Social Media. The Blessing and the Curse.

We are familiar with the many forms of social media available to us today.  Most of us use at least one, if not more, of these social media as a means to communicate, or to keep up with what's current, or to stay in touch with friends.  Those are all wonderful, and part of the "blessings" of social media.

But there's a downside.

For starters, can we agree that everything you read on the internet isn't true just because you read it on the internet.  Just because you gained a certain tidbit from Google, or from Facebook, or from Twitter, doesn't mean it's factual. 

Here's just one example.  I recently read, on Facebook, the following quote, which according to the post I read, was said by Adrian Rodgers in 1931.

"You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is about the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it."

Adrian Rodgers may very well have said that.  I cannot prove that he did or didn't, and that isn't my purpose here.  But what I am certain of is that he did not say it in 1931.

If you are not familiar with Adrian Rodgers, he was a well-known Southern Baptist pastor, who for many years prior to his death pastored Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee.

Adrian Rodgers said many wise things in his lifetime, and he may well have said what I have quoted above.  But I am certain he did not say it in 1931, since Adrian Rodgers was born in 1931!   (I checked multiple sources to confirm that.)

My point here is that, in spite of all the good things about social media, there is a down side.

As in the case of this quote, we need to check more than one source before we blindly accept something as fact.

Another downside of social media is the lack of accountability.  We can use our various social media outlets to encourage one another, to share Scriptures with friends, and to send out uplifting messages, but there are just as many people doing the exact opposite.  Particularly in this election season, the vitriol is spewing forth, and people feel free to say whatever they want without being held accountable for it at all.  Political pundits feel free to overanalyze every phrase uttered.  Political watchers feel free to criticize a candidate's wardrobe or makeup or hairstyle or children, with no repercussions and no fact-check and without even a pretense of accuracy.  It has become acceptable to say whatever you think whenever you think it, with no filter for accuracy or courtesy or even common decency.  That's the world of social media.

And in this political season, that's a dangerous thing.

We are about to make very serious decisions about who will be the next President of the United States.  We are living in perilous times.  We face serious issues.  And we need to be serious and deliberate and thoughtful in our decision-making.  This is not the time to let the tweeters and the pundits make our decisions for us. 

As I have said before, generally I try to steer clear of politics in this blog.  It is not my intention to use this as a platform to persuade you to a particular candidate, nor will I use this as a platform to sing the praises of my chosen candidate. In fact, the jury's still out on that one! If you want to have a personal conversation about politics outside this blog, I'll be happy to have that discussion with you.  This blog is not the place for that.

However, as we begin this long, arduous journey toward November, there is one caution I would like to bring before you, particularly as we consider this in the context of social media.  We need more than a sound bite President.  The current occupant of the Oval Office was elected, at least in part, because he is good at sound bites.  But we need more than that.

We need more than sound bites.  We need more than tweets.  We need leadership.  These are difficult times in our country.  Regardless of your political persuasion, surely we can agree on that.  We have big challenges before us in areas of national security and the economy, and in many other areas as well.  Because these are challenging times, we need to think carefully about how we are going to cast our vote.  We need to listen carefully to everything the candidates are saying.  We need to go beyond the sound bites and the tweets, and beyond the opinions of political pundits and Facebookers.  We need to be a thinking people.  We need not only to listen to the candidates, but then to think carefully and analyze for ourselves what is being said.  We need to understand the principles by which each of these candidates can be expected to govern.

As we are listening, and as we are thinking, we need also to be praying.  Praying for God's blessing on our nation.  Praying for wisdom as we make our choices.  Praying for this nation to turn back to God.  And praying for discernment.

We need to hear more than just the sound bites and tweets.  We need to hear and understand the principles that guide these candidates in their decisions and their positions.

We need wisdom.  We need understanding.  We need discernment.

Don't be deceived by rhetoric and hyperbole and sound bites.

Don't get caught up in the social media circus.

We need more than that.

Let's do things the old-fashioned way.  Let's be a people who listen carefully, to what is said and to what isn't.  Let's be a people who think. 

And as we are using social media for our own purposes, whether political or to stay in touch with friends or for whatever reason, let's choose our words and our posts and our tweets wisely. 

Think before you share a post or a tweet. 

Is it true?  Is it honorable?  Is it right?  Is it pure?  Is it lovely?  Is it of good repute?
Is it excellent?  Is it worthy of praise?  (See Philippians 4:8)

Social media can be a wonderful thing.  Use it wisely.

"Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear."  (Ephesians 4:29 NASB)


And as you are evaluating all the candidates and making your choice, keep this instruction in mind:

"Furthermore, you select out of all the people able men who fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain; and you shall place them as leaders....." (Exodus 18:21 NASB)