Trump. Ferguson. Orlando nightclub shooting. #buildthewall. Sutherland Springs. Dallas police assassinations. Russian collusion. Legalization of gay marriage. BLM. #metoo. Las Vegas killer. Hillary. North Korea. DACA. NFL National Anthem protests. Charlottesville. Ad infinitum.
Thanks to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and a thousand other platforms, our world is interconnected in a historically unprecedented way, for better or for worse. On the positive side, it means that everyone has a public voice. On the negative side, it means that everyone has a relatively anonymous public voice. Everyone has an opinion. Our social media platforms are fantastic arenas for airing those opinions. But is it always helpful? I want to put forth a couple of ideas to help believers (and really everyone regardless of religious persuasion) engage national conversations, especially when it comes to potentially divisive issues.
Let’s start with multiple verses and proverbs from the Jewish and Christian writings:
Prov 18:2 A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.
Ouch. We could stop there, but it’s worth taking a look at some additional relevant passages:
Prov 10:19-20 When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent. 20 The tongue of the righteous is choice silver; the heart of the wicked is of little worth.
Prov 15:1-2 A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. 2 The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly.
James 1:19-20 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
Prov 18:15 An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.
Prov 15:14 The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, but the mouths of fools feed on folly.
Prov 21:23 Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.
Prov 16:23 Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.
Prov 25:11 A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.
Prov 12:18 There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
Eph 4:29-31 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.
There are several key themes expressed in these passages that are relevant to our conversation: being slow to speak, quick to listen, eager to pursue knowledge and understanding, and not speaking/tweeting/blogging/acting in anger.
We all know from our own relationships that we can ‘win’ an argument based on what we’re saying but lose the debate because of how we said it. As I look across the landscape of our nation, I see generally a church that has taken on a great deal of worldliness in how we communicate. While intentions are generally good – to combat destructive thinking, promote the truth, and so on – our approach is often misguided which tarnishes the truth that we so passionately seek to uphold. One of the reasons this is so is because the truth is a Person and not an abstract ideology. Taking these observations, the Biblical themes, and the following graphic together, here is a brief guide on how to engage a public conversation.
Throughout the gospels, Jesus is consistently concerned with the heart of the matter, turning people’s questions of justice and retribution back on the state of their own soul. Our national conversations are no different. They are staging grounds that God uses to refine us as individuals.
- Reflect before God (Me). Before you air your opinions on a matter, use it as a mirror. Pause for reflection. Ask questions like, “why am I so upset about this? God, what do you want to do in me regarding this issue? Where do I need to confess judgement/bitterness/wrong thinking or make reparations first before commenting?” Seek alignment with God’s heart which is typically concerned first with loving people and only secondly with setting the record straight (e.g. Luke 12:13-21, John 5:1-14, John 8:1-11).
- Ask questions (Those Close to Me). There are real people in your orbit who are no doubt affected in any number of ways by whatever issue is pressing. Ask them questions! “How does this make you feel? How does this affect you personally? Tell me about your background and how you got to that viewpoint.” I guarantee you will learn something that will increase your empathy, give you greater understanding, and increase your wisdom on the issue.
- Contribute to the Conversation (The Public). Deal with your own heart before God and seek to understand those close to you. Prayerfully synthesize that information. Then and only then post your comments for the betterment of mankind.
Wisdom is the right application of knowledge. Understanding is the marriage of information with empathy. Both wisdom and understanding are severely lacking in our world today, and since both have their source in God, their lack among believers results in a diminished manifestation of God’s nature in our culture. In other words, when Christians offer their thoughts without wisdom and understanding – even when they possess correct information – God is not seen. In fact, not only is God not seen, but often the name of Christ is maligned. The majority of your message will be communicated in how you present it. A very small percentage will come through in your content. In that light, spend most of your time in conversation with real people and in personal prayer and reflection before God before condensing your thoughts into 140 or 280 characters, or into a FaceBook post. Sure, it will take longer to respond and you might be a day or two behind what is trending, but that delay is probably necessary! Once again,
Prov 18:2 A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.
May you be transformed and love those closest to you in your pursuit of justice and the propagation of truth in our generation!