Seek The Original Source

I will study your commandments and reflect on your ways.

“Professor Fisk, have you been following the trial? What do you think? Don’t you think he’ll win after that direct exam?”

“Did you watch the actual direct exam in its entirety, or are you watching TikTok compilations of it?” My smile softened any sting my mostly rhetorical question held, the answer clear in the sheepish grins of several students as I surveyed my classroom.

I ask the same question of my parents when they give me their opinion about a televised court case, although instead of TikTok, I ask them which cable news personality they’ve watched.

One of my classroom goals is to teach business students to seek out the primary text (statute, case opinion, constitution) or the original, unedited version of a legal proceeding and read or listen to it for themselves. Sound bites, headlines, and compilations can be skewed—for accidental or nefarious purposes—and decisions (business and otherwise) made on twisty information are unsound and risky.

The spiritual application of my “original source” mantra is arguably even more important. Do we have enough direct knowledge of Scripture to know when a podcast, sermon, or book is getting a bit twisty in its theology? Do we know how the overall context of the chapter applies to the verse we are planning to use?

I am so grateful that you and I are living in this present moment. The Bible has been translated into over 700 languages, with the New Testament available in over 1,550 languages.^a And with online resources, we can easily access scholarly work explaining important nuances of the original Hebrew and Greek. No one has been as well-resourced to study God’s Word as you and I.

While sermons, podcasts, books, and other teachings can be incredibly helpful, reading the Bible for ourselves is important for our spiritual growth. Let’s go straight to the source to find out what God has to say rather than relying solely on the paraphrases and thoughts of others.

Julie

Today’s Act of Gratitude

Read, reread, or listen to John chapters 14–16, paying particular attention to the words of Jesus.