Just prior to writing this article, I was invited to observe an explosive thread on Facebook revolving around the words of an independent ministry leader sharing a politically partisan opinion. Full disclosure: I freely confess my sin of taking mild delight in other people’s online drama when it has nothing to do with me. I am fully aware of how social media manipulates the fight or flight part of the brain to get people’s attention, and yet I still succumb to the temptation of watching an online fight with all its corresponding nonsense. I am working on it …
In any case, while the leader of the ministry deleted the initial post, screenshots were taken, and now various digital fires are popping up as Adventists debate the merits of the leader’s political opinion and use of social media. The thread I saw showcased a variety of wild accusations, arguments made in ALL CAPS TO DEMONSTRATE HOW SERIOUS THE ISSUE IS, good old-fashioned name calling—and even someone accusing the other of being willing to burn people alive if such-and-such a leader requested it. “The tea,” as my students like to say, “is hot.” Piping hot.
The incident is sad, but certainly not isolated. When it comes to online engagement, many of God’s people put the very worst and wildest perspectives on display for the world to watch. A couple years ago Ted Wilson, General Conference president, posted a video of his grandchildren singing Silent Night at church. Every Grinch and Scrooge from the darkest corners of the Internet showed up to condemn the video. It was a sad display with a lot of heat, but little light. Now, as we enter into an election season, people will use every communication technology they can to broadcast their perspectives.
The gift of speech
In Aristotle’s Politics he notes how people share the same ability as animals to vocalize experiences of pleasure or pain, but man is more “political” because we have the gift of speech. Aristotle says as soon as speech communication enters the world’s experience, so does the need for justice, personal responsibility and community. With each new communication technology, human beings find their speech amplified and the potential for injustice, misunderstanding and community breakdowns multiplied.
As I have written previously, we are stewards of the gift of communication given to us in Eden (see Gen. 2:19). This doesn’t mean we avoid hard subjects or eliminate personal reflections from our life, but it does mean we need to take a little more responsibility for the content we create. So, here are a few tips for creating good communicative content instead of making everyone crazy online.
Creating a gracious culture
First, avoid what are known as “God terms” and “Devil terms.” These are words designed to get a positive or negative reaction and “rally the troops” to one side of an issue or another. For example, flippantly throwing around terms like “liberal” or “conservative” doesn’t help. Not only do we not define them, but instead of engaging ideas, we label them with our positive and negative trigger words and toss them aside. It’s inflammatory and irresponsible.
Second, we need to curate and monitor our personal platforms. Insist that your followers use good “netiquette” by refraining from personal attacks, condescending responses or foul language. Give warnings and, if need be, block them from conversations. If our goal is to seek truth, then we need to intentionally create online cultures that allow for questions and honest engagement and put boundaries on obnoxious behavior.
Third, resist the urge to post an immediate emotionally loaded reply. Social media favors speed over accuracy, and emotional reactions instead of well thought out replies (Prov. 15:13). Sometimes we may need to have a strong reply if someone is being abusive, but even then, a clear statement of boundaries and a request for an apology or a modification of behavior or comments is better than replying in a way that matches a toxic conversation.
Finally, remember that other people can see what you post—including Jesus—so make sure your words are set aflame by the Holy Spirit (Acts 2) instead of being a dumpster fire carelessly setting the world ablaze with destructive communication (James 3:1-12).
