During Covid-19 (and Beyond), Please Stop Posting…
Social media is on fire with traffic. While that is always the case, the fact that many people have more time at home is causing many to consume more social media, interact more on social media, and share more on social media.
In a lot of ways, that is good. We can gain some encouragement, teach the Gospel, and simply interact with people in ways that help us be uplifted and to have some level of attachment that we are missing.
However, in our flurry to post–especially about the coronavirus–we can begin to share things that not only fail to help, they can be downright dangerous. The thing is, though, these are types of posts that Christians should never share! We are simply seeing an explosion in the number of them right now, but, if we are going to be faithful in stewarding this resource to the glory of God, we need to avoid these types of posts.
What are they? Here are four.
Falsehood. This should come as no surprise, but Christians should never be ones who share things that are false. I doubt many would share things that are blatantly inaccurate, but some will be tempted to share a post that is “mostly” right in order to make a point, all the while knowing there are some misleading and false statements found in the article or video. Lying is from the devil (cf. John 8:44), and we should never have anything to do with it.
Overtly political posts. I’m going to take some heat for this, but I do not think Christians need to be sharing things that are overtly political. Now, it is true that there is a sense in which almost anything newsworthy is, to some degree, political (or can at least be interpreted that way). But our work as Christians is not to score points for a candidate or against a certain party. Our work as Christians is to uplift the Lion of Judah! Attacking a politician or party just to prove some political point is not the best use of our influence in accomplishing our number one objective in life: glorifying God Almighty.
Sweeping Generalizations. “All millennials…” “All baby boomers…” “All Democrats…” “All Republicans…” What good do these types of statements actually do? For one thing, they are rarely true (rarely does “all” of some group fit in a particular box), but they also just fan flames that do not need to be flamed! They just incite anger and distrust, instead of seeking to encourage and inform with truth.
Crude Jokes. I have greatly enjoyed many of the jokes that have made the rounds in these odd times. So many have been lighthearted and have given us a much-needed lift. But others are nothing but crude, biting, and mean. Ephesians 5:4 lists (among other things) “crude joking” as something there is not to be any of in our talk. The original word (translated as “jesting” in the KJV) basically had the idea behind it of mirth or laughter. In context, though, it is obvious that Paul is writing about what Spiros Zodhiates describes as “obscene jesting.” He uses the term “sneerer” in his description. Again, for the Christian, we need to ask what possible good comes when we share things that are crude or coarse. What place does biting, hurtful sarcasm have in our lives when we are to reflect God’s glory?
What should become obvious is that these are not just things Christians need to avoid sharing during the Covid-19 crisis. These are things that need to be put away from us at all times. They do not further our ability to reach people with the Gospel, and they certainly do not shine God’s glory in the world.
Instead, let’s fill our social media feeds with things that are true and uplifting and helpful. Let’s build up and lovingly inform, all the while seeking to practice humility.
To Receive Every Article from A Legacy of Faith through Email for Free, Click Here
AUTHOR: Adam Faughn
