Intro

In this second episode of a special eight-episode series called “Politics discerned differently,” Dr. Turman and Conner Jones, Director of Performance Marketing at Denison Ministries, explore the complex world of news, journalism, and media in the context of today's political climate. They discuss the importance of seeking truth in politics, the evolving nature of journalism and media, and the role of truth from a Christian perspective. 

They also touch on the influence of social media, independent journalism, conspiracy theories, censorship, and the emerging impact of artificial intelligence on the information landscape. This episode will help you navigate this political season thoughtfully and redemptively.

Topics

• (02:51): The Role of Performance Marketing
• (04:32): The Importance of Truth in Politics
• (09:38): Navigating Media and Journalism
• (12:45): The Rise of Independent Journalism
• (14:41): Understanding Misinformation and Disinformation
• (18:52): Accountability in Modern Media
• (24:25): The Role of Fact Checkers
• (28:31): The Importance of a Free Press
• (30:19): Propaganda in Authoritarian Regimes
• (33:07): Challenges of Modern Journalism
• (35:28): Spotting Conspiracy Theories
• (43:02): Censorship and Free Speech
• (50:35): The Role of AI in Politics

Resources

Episode Transcript (PDF)

Related Denison Forum podcasts: 

• Truth over tribe: A conversation with Patrick Miller
• The Coming Tsunami a year later: Dr. Jim Denison on politics as religion, AI ethics, and peaceful cultural engagement
• How to be Christian in an anti-Christian culture

Related Denison Forum articles & resources: 

• With a contentious election looming, our lack of trust could be our undoing
• How to seek the truth when it comes to fake news
• Respectfully, I Disagree by Dr. Jim Denison - Audiobook - Audible.com
• It's not all bad news: A biblical strategy for fighting negativity bias
• Election 2024: Discern politics differently
• Does Facebook imperil democracy?
• How to fight against the Age of Outrage
• With a contentious election looming, our lack of trust could be our undoing
• How do you spot a deepfake video?
• Preparing for your first vote
• In ‘post-truth’ politics, how can we distinguish truth from falsehood?
• What is Truth?

Other trusted resources: 

• AllSides
• Ground News
• My Faith Votes
• Divided We Fall: America's Secession Threat and How to Restore Our Nation - Kindle edition by French, David A. 
• Truth Over Tribe: Pledging Allegiance to the Lamb, Not the Donkey or the Elephant
• The After Party: Toward Better Christian Politics - Redeeming Babel

About Conner Jones

Conner is the Director of Performance Marketing here at Denison Ministries. After graduating from Dallas Baptist University in 2019 with a degree in Business Management, he worked in the PAC-3 Missile program at Lockheed-Martin as a contracts negotiator before coming to Denison Ministries. His role is to leverage many digital platforms to increase the reach of our content and grow the audience of Denison Forum and our three other brands. He passionately follows politics, sports, pop-culture, entertainment, and current events. He enjoys fishing, movie-going, and traveling the world with his wife Raigan, and together they will soon be welcoming a baby boy into the world. 

About Dr. Mark Turman

Dr. Mark Turman is the Executive Director of Denison Forum and Vice President of Denison Ministries. Among his many duties, Turman is most notably the host of The Denison Forum Podcast. He is also the chief strategist for DF Pastors, which equips pastors and church leaders to understand and transform today’s culture.

About Denison Forum

Denison Forum exists to thoughtfully engage the issues of the day from a biblical perspective through The Daily Article email newsletter and podcast, The Denison Forum Podcast, as well as many books and additional resources.