Google me.

Ah, the campaign season. A veritable media frenzy of lies, damned lies, half-truths, truths disguised as something entirely different, contradictions, and who knows what else.

I truly struggle here. I have friends on what appears to be the two sides of the presidential campaign. They challenge me about why I should vote for their candidate, citing the version of the media story that supports their position and candidate.

Then into the midst of this fray appears another option, albeit an outside option at best. A third party candidate and their running-mate recently released a campaign video in which, at the end of it, they say “Google Johnson” and “Google Weld”.

What an interesting challenge. No spin. Just a challenge to go out and check what they just said. They seem to be trusting that what gets returned will not be contradictory or spun to reflect whatever position is needed. That one will not have to sort through a morass to find the truth.

Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. – Acts 17:11

Today’s political climate appears to be similar to what was going on in first century Thessalonica. People were claiming all sorts of things about Jesus, about Paul, about whoever was the latest preacher demanding the biggest paycheck (because that was how messages were determined to be true – by how much the speaker charged). The Berean Jews, however, didn’t look to the currency of the world to determine truth but rather “examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” Effectively, “Google Paul’s words” allowed them to see if what he was saying was supported by the standard of truth.

In a season where truth is difficult to determine, it is refreshing to have candidates feel comfortable enough that what is “out there” about them will not confuse those who Google them. I did. And then I Googled the rest of the candidates.

This blog post is not a political statement for or against any candidates. It is a challenge to set aside personal opinion and bias and seek truth. It won’t be easy to determine and you might not like what you find. But anything worth supporting should be truly checked out and not just to see if it supports your position or candidate or faith creed or doctrine. While the campaign trail is relatively short lived and particularly secular, much of the rest of life is not. All of it deserves checking out rather than blind obedience or emotional acceptance.

And while we are seeking facts, let us balance what we find against Scripture to see where we may have become blinded.