The Either-Or Fallacy and the Christian (with Examples)

Logic is the systematic study of reasoning and inference—the process of drawing valid conclusions from given information or premises. Everyone gives lip service to logic’s importance. For example, any time someone appeals to “common sense” they are actually saying there is a logical thought process by which everyone should arrive at the same basic conclusion (i.e., common sense).

Although most people acknowledge the importance of logical thinking, logic has fallen on hard times. Lazy thinking abounds. This is partly driven by advertising and social media culture, but also through lack of discipline and being driven by emotions. As Christians, God commands us to discipline our minds. We are to “take every thought captive” (2 Cor 10:5), and to set our minds on what is “true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy” (Phil 4:8). Controlling how the mind thinks is a crucial Christian discipline.

Yet I’ve observed much sloppy Christian thinking lately. And I’m sure you have too!

The Either-Or Fallacy in Theological Discussion

Sloppy thinking can be identified under the heading of a logical fallacy. A logical fallacy is a flaw or error in reasoning that weakens an argument, making it unreliable or invalid. Of all the flawed thinking out there, the one I see quite often in theological and biblical discussions is the either-or fallacy.

The either-or fallacy, also known as the false dilemma, is a logical fallacy that presents only two options when more alternatives or possibilities exist, thereby oversimplifying a complex situation. This happens, unfortunately, all the time! Consider the following examples of the either-or fallacy.

Example 1: “If you’re not a Calvinist, you can’t interpret any passages of Scripture correctly!”

The assumption behind this statement is that either you are a Calvinist, and have a certain specific understanding of God’s sovereignty, OR you will not interpret any Scripture correctly. But the reality is that someone can understand God’s sovereignty in a variety of ways and still be correct OR incorrect in how they handle a variety of other passages. The issues of interpretation are complex, and one’s status as a Calvinist does not guarantee correct or incorrect interpretation of texts.

Example 2: It’s either faith or reason; you can’t rely on both to understand the mysteries of God.

It is false to pit faith and reason as polar opposites (though many do inside and outside Christianity). One can (and should) have faith and reason. In fact, faith is informed by reason. They are not mutually exclusive.

Example 3: It is either Christ or Chaos!

This is a famous mantra today, but it is obviously fallacious. These are not the only two options (as have been shown throughout world history). Now, it is possible that some people use this statement rhetorically as short hand to mean that humans can follow Christ or they can follow any of the other myriad of human ways. But that would be better represented by, “You cannot serve God and mammon.” So theologically, it is either Christ or not-Christ. But chaos is not guaranteed.  

At this point I should make the note that many either-or fallacies are used as rhetorical devices to stir the emotions. They are used in speeches, social media posts, memes, etc. They do a good job of rattling people, even if they are not correct.

Example 4: Either Matthew 24 has been fulfilled, or Jesus is a false prophet.

Again, these kinds of statements are made to be rhetorically powerful, but they actually do more damage than good. These are not the only possibilities. It is a false dilemma. It is also possible that Jesus was speaking to an eschatological generation, as the context seems to indicate.

The point is, these false dilemmas abound in theological discussions. Christians need to be sharp thinkers and point out these either-or fallacies when they show up.

Why the Either-Or Fallacy Flourishes

Perhaps you have noticed an increase in the use of the either-or fallacy as I have. What could be the reason for this? Although I think there are a variety of factors that influence culture, I think one factor stands out more than the rest—the use of social media.

First, the very nature of social media promotes non-nuanced, abbreviated statements. Shorter and more concise statements are more likely to misrepresent an issue, or at least not deal with the issue in its full complexity. Plus, let’s be honest. Do you really read the longer posts? You might read some of them, but if you’re like most people, you will stop reading half way through and move on. Social media culture rewards brevity and not thoroughness.

Second, social media algorithms themselves promote controversial and rhetorically charged statements. Statements that get more comments and responses are weighted more valuable (because more time spent from the user), and therefore they are shown to more users. Thus the cycle endlessly repeats. And believe it or not, the posts that are most commented on, are the ones that we disagree with. So, by the very nature of either-or fallacies—because they are so sloppy and offensive to the critical thinker—they prompt more engagement from the audience!

I’m not sure there is a way out of this death spiral we are on as a culture. My only hope is that Christians can right their own ship and we can have some internal checks to learn to think properly and engage well with one another.

How to Spot an Either-Or Fallacy

The standard for the either-or fallacy is whether there are actually only two possibilities. Ask yourself this: “Is it true that the only options are (A) or (B) and that there are no other possibilities?”

Either-or fallacies do not always need to follow the “Either X or Y” wording either. It can be the presuppositional framework that undergirds a thought as well. For example, “If we don’t learn theology today, we will never learn it!” The implication is EITHER we learn theology today, OR we never learn it. But those are not the only possibilities. So, just remember, either-or fallacies can take other forms, but the presuppositions always indicate the belief that there are only two possibilities.

For clarification purposes, I should add that there are legitimate either-or classifications. For example, the Bible does teach that the eternal destiny of humanity is either heaven or hell. Or with regard to human biology, there is either male or female. Binaries do exist. However, we need to allow for complexity where complexity exists.

I hope this article has helped us become better thinkers. I would like to see an inundation on social media where people just start labeling either-or fallacies. That would make me happy. But even more than that, a change in the way we think might allow Christians to actually go back to having beneficial and helpful engagement with one another instead of trying to score more likes or shares. Afterall, truth is not determined by likes and shares. But I still hope you shared this post… 😉

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