often wandered just exactly what did that mean. Dr. Caroline Leaf shed some light on this in her book SWITCH ON YOUR BRAIN when she said: “Your heart is not just a pump; it helps with decision-making and choices, acting like a checking station for all the emotions generated by the flow of chemicals from thoughts.”

WE have found that when we made a decision, we sensed a peace within and then there have been other times when we did not have that sense of peace within. Could it be, Like Dr. Caroline Leaf brings out, that our heart is “acting like a checking station for all the emotions generated by the flow of chemicals from thoughts.”

One lesson that stands out for me in this time of trauma with my wife is the importance of the Scripture. Why? Because our mind needs to be set on that which is right and true, and the only thing in this world that gives the truth for the right thinking, and the right direction to go – is the Holy Scriptures.

Let Philippians 4:8 be our thought: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things.”

Remember what Paul said in 2 Corinthians 10:5: “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

We gain by bringing our thoughts into obedience to Christ!

Genesis 1:26-28 “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.'”

When it comes to the environment, we as God’s people, need to take an active role in what is taking place. When this mandate was given to us it was before the fall of man. We see through out Scripture how the Lord worked to bring about redemption for those who wanted it, although redemption is free, it does come with responsibilities and one is this mandate that God gave man before he fell.

One issue that is constantly popping up is what is called the “green movement.” To fully understand this movement, we need to go back to Karl Marx and Lenin and their teaching.

The buzz word for this green movement is the word ‘pollution.’ It is interesting to see as well that the Marxist seized upon pollution, real or imagined, as their weapon and their war on freedom.

It’s not that there is no pollution, because there is. However, it can be cleaned up and, in the USA, a remarkable job is being done to achieve that. However, the environmentalists following a Marx philosophy believe that the use of fossil fuels and subsequent carbon dioxide emissions plays havoc with what we’re faced with today.

Thomas Jefferson said: “A reformation in government follows revolution of public opinion.” How true a statement that is. Who are the opinion makers today in our society? They are the ones that use words to make a living. They are the ones shaping the opinions in our culture. What about God’s opinion? Should we, who are called the “body of Christ,” His bride to be using His Words (the Bible) to shape public opinion?

We are going to live by someone’s morals. Who should it be? Public opinion? Powers to be? Or God’s morality? It should be the latter. This is why we cannot be silent when it comes to some of the ‘hot issues’ we are faced with today.

To me pollution is not the problem that we face today, but rather ideas that are being advanced contrary to God’s Word. The ideas of Karl Marx brought about the Russian Revolution in 1917 that resulted eventually leaving a nation in chaos and around the world with over 110 million people dead and with millions  forced into oppressed societies.

Ecclesiastes tells us that there is nothing new under the sun and yet our politicians, government bureaucracies, university professors are telling us that the greatest problem that we face is pollution, not seeing that the ideas being put forward will have dangerous consequences.

One of the main goals of Karl Marx was to get rid of Christianity. Why? Because he was convinced, like many materialists today that Christianity is based on a system of beliefs and not facts. They believe only science has facts and that is the way to go.

Federick Engels steps into the picture and along with Marx comes up with three laws of matter to bring order to their belief system. The law of opposites, the law of negation and the law of transformation. We also see that this provided the rationale for today’s green movement.

The law of opposites is how opposites work in unity. For example, electricity has positive and negative, or atoms with protons and neutrons, and even with human beings we have opposites with altruism and selfishness, humility and pride or masculinity and femininity.

Marx’s philosophy brings out that in the animal kingdom the law of opposites is kept in check, but in the human race this is not the case and so this is where government comes in and is why in many countries where you have Marx’s philosophy you have a tyrannical government.

We find that the law of negation is a key pillar for the environmentalists today. This law states that all of nature is expanding in death. For this philosophy all species have the tendency to proliferate. They see that within the animal kingdom this is kept in check, but for the human race this is not the case.

So for the Marxists they look upon the human race as becoming a population bomb that places the entire planet at risk and so systems must be put in place. Look at what is happening with abortion, now being advocated to the third trimester and even when the baby is born the mother can decide to end the baby’s life. The buzzword for the environmentalists today is the word “sustainable.”

