In a world of fake news, propaganda and spin – how do we recognise the truth?

May 1, 2025May 1, 2025Stephen Thorp Leave a comment

A day after a massive Russian attack killed 35 people as they headed to church on Palm Sunday, and injured 117 others in Sumy, Ukraine, President Donald Trump, the most powerful man in America, once again blamed President Volodymyr Zelensky for starting the war with Russia. “You don’t start a war against someone 20 times your size and then hope that people give you missiles…. When you start a war, you got to know you can win.” The historical context is complex but these statements are at odds with the recorded invasion of Ukraine by Russia in February 2022 and the earlier annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014, in violation of international law.

A similar spinning of reality can be seen with the bombing of the al-Ahli hospital in Gaza City which coincidentally was also on Palm Sunday. This private hospital run by the Anglican Church, was the last functioning hospital in Gaza. The Israeli military said it had hit a ‘command and control centre’ used by Hamas to plan attacks, but so far they haven’t given any evidence to justify their claim.

The problem is that we live in a world of ‘relative truth’ where it has become fashionable to spin the truth to make it suit our own particular position or point of view. Regardless of the rights and wrongs of these situations, it then becomes hard (if not impossible) to tell what really happened when people constantly tell us a story spun to suit their own particular needs and agendas. Absolute truth can be inconvenient when it doesn’t suit us. It is therefore no wonder that we have seen a rise in fact checking organisations such as BBC Verify, in modern day journalism, to try and help us see through the fake news and establish the facts.

The problem is that bias and spin erodes confidence, faith and trust. How do you know who or what to believe?

“What is truth?”, Pontius Pilate had replied when Jesus had said, “Everyone on the side of truth listens to me” (John 18.37-38). How was Pontius Pilate to know? How could he glean the facts? Who could he trust? In response to his question to Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?”, Jesus had replied, “Is that your own idea … or did others talk to you about me?” and now Pontius Pilate was floundering! Pontius Pilate was a powerful individual, but he was at the mercy of the religious leaders and authorities of his day who had lied and spun him a story to suit their own agendas. He didn’t know the facts and he didn’t know Jesus – all he could do was judge Jesus by his actions and his character. Those who are familiar with the story will know the intricacies of this encounter, but it soon became clear to Pilate that Jesus was not a mad man, nor a revolutionary nor a coward pleading for his life – he was a man with a great sense of special divine purpose. “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above”, meaning God (John 19.11), Jesus had said.

Today, like Pontius Pilate, we are so often left floundering as we try to discern the truth, but like him we need to try our best to establish the facts and (prayerfully I suggest) discern motive, character and purpose, asking ourselves who gains what and at what cost? Are they purely self-seeking or genuinely seeking the best for others? Are they trustworthy?

With regard to Jesus, Pontius Pilate actually concluded, “I find no basis for a charge against him” (John 19.6). But the political tide led him on a course that was contrary to his instincts. He was so caught up in the political spin of his day that ultimately, he didn’t have the courage of his convictions – and in that there is surely a lesson for us all!

“If you hold to my teaching …. you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8.31-32

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In light of the release of Israeli & Palestian captives – a reflection

Feb 17, 2025Stephen Thorp Leave a comment

Today (15^th February 2025), Hamas has released three more Israeli hostages; Sagui Dekel-Chen, Yair Horn and Alexander Troufanov, making a total of 19 Israeli hostages released so far this year under the ceasefire arrangements, with over 1000 Palestinian prisoners released in exchange. This most recent release was met with great relief as Hamas had previously said it would pause the release of hostages because Israel had violated the terms of the deal – a charge vigorously denied. This means that under the current arrangements another 14 hostages are due to be returned but since only 6 of them are thought to be alive, the mood will become increasingly dark and the situation increasingly fragile as bodies are finally returned to their loved ones. But then of course the whole thing has been terribly tragic since the terrible Hamas attack of 7^th October 2023 when 1200 Israeli’s were savagely killed leading to the ruin of Gaza and the loss of many thousands of Palestinians through the Israeli military response. The physical pain, suffering and psychological trauma of those held captive on both sides has become clear with each subsequent release and we will all be thankful when the hostages have been released and as peace is established.

