It's terrifying how the world is now going virtual and slowly shifting more of the reality from the actual to the social. Only a decade ago people walked the streets with their heads and attention turned to whatever was infant of them. Today, you look around and at least half of the people around you have their heads bowed down to a gadget.
However, there is an opportunity here and Christians can't just cower and think that social media and the Internet are evil and stay away from it. In fact, just as God has called us to "Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth," God is now calling us to go where the people are- and that's online- and be a channel of His love and blessing there.
And as simple as social media behaviour may seem, there are things that we do online that get amplified ten-fold when done. Here are five things that Christians should be wary about doing online:
1. Bash
It's easy to share a strong opinion when offline and experience no repercussions whatsoever, but when posted online it can get really messy at times. That's because your opinions can be reviewed, shared, liked and commented on by others. We must be careful about our strong opinions towards sensitive topics and reassess whether the way we say it comes out as bashing or not.
2. Respond to Bashing
The temptation may be really strong and the person may just be putting down a belief you hold strongly, but it is often unwise to respond to an opposing idea and can backfire very quickly. Although there are times that there will be a need to respond but always remember that debating online is very different from debating offline. There is no sensitivity and no politeness because often people feel they can say whatever they want because there are no tangible consequences to what they say.
3. Judge
Just as your strong opinions are easily amplified online, so are judgments, most especially today when all people want to hear about is freedom of speech, freedom to choose and so on. The thing about judgments online is that it can be easily used against you even if your motives were true and right from the very beginning. That's because people will always take opinions and ideas in their own context, and often shut out the perspective of others.
4. Compromise
Imagine that you see a photo of a youth worship leader with his girlfriend having fun in a beach, what is the first thing that pops into your mind? As important as it is that Christians, most especially those in church leadership, should not compromise offline, it's more imperative that they don't do so offline.
5. Stay Silent
While it's better not to oppose ideas upfront, that doesn't mean that Christians should stay silent on social media. When you see an idea that goes against the teachings of the Bible, you can take your thoughts in a loving and non-judgmental manner to your own profile, not on the profiles of others.
