{"id":32575,"date":"2023-04-25T12:34:06","date_gmt":"2023-04-25T19:34:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=32575"},"modified":"2023-04-25T12:34:06","modified_gmt":"2023-04-25T19:34:06","slug":"numbers-do-not-tell-the-whole-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/numbers-do-not-tell-the-whole-story\/","title":{"rendered":"Numbers Do Not Tell the Whole Story"},"content":{"rendered":"

Megachurch Introduces Frequent Tither Rewards Card<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cNASHVILLE, TN – In a bid to increase giving ahead of the organization’s upcoming $40 million sanctuary expansion, local megachurch LifeJourney Church announced Monday its new frequent tither rewards card, as part of a program designed to incentivize more regular giving to the church.\u201d[1]<\/a><\/p>\n

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The title is meant to cause sensationalism, to evoke a reaction. And it is completely fake. It is a made up story for a satire site, The Babylonian Bee. I know that sites like The Babylonian Bee and The Onion are satire sites with outlandish stories. I read them occasionally and enjoy a good laugh. I have a friend on Facebook, on the other hand, who I have seen post stories from these sites multiple times with shocked comments, believing them to be true. If someone else has not commented, I will usually private message this person and let them know the story is satire, but that does not stop them from posting another similar story at some future date.<\/p>\n

I would like to think that I am immune to this kind of misunderstanding, that my ability to interpret fact from fiction is better than my friend. While I may be able to tell the difference between a satire news article and a real story, my understanding of the world is far from accurate.<\/p>\n

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Factfulness<\/strong><\/p>\n

In his book Factfulness: Ten Reasons We\u2019re Wrong About the World \u2013 and Why Things are Better Than You Think<\/em>, Hans Rosling asks readers to take a short quiz in the introduction. He asks thirteen questions about the state of the world. I got an abysmal two of those thirteen questions correct. Rosling was quick to point out that this is common. He writes, \u201cIt is not a question of intelligence. Everyone seems to get the world devastatingly wrong.\u201d[2]<\/a> He further denotes, \u201cEvery group of people I ask thinks the world is more frightening, more violent, and more hopeless \u2013 in short, more dramatic \u2013 than it really is.\u201d[3]<\/a><\/p>\n

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\u00a0The Single Perspective Instinct<\/strong><\/p>\n

Throughout the rest of the book, Rosling details different ways in which we misinterpret the world and then provides suggestions for factfulness<\/em> \u2013 how to get it right. One reason he discusses is the Single Perspective Instinct. He writes, \u201cForming your worldview by relying on the media would be like forming your view about me by only looking at a picture of my feet.\u201d Rosling recommends looking at different viewpoints, not relying upon limited expertise, testing your ideas. He goes on to discuss how numbers can be deceiving. \u201cThe numbers will never tell the full story of what life on Earth is all about. The world cannot be understood without numbers. But the world cannot be understood with numbers alone.\u201d[4]<\/a> Numbers paint only a partial picture.<\/p>\n

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The Church and Numbers<\/strong><\/p>\n

Have you ever had to fill out a report for ministry? I have filled out various reports for events such as small groups, Vacation Bible School, special events, and Sunday service information. Invariably, these reports ask questions as:<\/p>\n