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On The Rise: Fake experts everywhere, housing then and now + Gullible church leaders
Published about 16 hours ago • 4 min read
Welcome to the On The Rise newsletter, where I feature fascinating, helpful, and sometimes curious content that caught my attention this week.
Today, a thoughtful article on the epidemic of fake experts our culture has produced, and how to spot and resist them. Plus, the real cost of housing forty years ago versus today, and an insight from Chuck Colson that sent chills down my spine.
How to Spot a Fake Expert
A thoughtful piece on agency and spotting fakespertise.
In an age where everyone has an opinion on everything, and there are more influencers than there are waffle fries on the planet,this piece by Alexis Zahneris refreshingly thoughtful and helpful, especially if you care about truth and personal agency (the ability to make up your own mind).
On the one hand, it’s great that the internet leveled the field so people like you and me could help each other.
On the other hand, everyone's an expert bio-hacker, fitness expert, finance guru, political analyst, or an amateur neuroscientist explaining how the light hitting your retina sets your cortisol and melatonin clock. Except they got their info from ChatGPT or a podcast, not from years of careful study and experience.
Worse, the algorithm spits new “experts” at you daily.
Zahner helpfully puts it this way:
Substantive credibility looks different. It’s generally less flashy, and as it doesn’t invoke shiny-object-syndrome, we generally overlook it.
Substantive credibility is built on qualifications, peer-reviewed evidence, demonstrated track records, and — perhaps most tellingly — a willingness to say “it’s complicated.” Real experts accept complexity and aren’t afraid to acknowledge nuance: “the research suggests” rather than “the research proves.”
This acknowledges uncertainty. It stays within its lane. It avoids reduction and oversimplification — the stuff we crave when we’re overwhelmed.
Agreed.
It’s not bad preaching advice either.
(P.S. The waffle fries stat is not independently verified.)
What First Readers Are Saying
Reviews are rolling in.
To each and every leader starting to have this conversation, thank you.
The book has been out for a month now, and here's what some of our first verified readers are saying"
"These are the questions we must consider in the AI age, what does it mean to be human, and what is the role of the church?" - B. Hill
"Carey offers a balanced and thoughtful perspective on how the church should educate itself on how AI is formed, how we are being formed by it, and how God is calling the church to rise up and be the human and embodied people we have always been called to be." - Anonymous
"Carey has done a wonderful job of helping Church leaders think through the rapid change brought about by AI." - J. Wendell
The Household Income to House Price Data Is the Story.
A rising tide lifts all boats, but in the case of the housing market, not quite evenly.
In 1985, the media American household income was around $23,000. You could get a house for just under $83,000.
Forty years of inflation has taken its toll.
Today, the median income is 83,500 but housing has soared to $417,000.
In other words, housing prices have risen higher than wages, which means for many would be home buyers, the math doesn’t math.
The average senior pastor today is in their late 50s and likely bought a house when it was in reach. So before you preach on finances, have a look at the numbers.
It really is harder than it used to be.
Big News for The Chosen
And how churches can leverage it.
Season 6 of The Chosen begins the powerful journey to the cross. Your church can host an Early Access screening of the first episode of the season for free now–November 14. Provide your people and your community with a meaningful and memorable experience.
Mark Batterson is not known for stepping into cultural commentary, but with Not My Circus, he leaps into the chat. I’m glad he did. Mark brings a level head, an open heart and some great wisdom to today’s divided mess that is culture.
From Chuck Colson on how easy it was to dupe pastors.
Chuck Colson became a beloved Christian leader. He founded Prison Fellowship, and did so after being jailed following the Watergate crimes under President Richard Nixon.
He was one of Nixon’s inner circle, and Colson explains how Nixon used Christian leaders for political gain.
This is a quote every seminary grad should read:
“Sure, we used the prayer breakfasts and church services and all that for political ends. One of my jobs in the White House was to romance religious leaders. We would bring them into the White house and they would be dazzled by the aura of the Oval Office, and I found them to be about the most pliable of any of the special interest groups that we worked with.”
“I found them to be about the most pliable of any of the special interest groups that we worked with.”
What a gut check.
Cheering for you,
P.S. Weekend Watching
Toni Nieuwhof, John Ortberg, & Ann Voskamp
How to Trust God When You Don't Understand: John Ortberg, Ann Voskamp, and Toni Nieuwhof on Wanting to Give Up and What They Would Believe If They Weren't Christians.
Carey Nieuwhof Communications, PO Box 160, Oro Medonte, Ontario L0L 2X0
Carey Nieuwhof
Where 100,000+ leaders get top insights to thrive in life and leadership.
Don’t settle for an impact smaller than you’re called to make. It's time to unlock your potential and lead confidently into a future filled with growth — for yourself, your church, and your mission. Get access to some of my best leadership content, only published in my newsletters.
