If you are a regular reader of The Courier, you may have noticed a significant uptick in our social media presence. At risk of undermining everything you are about to read, I would encourage you to follow us on all our platforms — Facebook, X, and Instagram.
Communicating as followers of Christ on the internet comes at a great risk, and like the forecast for a tornado outbreak here in the Deep South, it can put us in a particularly dangerous situation if it’s not used properly. Here are a few commitments I try to follow in my own (admittedly limited) use of social media.
THE HOT TAKE IS NOT ALWAYS THE WISE TAKE
I have only circumstantial evidence (but lots of it) to support that statement. Breaking news is necessary for newspapers and magazines — the thing for which I use X (formerly Twitter) the most. But it’s not always necessary for us, especially if we’re responding to controversy. Thoughts need time to mature, words need time to be carefully crafted, ideas and views need careful study and close scrutiny. All this requires patience — the opposite of the hot take.
How often do we overreact to something that stirs our emotions, and by the next day we either regret how we responded or give thanks we did not? For me, that’s about nine out of 10 times. “Let us be slow to speak and quick to listen” (James 1:19). Or, as the proverb variously attributed puts it, “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.”
EDITORS EXIST FOR A (GOOD) REASON
I know that sounds self-serving, since I’ve long made my living as a copy repairman. And, granted, Solomon didn’t have editors in mind when he wrote Proverbs, but I think the principle in Proverbs 11:14 applies: “Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.” Beware of social-media users who are uncomfortable with others reading and weighing in on or revising their posts before publication. Unless we seek it, there’s no accountability for what we say to others on X, Facebook, or blogs.
One of the things that makes written communication superior when it appears in mainstream books, newspapers, or magazines is that articles and even opinion columns have usually been through several channels of rather rigorous editing and fact- and source-checking. After my nearly four decades as a journalist and editor, this is probably the top reason I’m cautious in my use of X or Facebook (and do not have an Instagram account). As a writer, I need an editor. As a sinner, I need accountability. They can be the same thing.
WRITTEN WORDS HAVE A LONGER SHELF LIFE
This is true for the simple reason that written words are always and forever “out there.”
A pastor friend once sent out an abrupt and ill-advised tweet in response to a snarky message aimed at one of his friends. After rethinking his words for five minutes, he deleted the tweet. The original tweeter had taken note and saved it. Reconciling them required a phone call and a series of long talks.
SOCIAL MEDIA REWARDS THE AGENT PROVOCATEUR
Social media tends to attract and reward the extremes. How can you gain 500 likes or 10,000 followers? Probably not by posting Bible verses or Puritan wisdom. You gain a following by provocation, and extreme opinions attract likes. Members of the fringe within every group tend to shout the loudest, gain the most attention, and be the proverbial squeaky wheel.
Social media plays well for extremists and their opinions because they gain the most hearers and make the most enemies. It’s not usually the place for serious, fruitful debate and discussion of complex issues that demand careful nuance. Social media also manipulates our desire for approval. The more followers and commenters support our cause and pat us on the back, the less likely we are to reflect critically or receive correction about what we’ve said. We’re more likely to double down because we want the chorus of approval to be larger and louder.
In a Christian context, I’d say the more mature a believer is, the less likely he is to be a provocateur. Why do mature Christians spend so much time on social media? I can’t give an objective answer, but it’s worth pondering, and it’s something I’ve asked mainly about myself in thinking how I should regulate my time on the internet.
MOST PEOPLE ARE NOT ON X
There are 8 billion people in the world, but only 556 million daily users on X. Those 25 angry responses to your tweet on social justice, or free will theology, or Democrat/Republican shenanigans are really insignificant, in spite of what you may think.
Getting, say, 300 comments on Twitter or 400 likes on Facebook does not mean that a great cloud of witnesses has gathered around you or your pet issue. While you’re debating the number of angels that can dance on a pinhead or whether Adam had a belly button, most of us are working, spending time with family, friends, or church members. We’re at the golf course, ballpark, hiking in the mountains, or lounging at the beach.
I have witnessed some ugly theological debates among Christians on the former Twitter in particularly. Those issues are for a few of us, but only a few of us.
CAN WE USE IT FRUITFULLY?
I believe Christians can use social media for good purposes. It’s great for recommending good books and sharing Bible passages, sermons, and other edifying content. The internet has been a major player in spreading sound doctrine the past 25 years, and I’m deeply grateful for that. Also, it’s easy to get in touch with other people, and I love that aspect of it. Yet Christians should use social media with great care.
Keep in mind the words of Jesus: “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matt. 12:36–37).
We tend to think only of words that come from our mouths. But it seems safe to assume that our Lord would also say that we’ll give an account for every careless word we write, tweet, text, or email. We need to be slow to speak, slow to type and quick to listen.
(Editors’ note: Part of this column was adapted from my book, Taming the Tongue: How the Gospel Transforms Our Talk (TGC, 2021).)