A couple items I’ve encountered
recently have focused my attention on how we use social media. The
first was this cautionary article by Thom Rainer:
http://thomrainer.com/2014/08/04/seven-warnings-church-leaders-use-social-media/
and the second was last Sunday’s sermon on church unity from 1 Corinthians 1:10-17. It’s made me
reconsider some of the things I see on Facebook and particularly
whether I should respond to someone else’s post or not. Here are
some of the difficulties that I see:
Christians are by no means united in
their beliefs, not just about basic theology, but about politics and
all kinds of social issues. Is Facebook the best place to “discuss”
such issues, by which I mean, is it the best place to state your
personal opinion on a controversial issue and seek popular approval?
In addition, non-Christians (and many
Christians) often don’t have a solid grasp of the differences
between churches, denominations, parachurch organizations, or
heretical teachers. As a result, a wide variety of people get lumped
together. For some Franklin Graham may appear to be in the same boat
with Creflo Dollar. Whether you agree with a nationally known person
or not, taking sides either way may give false impressions to those
who don’t understand the differences. A brief comment on social
media is not adequate to clarify the underlying issues.
It’s tempting
at times to share some celebrity’s public comment and criticize
them for being too judgmental, but it appears to me that doing so
only increases the judgmentalism being passed around. For example,
you may not like their stance on homosexuality, but is it necessary
to be publicly critical of them in order to state your own opinion?
Jesus said, “By this all people will know that you are My
disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35 ESV). Is it a
good witness to publicly criticize fellow believers whether you agree
with them or not?
Paul wrote:
- “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person” (Colossians 4:6).
- “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12).
- “‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things are helpful. ‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor” (1 Corinthians 10:23-24).
The book of Proverbs is also full of
wisdom about how we should use our words. I’m sure I’m not the
only one who is disturbed by the frequency with which we publicly
tear people down rather than building them up and seeking their good.
This isn’t anything new, but social media has made it a lot more
visible to a lot more people. But on the plus side, we also have a
lot more opportunities to encourage one another, pray for one
another, share the Good News, and spur one another on to love and
good deeds.
I would suggest that believers should
endeavor to maximize the benefits of social media rather than
contributing to the divisive issues that are becoming our “trademark”
in the world. May the world say of us, “See how they love one
another!”
