Welcome to today's edition of Our Daily Bread.

I'm Sheridan Voizzi, and I've titled today's reading, Truth Seekers.

A woman once told me about a disagreement that was tearing her church apart.

What's the disagreement about? I asked. Whether the earth is

flat, she said. A few months later, news broke of a Christian man who'd burst into a restaurant,

armed, to rescue children supposedly being abused in its back room. There was no back room,

and the man was arrested. In both cases, the people involved

were acting on conspiracy theories they'd read on the internet. Believers in Jesus are called

to be good citizens, and good citizens don't spread misinformation. In Luke's day, numerous

stories circulated about Jesus. Some of them were inaccurate.

Instead of passing on everything he heard,

Luke essentially became an investigative journalist,

talking to eyewitnesses, researching everything from the beginning,

and writing his findings into a gospel that contains names, quotes, and historical facts

based on people with first-hand knowledge,

not unverified claims. We can do the same. Since false information can split churches and put

lives at risk, checking facts is an act of loving our neighbour. When a sensational story comes

our way, we can verify its claims with qualified, accountable

experts being truth seekers, not error spreaders.

Such an act brings credibility to the gospel.

After all, we worship the one who is full of truth.

Today's scripture reading is from Luke chapter 1, verses 1 to 4.

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