Untrustworthy: The Knowledge Crisis Breaking Our Brains, Polluting Our Politics, and Corrupting Christian Community

“We have an epistemic crisis breaking our brains, polluting our politics, and corrupting Christian community” contends journalist Kristian (A Flexible Faith) in this unflinching critique of the pervasive misinformation in American politics. The author highlights how the “knowledge crisis” tears apart relationships and describes how she grew apart from a former colleague in 2020 after he became convinced that Biden’s inauguration would bring about civilizational collapse. The author argues that “fake news,” “wild populist conspiracism,” and “dubious elite expertise” have contributed to the spread of falsehoods and cites as an example the mixed messaging around masks in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. She also blames social media, noting a study that found political content on social media tends to reinforce distorted views about users’ political opponents. To build a polity more resilient against misinformation, Kristian urges readers to get involved in their local church and act compassionately. The overview of America’s “epistemic crisis” is competent, though it brings little new to the well-trod topic. However, other insights prove more revealing, as when she asserts that fact-checking rarely changes minds and that instead readers should build connections with those one disagrees with in order to be there for them if they start to doubt their beliefs. This sometimes formulaic volume still offers some valuable perspectives. (Oct.)