Well, November 8th 2016 has come and gone, and we are left with a nation divided. I’m not sure if you’ve noticed but Facebook is toxic right now. I was thinking about social media conduct post-election. Lots of misinformation, harsh tones, and unfriending going on over there. I myself fell victim to Facebook’s black hole of political partisanship with a post of my own. Deeply regretting that mistake.
On the podcast Cross Politic, the hosts had a special guest Steve Deace, a nationally-syndicated radio host answering the question “Which candidate is worse for the church?” Deace made the argument that a Trump presidency would undermine the integrity of the American church. I think this has some real merit, and we need to fight hard to make that prediction never happen.
They Will Know You By Your Love
As Christians, we need to fight the urge to follow society into this toxic environment. In a familiar verse, Jesus states, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another,” (Jn 13:35 HCSB). As American Christians, we have the stages as we’re being held responsible for Trump’s election. It is absolutely imperative that we leverage this stage for the Gospel with every opportunity we get. For some of us, that starts with social media.
It is absolutely imperative that we leverage this stage for the Gospel with every opportunity we get.
I’ve logged into Facebook many times since the election, and I’m greeted with such divisive speech that it literally makes me mad. These people claim to be Christians, I think. How can they claim that and treat each other with such disdain? Jesus clearly condemns treating each other this way, and this is not how Paul in Romans 12 and Ephesians 2 says we should be acting! Instead we need to live out Paul’s “…and such were some of you” from 1 Corinthians 11. I know this is a tech site, but as Christians, I’m hoping that the use of Scripture here will be a clear call to unite us under one banner!
So now that we know we should simmer down, how should we conduct ourselves on social media in the upcoming days, months, and years? Let’s take a look.
Practicals
In 2014 I wrote an article dealing with some practicals, and many I want to echo here, as well as offer some different perspectives. Here are some ways we can be glaring Gospel presences in light of the 2016 Presidential Election:
- Pray for the President-Elect– Depending on how you voted, this might seem counter-intuitive depending on how you voted, however it’s truly the only proper response we can give. A million times better than degrading a leader God has appointed over our nation.
- Find Commonality– Too often we fire arrows over differences rather than embracing common ground. Both former SOS Clinton and President Obama gave heartwarming speeches in the aftermath of the results calling for unity and level heads. I see no reason not to take that advice.
- Delete Your Poisonous Posts– Seriously. Get them off your Timeline. Nobody needs to see that junk and it will only hurt your Christian testimony. The last person that needs to take a hit during this election is the One who presides over it. Stop it.
- Triggered– Don’t engage in poisonous posts. If we stop commenting and slinging feces at one another on posts all of this will blow over much quicker.
- Shut Down– If you can’t handle not engaging, consider shutting down and deactivating your accounts for a while. Again, get over yourselves, it’s Christ’s testimony at sake people. C’mon.
- Encourage Others– Find ways to encourage and lift up. Instead of bashing people, post your devotions and what you’ve learned. At least that might get you into the Word a little more.
- Lift God’s Sovereignty High– As Christians, we are not victims of this election. We are still to be submitting in all reverence to Christ just like we were to be doing on 11/7/2016. Let’s not forget who truly rules and reigns. Use this opportunity to brag about the vastness of our God and how He is truly sovereign over all things.
/rantover
Ok, I think I’m done for now. My only hope and prayer is that we, as Christians, can change the cultural climate of hate in our online communities to one that brings glory and honor to the great God we claim to serve.
You have any thoughts on social media conduct post-election?
Michael Hamilton says
Great post Jesse! I’ll admit that I’ve been guilty in participating in the venomous pre and post election conversation. Recently I’ve adopted the “if you cant say something nice….” mentality. Regardless of how you voted or how you feel, it’s our job to pray for our nation, President Obama as he leaves office and President-elect Trump as he prepares to take office.
Again great post!