Reader Beware
Benjamin Disraeli opined, “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” I reckon that Dr. Bradley Wright must be a direct descendant of the late British Prime Minister. Our September Kindlings featured lively conversation about Wright’s recently released, Christians are Hate-Filled Hypocrites and other lies you’ve been told. Peter Chattaway, Kevin Miller, and Kindlings newbie Mike Sherbino weighed in on this provocative wee tome.
Wright, a sociologist and professor at the University of Connecticut, immerses himself in data for a living. I will be blogging a bit on his book as a follow up to our Kindlings. Now I want to kick off with a huge takeaway from Wright’s book. It’s this: treat statistics with a healthy scepticism.
In all walks of life, statistics take on sacred proportions. Survey quoting geeks are given guru status. I used to enjoy Fantasy Football Show hosted by Baddiel and Skinner on BBC. One regular on the show was Angus Loughran, who would appear in pyjamas and house coat as “statto” and stand in the corner of the set, reciting statistics about the teams featured on the show. Baseball pundits are fountains of statistics. NFL teams and CFL teams are subjected to statistical scrutiny. To paraphrase Ecclesiastes, “... of the recording of stats there is no end, and much statistical analysis wearies the body!” In the realm of church life, faith, spiritual practices, religion, belief, and behaviour are subject to surveys and the pronouncements of stattos.
Bradley Wright helpfully illustrates that statistics have been misused and mishandled. His remedy? “ Caveat lector”- which means reader beware! He even has a badge you can cut out and attach to your jacket declaring caveat lector. In the opening chapter, he examines an unhelpful slant towards negative statistics, and reminds us that social forces shape statistics and their interpretation. Wright also traces the case of the bungled survey- where a questionable statistic morphed into a provocative headline: “Only prostitutes rank lower than evangelicals in terms of respect in the mind of the public” (page 14). Wright is citing a 2002 Barna survey infused with questionable math and confusing categories –two categories could overlap or be functional synonyms - born-again Christians and evangelicals . How would you draw a distinction between the two? How Would the pre-Christian respondents distinguish a born again Christian from an evangelical? Would they know the difference between an evangelist and an evangelical? Is the category nuanced theologically or socio-politically? Then, we are faced with a question: can George Barna and his team make authoritative statements based on a survey of 270 people in a land of 300 million?
Wright also reminds us that statistics are descriptive – not prescriptive. That’s another reason to take the percentages and pie charts with a pinch of salt. When digesting a statistic about Christianity, we should question, question, question. “ Question whether it's accurate. Question the motives of the person writing. Disagree with the conclusions. Judge the statistic in light of your own experiences… [Don’t] believe it for any reason, including just being in a cranky mood” (page 221).
I will offer more thoughts on Wright’s July 2010 release shortly. But for now, I want to encourage you that the discipleship of the mind - ‘loving God with all your mind” - involves engaging your critical apparatus. Let me leave you with this Wright-inspired nugget: “Go forth and think for yourself!”