The law of transformation is the thought that a particular species can leap forward through continuous development into a new form. For the Marxists this is particular true with human beings producing an elite that can rule, govern the rest of society, and even decide who should die. The elitist then would be able to decide what morality to follow, rules and laws that should be in place.

Marx also believed that the earth possessed natural wealth, but it did not belong to man and could only be used if necessary, but not to take a profit from it.

Yet when we look at the Cultural Mandate that God gave us we see that God provided all of this to be used, not hoarded, but used for betterment of mankind.

When Vladimir Lenin continued on pushing the “Green Giant” it brought about the Russian revolution in 1917 where a million people died and country left in a terrible mess. One of his first decrees was to make all land, forests, water, minerals, etc. to be the property of the State and eventually develop natural preserves that would be totally left alone and no human would be allowed in. Some of these areas were rich in oil, minerals and gold.

When I think of the recent fires in California that left many dead, houses and business burned – the one thing that gave fuel to the fires were debri-dead trees, bushes, etc. that were not cleaned up. Does this sound familiar today coming from our so-called socialists? Take for example AOC and what she is preaching about to take away our energy because it’s causing pollution, take away our guns, get rid of private property and let it come under the control of the State, have less children, no children, and when it comes to the abortion law about aborting at baby at birth or even in their third term, we find these socialists silent and even giving a wink to infanticide. What evil!

Ecclesiastes 1:9-10 “That which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which it may be said, ‘See, this is new?’ It has already been in ancient times before us.”

2 Corinthians 4:13 “It is written: ‘I believed; therefore I have spoken.’ With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak.”

I was watching the debates of the presidential candidates. If we mean that each side can come and present their views then that is a debate. But often what happens with Christians who do not ‘toe the political correctness line’ that they are not listened to as far as their views are concerned, but are actually maligned because of their Christian stand.

Therefore, many of these debates are not real debates at all. The reason for this maligning of Christians is to silence them. We must learn to speak the truth with boldness, not in an argumentative way, but speaking like Paul in the synagogues where Paul reasoned, explained, proving and persuading. Or like Apollos, who “vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.” Acts 18:28

There are two things that come to mind regarding the spiral of silence. First, we have the need for acceptance, and secondly is, what we believe is a conviction or only a preference. I have written about this previously and I think it is important for us to re-examine our belief.

I wrote about acceptance and rejection that keep people locked in their ‘little kingdoms.’ Human need is to be accepted and the last thing that we want is rejection. We need to come to the realization in a far greater way that this need of acceptance has already been met through Christ. He has accepted us. Unless we come to the place where we recognize that we have been accepted in Christ I doubt that we will be able to stand and speak the truth.

But another reason why we do not speak out is this: Do we really believe in what we say we believe in? Is it a conviction within us or is it something we prefer? There is a big difference. Paul said: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” What Paul seems to be saying is that what he believes in is real and he realizes that, and because of that – he speaks. Could it be that what we say we believe in is not real to us, not a conviction, but a preference instead, and so we do not speak? I used the example of the three men thrown into the fiery furnace in the book of Daniel. These men boldly spoke out and in so doing show us what conviction really is.

First, we see that what they believed was unchangeable. They were given the chance to change their minds, but it was useless. If what we say we believe in can be changed through pressure or whatever then it is not a conviction.

Secondly, they were willing to stand alone. There must have been hundreds of other Jews living in the capital at the time. What were they doing? They must have been bowing down, because the only Jewish people brought to the king were these three men. Now we do not want to stand alone and would like others to stand with us, but even if not, then we are willing to stand alone upon what we believe, because we know that what we believe is right.

Thirdly, what they believed in was non-negotiable. Nebuchadnezzar was willing to give them a second chance to change their mind, to reconsider, to be able to sit down and negotiate and trying to get them to think of the consequences, etc. What was their response? “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.’” Daniel 3:16-18

Fourthly, they did not need the assurance of success before they took a stand. This is what we have with the spiral of silence. If we know that we might be successful, then we will stand, or if we know that others are standing on what I believe, we stand; but all this shows that our faith is only a preference and not a conviction.

There is a need for us to be convinced that the Biblical worldview is the only worldview that answers the questions that plague mankind today, like, where did we get this universe and why is man different from the rest of creation; why is the world in such a mess and what is the solution? The only worldview that answers these questions and makes sense is the biblical worldview.

I am concerned like the late Chuck Colson who said: “By rejecting Christianity and its moral framework, Western liberal democracies are in grave peril of collapsing upon themselves. They will no longer be able to preserve human rights and liberties. What comes next is tyranny.”

We cannot allow the ‘spiral of silence’ to keep us silent any longer.

Might we do what Paul admonished Timothy to do: “Give diligence to present thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, handling aright the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15

2 Corinthians 4:13 “I believed; therefore I have spoken.”

Over the past few weeks I have been hearing a lot about the “spiral of silence” and decided that I would do some research and see what it is all about and how it pertains to us.

Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann was a German political scientist who came up with the ‘spiral of silence’ that gave an explanation of how public opinion can influence individual opinions or actions. For example, in 1991 support was measured for the Gulf War. The researchers wanted to know if the support was a consensus view or did media coverage contribute to a spiral of silence that dampened opposition to the war? They concluded that those who watched television and sensed that the public supported the war were more likely to support the war as well. They found that this study supports the ‘spiral of silence,’ that people can be swayed by public opinion rather than face social isolation.

Wikipedia says: “The phrase “spiral of silence” actually refers to how people tend to remain silent when they feel that their views are in the minority. The model is based on three premises: 1) people have a “quasi-statistical organ,” a sixth-sense if you will, which allows them to know the prevailing public opinion, even without access to polls, 2) people have a fear of isolation and know what behaviors will increase their likelihood of being socially isolated, and 3) people are reticent to express their minority views, primarily out of fear of being isolated.”

This brings out several things that we need to consider.

First, even if we are in the minority (or think that we are) we must speak the truth and not what is “politically correct.” I am afraid God’s people have been too silent when it comes to expressing God’s truth. Instead of allowing people who are opposed to God’s truth shaping public opinion we, the church, should be the shakers and shapers of society.

Secondly, we know that Satan has divided this world into little kingdoms (or one could call them prisons) and the bars that hold people in are not made out of steel, but acceptance and rejection. These are the needs that every human being has – to be accepted and not face rejection or isolation. We want people to be released from these prisons and be able to enter the Kingdom of God. This is what the Gospel is all about. We read in Ephesians 1:6 (KJV) “To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.”

All our needs have been met in Christ.

Thirdly, we need to do what Paul told the Corinthian church to do and that is to examine their faith. “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” 2 Corinthians 3:5 (KJV) Is our faith a preference or a conviction? There is a difference between the two. We see this coming out in Daniel 3 with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego when they were confronted with the fiery furnace.

Public opinion was to bow down and give allegiance to Nebuchadnezzar by falling down and worshipping the statue that he built. This was a classic example of the ‘spiral of silence.’ We see that these three men were willing to speak out, face the consequences and give God the glory. At the end, we see the results: “Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, ‘Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.’”

We might not be faced with a fiery furnace, but on many issues, we will be faced with public opinion. The question is: Will the ‘spiral of silence’ kick in or will we speak out. We do not need to speak out in an argumentative way, but we should speak from our conviction and from our study to show ourselves approved unto God like we read in 2 Timothy 2:15 “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”

Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “It is written: ‘I believed; therefore I have spoken.’ With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak.” (2 Corinthians 4:13) Paul was saying, he knows that what he believes is real and because it is real – he speaks. So, it should be with us.

Someone said: “Christians today are in danger of being sucked into such a ‘spiral of silence.’ But this is not inevitable. We can break the ‘spiral of silence’ (1) if we are really persuaded of the truth of the Gospel and the Christian worldview, and (2) if we will simply begin to speak up when opportunities arise, trusting the Lord to use our words as He will.” (Luke 12:8-12)

May God give us the boldness and courage to stand, and to be accountable.

Remember the words of Thomas Jefferson: “Reformation in government follows reformation in opinions.” Let us speak up and get God’s truth and opinions out in the public square!