The Christian & Social Media
BEYOND THE BASICS | Jeremy Woodman | Kingston, Ontario
When Christ gave the Great Commission he defined the scope of the commission as “all the world” and the message as “the gospel,” but He left the mode of communication up to the apostles. In the first century, communication was through the spoken and written word. The range of oral communication was limited and if the message didn’t produce change, it lasted no longer than the audience’s memory. Writing could reach more people and its contents lasted longer but making and distributing copies was labour intensive.
Come forward to the 20th century and the telephone, radio, and television revolutionized communications, helping to disseminate the gospel in new ways to new audiences. In recent decades the rise of the internet, higher rates of personal computer ownership, and the development of social media have revolutionized communications again. Because of social media, we can communicate cheaply and quickly with almost anyone around the world. We can create content for others to access at their convenience. These are blessings the apostles did not have and are tools we can use to fulfill the Great Commission.
This article focuses on social media and the Christian’s relationship with it. Social media is like any tool that can be used well or poorly. We need to consider the positive role social media can (and should) have, but also how we should react and respond to content we disagree with. I’ll be referring to Facebook exclusively because it is the social networking website most people, myself included, are familiar with but the principles can be applied to other social media platforms (i.e. Twitter).
Many Christians use Facebook to share Christian content with their contacts. They respond to posts, explaining the gospel to complete strangers that may never have had a chance to hear the truth otherwise. Facebook can allow people of the world to see what Christians are actually like and counter the negative image the media promotes. And it can assist with benevolent undertakings. When disaster strikes we now know about it immediately and can send relief to brethren in short order.
But, sadly, there are times when Christians share content with others that is questionable at best or blatantly immoral. I’ve seen brethren write some nasty, derogatory posts while arguing with strangers or even fellow Christians! One of the well documented negative phenomena of social media is that these types of discussions, fueled in part by anonymity, tend to rapidly degenerate, into name calling and personal attacks, with wild assumptions made about the person on the other end of the conversation.
To be blunt, based solely on some people’s posts, if I didn’t know them already I would never guess they were a Christian. We don’t want that to be said of us but how do we avoid the pitfalls of social media? What should we do when we encounter content that offends us? We need to apply the basic principles found in two bible verses, which I suggest committing to memory, Matthew 12:36 and James 1:19.
The first principle is understanding that what you post on social media is speech and subject to all the biblical verses about speech. This is easy to forget when we are in the privacy of our home, behind a keyboard, and unable to see the person we are communicating with. Written words are just as subject to Jesus’s teachings as spoken ones. Jesus warned, “every idle word men may speak they will give account of it in the day of judgment” (Matthew 12:36).
Unless you are chatting via private messenger, or are posting within a predefined group, what you are saying is public. Picture yourself on a pleasant day in your town’s local farmers’ market, surrounded by strangers. You run across someone you recognize and you begin a conversation with that person. It starts well but then the conversation turns sour and you start disagreeing with each other. In “real life” you would remain civil because you understand that everyone around you can hear what you are saying. You’d keep your voice low, or maybe agree to discuss this somewhere more private, or at another time. It is doubtful you’d get into a shouting match and try to drag nearby people into the argument. Well it is no different in the digital marketplace except the audience is larger and the words linger, sometimes permanently.
The second principle deals with our attitude. James admonishes “every man [to] be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath” (James 1:19) Being “swift to hear” requires us to make an attempt to understand what the other party is saying. This is much more than just staying silent while the other person is talking. Often times when we are silent we are just waiting for them to finish so we can have our say. We weren’t truly listening.
Online discussions, usually ones that stray into politics, are notorious for making assumptions and discussions (d)evolve based on those assumptions. Someone states their opinion and another person reasons “oh, because they believe X they must also believe Y and Z” and starts conversing with them as if that were true. Labels such as “liberal,” “conservative,” “progressive,” “socialist,” “right-wing,” “left-wing” can be useful shorthand (usually just in conversations with like-minded people) but just as often they are associations that are used to dismiss another person’s presumed viewpoints (‘oh, of course, you believe that because you are a ___’). Friends, unless we already know the person, or they make their other positions clear the wiser course is to stick to the subject at hand or ask questions that help clarify rather than make assumptions.
Where does this desire to be right, to have the last word, to respond with the witty retort, to drag others unto our side come from? Pride. It is the opposite of a Christ-like spirit of love. What opportunities to preach the gospel are we squandering because we are too busy shaming, rather than, “in humility correcting those who are in opposition” (2 Timothy 2:25)?
The third principle is the application of “slow to speak,” which should start with the question “is this worth responding to?” Our time is limited and we must all pick our battles. Some discussions, even ones where we disagree, can be profitable and others can generate all heat and no proverbial light. This requires experience, discretion, and wisdom to distinguish between the profitable discussions or those that end up wasting our times. Generally, we should avoid conversations if a person is using foul language, language that is baiting others into conflict, escalating conflict, and mocking others. These conversations should be avoided and if we have control over a thread it may be prudent to delete the comments as well. We are enabling conflict if we respond. Solomon instructs us to “not answer a fool according to his folly, lest you also be like him” (Proverbs 26:20). Steer clear!
Generally speaking, if we are swift to listen and slow to speak then we will be slow to wrath. The three reinforce each other. If you have listened to the other person and feel you need to respond, take an additional second and ask yourself, “am I angry?” If you are, take some time to calm down. This can be very hard to do but James reveals why it is important in the next verse. “The wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (James 1:20). A response in anger to someone often provokes a response in anger back from the other party and a vicious cycle ensues. An injured person seeking retribution for themselves may retaliate greatly out of proportion to the injustice they think has been done to them. Words spoken in anger can destroy relationships. It may take years to restore them if they are ever restored. Some of us may have learned this the hard way.
As an aside, a little bit of self-awareness can save a lot of headaches. If we are the type of person who is easily offended it may be best to limit our involvement with social media or limit the kind of content we see by making use of filters. This is not a technical article but a quick internet search will lead to resources that can show you how to do this.
The world will behave as the world does. They are under the sway of darkness. We can’t control that. But we can control our response. Like it or not the onus is on us to be the responsible ones. “As much as depends on you live peaceably with all men” (Romans 12:18) and “let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt” (Colossians 4:6). This doesn’t mean that our words have to be sugary sweet, sometimes blunt is needed, but it does mean that we respond with the cause of Christ in mind and not the cause of pride.
In conclusion, before we respond to a post we disagree with, we should ask ourselves: a) is this worth it? b) is this the best place for this discussion? c) am I responding from anger or pride? Our responses should be becoming of a Christian, influencing the world, not influenced by it. We have an effective tool at our disposal to reach people with the message of salvation. Hopefully we use that tool well but sometimes we may falter. Fortunately, we serve a loving God who is ready to forgive when we repent. We can turn around and commit to doing better.
18.10.02 | GROW magazine
