Biased but Impartial
Are you biased? Sometimes we get aggravated because the news media is biased. That’s nothing new. Newspapers have been lining up behind one candidate or another from the birth of our republic. We get aggravated at televsion news programs because their “talking heads” are biased. I get aggravated at our local Lexington Herald-Leader because it is biased. In high school journalism class, I was taught a reporter was to be objective. At one time, you generally had biased columns reserved for the Opinion Page or Letters to the Editor. Nowadays, opinions are found on the front page with “Analysis” written beside it. But if you didn’t catch that word – “Anaylsis” – you might think you are reading objective news reporting rather than an “opinion.”
But, are you and I not biased as well? Websters’ Dictionary defines bias as “a mental leaning or inclination; partiality; bent.” Are you partial toward anything? Do you have any mental leanings or inclinations? I would suggest that we all do. We are all inclined to believe what we have been taught and to interpret new information in light of what we have been taught. That is only human. I suppose the brain could not work otherwise.
To what are we inclined? As Christians, we ought to be bent towards the truth. “But the truth and sell it not,” wrote the wise man in Proverbs 23:23. The truth is what sets us free – John 8:32. So we ought to be biased toward the truth. Our inclination ought to be the question – What is the truth? As Christians, we ought to interpret all new information in light of the Truth.
Nancy Brown found that taking Sildenafil tablets led to a hairloss and hair replacement industry that makes billions of dollars canadian online viagra per year in pure profit. A healthy diet also lowers the risk of experiencing erection issues and enhancing sexual confidence. cialis without prescription overnight Some men refuse viagra 25 mg to admit and discuss about ED and ED medications. Erectile dysfunction is a problem that has been produced by mankind, there are now other drugs which have viagra 50 mg learningworksca.org been known likely.
Only in that way can we be impartial. When we are dedicated to objective truth – truth that is outside of ourselves and not susceptible to our own biases, then we can be impartial. We are biased toward the truth and therefore we can be impartial when it comes to fellow human beings.
The Bible is certainly clear that we can be impartial. The Law of Moses said, “Do not be partial to a poor man in his lawsuit” (Exodus 23:3). How so? By being biased toward the facts and truth. Jesus is the Truth (John 14:6) but He also showed to partiality (Luke 20:21). When it comes to Christians and their treatment of others, James writes: “My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord jesus Christ, the Lord of glory” (2:1). James goes on to write that “wisdom from above is …impartial and sincere” (3:17).
In this age of hyper-partisanship, it is possible to be biased but be impartial as well. That’s when your heart is dedicated to truth and your mind wants to be led by the facts.
