Articles
That's What "They" Say
Sometimes we are given to sweeping generalizations to bolster an argument or to hyperbolize. One such phrase is, “You know what they say …”. We don’t have a specific “they” in mind; rather, we are calling upon a nebulous host of “experts” to verify the claim we are about to make.
You know what they say: If you swim within 30 minutes of eating you’re going to get a cramp and drown.
You know what they say: Eggs are unhealthy because they increase your cholesterol.
You know what they say: You should change your oil every 3,000 miles or it will ruin your engine.
Except all these tidbits of “conventional wisdom” don’t apply anymore. They’ve been replaced by the latest conventional wisdom based on new research and data. Which itself will eventually change. This is the way of human knowledge. So much is hidden to us, and what we think we know often turns out to be skewed by assumptions, prejudice, vested interest or some other impurity.
But what is knowable beyond a shadow of a doubt is what God has revealed in Scripture. We have insight into our own elusive hearts (Heb 4:12). Further revealed are the dynamics of a relationship with God, fundamental principles of marriage and family, the nature of worship, life beyond this world, and more.
Much misinformation masquerades as “what they say.” Let us not mindlessly repeat what comes from the internet, tradition or other unreliable sources. Fables, idle talk and “what is falsely called knowledge” (1 Tim 1:4, 6; 6:20) are still alive today.
