Interview With Author Pastor Andreas Fischer

 

 

1. What is your book, The Illusion Of Choice, about? The Illusion of Choice explores the relationship and impact the overwhelming amount of information has on today’s society, brought to us through a massive information flow in the digital landscape and in media. It shows how it influences our perception of reality and our decision-making, with the goal to obtain more control over humanity. The book provides to readers biblical revelations as well as biblical principles that bring to light these facts as well as offer solutions on how to navigate through all the noise with truth and faith. The book encourages the reader to apply biblical principles that provide revelation about their own lives, living a life that is not dependent on outside influences and circumstances but on the plan and purpose of God. 

2. What inspired you to write it? The inspiration and motivation to write this book began during the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020. During that time period, I noticed the important role screen time had in our daily lives. The influence television and social media had on a population that was hungry for news was tremendous. The part that brought me to sit down and begin to write was the fact that it was very visible to observe how information was used to influence people into making decisions. My desire as a Missionary/ Pastor has always been and is to help people. By writing my first book I wanted to bring this vital information and revelation to a greater audience, outside of my church. It has led me to write another three books since I began. 

3. You raise an important question: How do we know what is true, given the overload of information that the Internet and mass media feeds us? So, how do we? I read news articles from different continents in three languages and I can say that world events are reported very differently depending on the country you live in and on what ideological spectrum the media organization operates under. As consumers of information via our screens, just like with the food that we eat, we must learn to choose what information we consume and from where. It is up to us to question and research to make sure that what is presented to us reflects the facts, all the facts. This is true no only for politics, but also for the products we buy, the food we consume and the medications we use. We no longer can be consumers of information that simply believe what is presented and live without doing our own research. 

4. Based on all of the information that we consume, are we each really free to make appropriate choices and decisions? Why do we buy a certain product over another? Why do we vote for one person over another? How we arrive at these decisions or choices is very important. Information is most certainly a part of that process. We live connected to this world and no-one living within it, out of their own strength and intelligence can make choices completely free from all the influences that are all around us. True freedom to make choices comes when we disconnect from all that is worldly and turn our lives over to God. In service to God our choices are not based on by what might be gained personally or changed here in this world, they are made to fulfill the plan and purpose of God for our lives. 

5. By what perspective should we choose to live by? Anybody can choose a perspective through which they see the world and then live by it. There are many religions in the world through which we can see the world we live in, who we are and how to live. Others that do not believe in religion focus on science or ideologies, and through these they see themselves and the world around them. Each "option" produces different opinions on the purpose of life and why we are here on earth. For me personally, Christianity is the only path I have seen that gives detailed information about our existence and purpose from the beginning of it all until the end. Having a biblical perspective has brought me to experience things that otherwise I would never have experienced and has brought me to a life of peace and joy, no matter what is happening in my life or all around me.  

6. You believe that forgotten biblical principles can help us navigate uncertain times and help each of us to live our full potential. Why do you say this? I say this because I have applied them in my personal life with success and have taught others to do so also in their personal lives. Living guided by biblical principles, you have something that is founded on a deep timeless foundation that will help you withstand any type of situation and really bring out the best in you, often times things that you never thought you would be able to do. In the Bible we find stories of many people that led "normal" lives in whatever profession and work. But with biblical principles for example a fisher man became an Apostle and a shy man, that thought of himself as insignificant (Gideon), became a warrior that freed his nation. It is no different today. We apply these principles, and our lives will change and we will discover our true potential.  

7. Is all screen time bad or does it merely need to be reduced? As it is with anything in our lives, too much of one thing is never good! Screen time can be used in many different ways, but that depends on us, the user. If we use our screen time with a specific purpose and not just to sit around all day and scroll through social media feeds, screen time can be very productive and useful. We have to make the decision on how we use our time every day and that includes screen time ( Social media, internet, television). Once screen time turns into an addiction and life without it seems impossible, then it can become very destructive and will have a negative impact on our lives.  

8. You also wrote that “the world’s most valuable resource is no longer gold or oil. No, it’s data and information.” Really? Why? We have to understand that most everything we do today has data collection attached to it. Your new car that you bought collects your personal data ( driving habits, geolocation, personal cellphone connected to infotainment system etc) which is then sold to corporations such as insurance companies and marketing companies, (if you do not opt out of the data collection agreement). Your cellphone, internet activity, search engine activity etc, all of it is collected, sold and used for research, to increase revenue for corporations and many other uses. It is a 215 billion dollar business in the U.S. alone and on the rise. Data collection and the use of this data has proven to be a power tool with many applications. There are those that point to the loss of privacy, but as technology advances and we are more and more connected to high-tech, so will data collection increase and for those that have this data at hand, it is an invaluable tool with many applications.  

9. You note that “six media giants control 90 percent of what we read, hear, and see every day.” So, what can we do about this? Let’s say you walk on the street and a complete stranger offers you something to drink, out of a bottle. Would you drink that, even with that persons assurances that it is good for you? I would say you would not, because you do not know that person and have no trust relationship with them. When it comes to information this is exactly what we do. We "trust" big corporations to feed us information daily, yet we know nobody that works there, nor do we have any idea how they gather the information that is presented to us. What we can do is step back from the routine of automatic information consumption and re-evaluate how we personally gather the information about topics of importance to us. The internet, social media and radio provide an abundance of different sources that we can use to research and compare with all the information that is being presented.  

10. What are the four pillars one must live in order to have a successful and fulfilling life?
A successful and fulfilling life as measured by todays worldly standards would be different for many people in their own opinions. As a Christian I would name the four pillars as: 

1. Faith in God: is central as it involves a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, trust in God

2. Family, Fellowship and Community: connection with others for meaningful interactions as 

    principle value for daily living.

3. Service and Love: Acts of service and compassion fulfilling the mandates of the Bible

4. Personal Integrity and Moral Living based on biblical values: living according to Christian

    ethics and values to support a life of integrity to impact one’s own life and the life of others.  

He resides in Soth Florida and Panama City, Panama. For more information, please consult: www.pastorfischer.com 

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About Brian Feinblum

This award-winning blog has generated over four million pageviews. With 5,000+ posts over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” 

 

For the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the director of publicity at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler.

 

His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully).

 

He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. He served as a judge for the 2024 IBPA Book Awards.

 

His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.

 

Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog