When visiting a golf pro shop, my dad spotted a large, expensive-looking telescope sitting in the corner. He asked the shop owner why such a nice telescope was collecting dust in a golf shop.
“Some buddies gave it to me as a joke,” the owner said. “They know I’m part of the Flat Earth Society. They tried to convince me to look through it so I’d see the earth’s curvature.”
“Well,” my dad asked, “did you?”
“No!” The man grew gravely serious: “I know what I believe. No fancy telescope will convince me to change my view that the earth is flat!”
This man’s unwavering commitment to his belief despite conflicting evidence is an example of confirmation bias. Confirmation bias is the basic human tendency to search for evidence that supports personal beliefs and to overlook contradictory claims.
Confirmation bias can affect every area of human thought, including our approach to the Bible. Well-meaning Christians sometimes go to God’s Word looking to confirm what they already think. They’ll cherry-pick biblical texts which support their position instead of doing the hard work of exegesis and theological reflection.
Confirmation bias can affect every area of human thought, including our approach to the Bible.
Why do otherwise like-minded evangelicals (who share a common commitment to biblical authority and the gospel) come to heated disagreements over secondary doctrinal matters? It’s often because of our own confirmation bias—because we hold the faith traditions that nurtured us and their distinctive theological positions dearly.
So, what does confirmation bias look like, and how do we combat it?
How Confirmation Bias Works
Let’s consider a few signs we’ve succumbed to confirmation bias.
1. We only look for evidence that supports our case.
The aim of all biblical interpretation is to understand what God is trying to communicate through the text, not to prop up our differing positions. But confirmation bias manifests when we only look for biblical support for our convictions and won’t consider evidence to the contrary. Ask yourself, Am I finding patterns in the biblical text that seem speculative? Am I filtering out texts that pose challenges?
2. We double down on the beliefs that first compel us.
The earlier we form a belief, the harder it is to shake. Research psychologists call this belief persistence. While we don’t always maintain the religious beliefs we were taught in childhood, we do tend to cling to the first compelling arguments we encounter.
The earlier we form a belief, the harder it is to shake.
A child who only hears about infant baptism may have difficulty weighing the arguments for believer’s baptism when he hears them later in life. A disciple growing in her faith may take up a theological position from her favorite preacher and later have difficulty weighing the strengths of counterarguments objectively. What early beliefs are you clinging to?
3. We rationalize beliefs we want to be true.
We’ll often hold to doctrines even if we have little or no rational support because we find those beliefs more attractive. It can be tempting to overlook the abundant biblical teaching on hell because we want universalism to be true, or to reject the Bible’s teaching on sexuality because we find it objectionable. We may be tempted to reinvent Jesus in a way that suits our political sensibilities. Or perhaps to adopt a particular eschatological perspective because the idea of being “raptured” seems more pleasant than enduring the tribulation.
Our rationalizations stem from our desire for comfort, and even from our sinful desires. Are you tempted to make biblical facts fit the preconceived narrative with which you’re most comfortable?
Strategies for Minimizing Confirmation Bias
Researchers have developed several strategies to aid in combating confirmation bias in scientific research and criminal investigations. Many of these strategies can help Christian interpreters too.
1. Carefully consider the views you disagree with.
If you’re concerned with truth, you must give other perspectives reasonable consideration. The principle of charity means attempting to understand an argument on its own terms. As the late James Leo Garrett said, “Only when you can state your opponent’s position so well that they themselves say, ‘Yes, that’s what I believe,’ can you then begin to debate.”
Listen to the best arguments for the positions you disagree with, not just those that are easily defeated. And ask honest questions like, “What biblical support would we expect to find if the opposing point of view were true?” Also, read widely in the Christian tradition, not just your own tribe. Reformed Christians should read Arminius. Arminian believers should read Calvin. Baptists should read the best arguments for paedobaptism, and vice versa.
2. Ask tough questions about your own position.
First, consider the coherency of your theological perspective. Does your theological claim align with what Scripture says about God’s nature, Christ’s person and work, and salvation? Which position—your own or the opposing view—better coheres with the framework of Christian orthodoxy?
Second, is your position the simplest reading of the biblical text in its context? Or does it require hermeneutical gymnastics or a theological workaround?
Third, is your view fruitful for understanding other mysteries in Scripture? Does your doctrine of providence, for example, provide more insight when used to approach the problem of evil and human sinfulness? Would another theory provide more help?
3. Be accountable to other believers.
Heresies develop in isolation when theologians neglect accountability from the broader Christian tradition and local faith communities. To guard against it, we should study theology in the context of a community of believers who will together submit to God’s Word.
Theologians need present community and a historic community as well. While the creeds and confessions don’t carry the same authority as Scripture, they represent what the historic church has believed. Giving your church’s confession undue authority can create opportunities for confirmation bias, but in general, confessions provide helpful accountability, guarding us against novel doctrines and ideas.
Grant Osborne once explained that often when we read the Bible, “we wish to harmonize it with our belief system and see its meaning in light of our preconceived theological system.” How often is that true about us? Do we want to know truth, or do we merely want to be right? Does our interpretation method place truth and God’s glory over a desire to be esteemed by those in our theological camp? If not, we must heed Jeremiah’s words: “Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the LORD!” (Lam. 3:40).
The Gospel Coalition