In his book 12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You, Tony Reinke outlines specific ways in which our increasingly digitized lives are negatively impacting us. The eleventh way, according to his book, is that we are becoming more harsh toward one another. It does seem, for some reason, that there are statements we would never say face to face that seem to fly from our fingertips when we start typing on a social media platform. For those who profess to follow Christ, we would do well to remember that we will be held accountable by the Lord for every word we ever say or type (cf. Matthew 11:36).
So, how should we determine what to say or not say when it comes to our engagement with social media? Perhaps one way would be to look at the kinds of characteristics that the Bible says are intended to be true of one who possesses the Holy Spirit. In Galatians 5:19-23 Paul lists several attributes of one who is not in step with the Holy Spirit, followed by several attributes of one who is in step with the Holy Spirit. Within each of these lists, there are certain attributes that many scholars agree seem to be specific guidelines for how followers of Christ should engage with others. I’ll list them below, first the “don’ts” followed by the “dos.”
Don’ts
Enmity/strife: political, racial, or religious hostility which comes from a quarrelsome spirit
Jealousy/anger: outbursts of rage driven by dislike of another
Rivalries/dissensions/divisions: emphasizing one’s own opinion while demonizing all other opinions and putting others down
Dos
Patience: having a slow fuse, suffering without complaint through aggravation/persecution
Kindness: extending grace through a readiness to help, demonstrating care/compassion
Goodness: moral excellence demonstrated through generous words and deeds
We are in a season where we are weary because so much of our world and the way engage it is different from what we are used to. To add to that, we are about to enter into the most intense time of an election year. With these things in mind, we all need to remember that it will be very easy for us to use words irresponsibly, especially on social media. So, may our words be characterized by patience and kindness and goodness, rather than enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, rivalries, dissensions, or divisions.
Ben
monthly resources
Below are some articles I’ve run across this past month that you may find helpful: