It seems as if the visible Church, and the conservative, evangelical, and Reformed world in particular, is determined to tear itself apart. We should not judge the state or health of the nation or Church from posts and interaction on social media, but if one was to do so, he might begin to think the Lord had changed his mind about that promise in Matthew 16:18. Things are said regularly and openly online that would be the basis for ecclesiastical discipline if said in person. Digital media provides a platform for misinformation, misunderstanding, misrepresentation, or outright lies about people and situations. This is not only a factor in our national politics. It is a major factor in the growing division within the visible Church.
Social media can be a great blessing and provide access to news, information, and communication that can inform, enlighten, and edify. But there should be no question it also has negative effects. Social media coarsens speech, promotes incivility, weakens accountability, and allows knuckleheads to live inside echo chambers, exacerbating their knuckleheadedness. If your social interaction is mostly limited to those you know and engage with in-person on a weekly basis, you will be forced to deal with perspectives and arguments contrary to your own. This promotes self-awareness, humility, and a greater ability to dialogue charitably. But with a social media account, you can connect with the seven other people on a planet of seven billion who are just as stupid and stubborn as you. You can then follow each other on Tritter, Facegram, and Instabook, and like, love, re-post, and atta-boy/-girl/-it to your proud heart’s content. You and your seven new best friends can characterize the opposition however you want. You are in control of the platform. And since none of you actually live alongside or drink coffee on a regular basis with your opponents, it isn’t long until you have convinced each other that they all are fools, tools, and villains. You know it based on the evidence of a meme.
It would be foolish to think this is the first or worst time the visible Church has been divided and full of hate for brothers. So far as I know, no Catholics, Protestants, or Anabaptists have been killed with the sword, burned at the stake, or drowned in any of the recent spats online. But if memes and slander could kill, the last decade would have been a bloodbath. It might be time to remember that God esteems hatred for a brother as murder (1Jn. 3:15) and that there will be Hell to pay for some of the lies and slander that have been spoken (Rev. 21:8).
You might imagine this is a plea for all Christians to sing Kumbaya or to ask rhetorically, “Can’t we all just get along?” But I’m neither that naive nor so inclined. The visible Church includes sheep, goats, and wolves. Goats need to be identified and either converted through the gospel or cut out of the flock. Wolves must be identified and shot in the head. (Metaphorically, of course. I’m not the one who suggested the wolf metaphor, cf. Mt. 7:15-20.) I think much of the critical interaction online involves issues that Christians, elders, and congregations need to seriously and biblically address. We’re not going to be able to simply agree to disagree about some of these things, and orthodoxy and biblical fidelity will demand that faithful Christians stand up, speak out, and be counted, whatever the cost.
Controversies and divisions are inevitable and necessary (1Cor. 11:19). They reveal who is true and who is not. But we must be careful of how we engage in such battles. It should not be at the expense of physical, face-to-face relationships with our families and in the local church. If you find yourself continually stirred up by what you see on Tritter, maybe it is time to remove the app from your phone (or the platform from your life) and have coffee with a brother while looking at his face, not a profile pic. Be cautious in how you engage. Everyone who has ever posted on social media has had the experience of inadvertently sharing incorrect information. Be swift to hear, slow to tweet, slow to become angry. Don’t trust your own heart; you know it is still tainted with sin. Don’t trust uncritically your favorite Christian leaders and celebrities. They can be wrong too. Stop virtue signalling to everyone that you are on the right side with your reposts and atta-boy/-girl/-it comments that are adding nothing except noise and opportunities for arrogance. Spend more time reading your Bible than you do reading anything online. Spend more time in prayer than on social media feeds. Spend more time face-to-face with family, friends, and brethren than you do with a screen.
I’ve been off social media for a number of years, but that doesn’t mean I do not see many of the things being said, posted, and shared on those platforms. They have given a voice to many people who are unqualified for Church leadership, some of whom have set themselves up as an authority on what is right and good. These platforms have also sometimes corrupted our assessment and response to such dangers. Lord, have mercy. Fight manfully, but do so honorably. Be careful lest in the digital arena you confuse a friend for an enemy, or visa versa. --JME
