Am I Really Looking at the Evidence?

(The problem of making decisions on the basis of what other people think instead of carefully considering the evidence)

“Billy Graham teaches that we must personally receive the Lord Jesus Christ, so it must be true, right?”

“Charles Spurgeon preached the security of the believer, so of course, I believe it!”

“Adolf Hitler believed that some races were superior to others, so it must be horribly wrong!”

“Surely you don’t believe that salvation is a result of our good works! I know a member of a cult that believes that!”

“My pastor says that the Bible says that salvation is a matter of grace alone. My pastor is a great man and a wonderful Bible student. Surely he couldn’t be wrong about that!”

“I will never accept the idea of reincarnation. Why, that’s an official teaching of a false religion!”

“Mom, I don’t see anything wrong with that movie! All the other kids’ parents are letting them go see it!”

Do you see anything in common in these arguments? Do you see a problem with these arguments?

You have probably already seen the point. It may be (and is) true that we must personally receive the Lord Jesus Christ—but not because Billy Graham teaches it. It may be (and is) very wrong to believe that one race is superior to another—but not because Adolf Hitler believed it. There may be nothing wrong with watching a certain movie, but not because parents of other kids think it’s ok!

It is very tempting to appeal to others (and to convince ourselves) on the basis of what someone else thinks or believes, instead of on the basis of the evidence.

You see, it’s possible (and likely) that Billy Graham believes some things that are wrong. And it’s possible (and likely) that Adolf Hitler believed some things that were right. And it’s possible (and very likely!) that the parents of other kids are wrong about some things.

Many people all over the world believe what they believe, think what they think, and decide what they are going to do based on what someone else believes or doesn’t believe. It is very tempting.

This is why advertisers often use famous people who are well liked. They know that many people will conclude, “Surely if such a great guy uses that product, it must be good!”

One reason that this kind of argument is popular is that it is easy. If someone asks, “What do you believe about this issue?” We can say, “Hold on. Let me check out what my favorite teacher says about this. I believe whatever he believes!” (In the same way, it is easy to simply refuse to believe something because someone else—who happens to be on our list of “bad guys”—believes it!)

When I was a young man, there were Baptist preachers who did not do much serious personal Bible study. They would simply ask, “What does W. A. Criswell believe?”  W. A. Criswell certainly believed and taught many things that I believe are true. But the fact that they are true is not related to whether Dr. Criswell believed them or not.

It is not easy to do serious personal study. It may be time consuming. It may require difficult thinking and analysis. But if we care at all about an issue, we must take the time to really study it. Of course, there may be some issues that are not important to us. In those cases, we might best respond by saying, “I don’t have a considered opinion on that one. I haven’t taken the time to study it.”

If you browse our web site, you will quickly discover that we reject the doctrine of evolutionism. I am convinced that many people accept evolutionism, not because they have studied the evidence and are persuaded by it. They have simply decided, “Surely all these scientists with Ph.D. degrees can’t be wrong!”

You will also quickly discover that we are posttribulationalists. I am convinced that many people have accepted pretribulationalism, not because they have studied the Biblical evidence and are persuaded by it. They have simply decided, “Surely all these Bible teachers that teach pretribulationalism can’t be wrong!”

One problem with both these conclusions is that there are brilliant scientists who have rejected evolutionism. And there are wonderful and well-known Bible teachers who are posttribulationalists.

We must not simply pick out a person (or a group of people) and decide, “I’ll believe what they believe!”

When we make decisions that way, we are no different than our kids when they say, “I should be able to do this because all my friends are doing it!” The “peer pressure” that can lead teenagers to make so many bad decisions can also be a powerful influence in the thinking of adults.

Most of us would quickly acknowledge the virtue of  “standing alone” on what we know to be true. But, in spite of our noble intentions, there is a powerful inner tendency to go along with accepted authorities. It then becomes easy to use a process of rationalization to convince ourselves that it really is our own decision. In truth, we have not examined the evidence carefully. We have merely chosen to believe what someone else has believed because of the powerful influence of peer pressure.

There is a Latin phrase for the kind of argumentation that tries to defend a position on the basis of what someone else (usually famous) believes. It is called argumentum ad hominem. Literally it means “argument to the man.”

I would simply like to challenge all of us to be alert to recognize the temptation and the fallacy of making decisions on the basis of what other people believe. Of course, if I have found someone to be a reputable source and a good thinker, I may want to seriously consider his or her positions. But I need to withhold judgment until I have checked out the evidence. Men I respect may be right. Men I do not respect may be wrong. But the opposite can also be true. We need to learn to check it out!

We have a wonderful Biblical example in this matter. In the book of Acts, we read of Paul and Silas taking the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the people who lived in Berea. And we have this brief report. “And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.  These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:10-11)

Paul said it this way to the church at Thessalonica. “Prove  [Greek: examine carefully or scrutinize] all things; hold fast that which is good.” (1 Thessalonians 5:21)

Copyright © 2005 Steve Hall