In recent times, the world in which we live has become increasingly dark, sinister and violent and there can be no doubt that many would describe the anger, hatred and violence that we see as evil. The Christian would equate this darkness with our human, natural capacity to sin which is a product of our fallen nature and our selfish desire to put ourselves first, often at the expense of others. Indeed, self-centred people seldom see, care or recognise the needs of others. Sin of this sort is self-perpetuating – one bad deed leads to another, either to satisfy a personal or collective greed or ambition, or to retaliate, seeking vengeance and getting one’s own back. In a sense we are all held captive and chained to the dark side of our sinful nature which ruins both our lives and that of our society.

However, the Bible tells us that the love of God is greater and even more powerful than sin, as demonstrated in the life and person of Jesus Christ. His compassionate love and grace ‘for the fallen’ is clearly a model for us all to live our lives by. But it his willingness to literally ‘step into our place’ and to die upon the cross which highlights and demonstrates just how much his selfless sacrificial love drove him ‘to set the captives free’ (Isaiah 42.7). This is illustrated in the fact that upon his arrest, a notorious criminal called Barabas was released in Jesus’ place! It is neatly summarised in the 4^th verse of that famous hymn, ‘And can it be’ by Charles Wesley:

Long my imprisoned spirit lay
fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
thine eye diffused a quickening ray –
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
my chains fell off, my heart was free.
I rose, went forth, and followed thee.

This is a wonderful freedom which is available to all who put their faith in Christ, so please embrace it.

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners. Isaiah 61.1

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem this Remembrance Season

Oct 19, 2023Stephen Thorp Leave a comment

It has been heartbreaking listening to the BBC news stories coming out of Israel in recent days. Stories like that of twenty-two year old Neta Portal telling the news reporter how, despite being shot in the leg six times, she had survived with her boyfriend the terrible massacre carried out by Hamas on the Israeli kibbutz at Kfar Aza – or seeing Mariam, a young British Palestinian girl, expressing her fears of dying as she clutches her British passport in the hope that the Rafah gate might be opened, granting her safe passage into Egypt. These stories remind us that in times of conflict it is always the innocent who suffer.

Let’s be clear, what Hamas did was barbaric and Israel has every right to defend itself – and yet we pray and hope that they will have a higher regard for civilians than the terrorists. The Israeli / Palestinian conflict is complicated, but the truth is that ever since the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Israel has made a number of concessions, offers and overtures to its Palestinian neighbours which would create a Palestinian state (even voluntarily giving up its worship upon the Temple Mount) all of which have ultimately been rejected by the Palestinian leadership, leading to the current unsatisfactory situation. And yet relations in the wider Middle East have been improving and things were looking better than they had been for years – all of which has now been blown away by the recent attack by Hamas, sponsored by Iran.

The irony is that the word ‘Jerusalem’ means ‘foundation of peace’ incorporating the Arab word for peace ‘salam’ as in ‘As-salamu alaykum’ meaning ‘peace be upon you’ and this is akin to the Hebrew word ‘shalom’ also meaning ‘peace’, ‘tranquillity’ and ‘wholeness’, but it’s not just a simple sort of peace but a deeply rich sort of peace that belongs to God himself. So, in a city and a part of the world which has such a high regard for peace, it’s incredibly sad that there is so much anger, hostility and hatred.

The Christian will be aware that the prophet Isaiah predicted a time when ‘every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood would be destined for burning and used as fuel for the fire’ (Isaiah 9.5) because ultimately God’s messiah would arrive and put things right, and he would be called ‘Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace (‘sar shalom’)’ (Isaiah 9.6), and that person is of course Jesus who, after his death and resurrection, met his frightened disciples in a locked room and said ‘peace be with you’ (John 20.19).

So as we approach Remembrance Sunday, let us be grateful for the peace that we currently enjoy, made possible by those who sacrificed so much to look after and protect us in past years, but may we also be wise enough to pray for Jerusalem and the peace of the world, trusting that God’s wisdom, and the loving, peaceful spirit of Christ, might touch all our hearts.