The best place to make a difference “is right inside our four walls” said Jesus never.
Actually that’s a Sadie Gannett quote from this article in The Atlantic. Ms. Gannett is a social media influencer who – like most of us – has opinions. From that Atlantic article:
Sadie Gannett, for example, who posts as “organic.gannett,” wrote that she is “not interested in being another voice on the internet giving input on current events”—only in pursuing “truth and justice and critical thinking and law and order.” The best place to make a difference, she added, “is right inside our four walls.”
The truth is that conservative folks seem to weigh in on social media when the issue aligns with their personal politics (the assassination of Charlie Kirk, the murder of Iryna Zarutska on a train in Charlotte, the murder of Sarah Root.) And progressive folks seem to weigh in on social media when the issue aligns with their personal politics (the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, the detainment of five year old Liam Conejo Ramos.)
People who loved the Bad Bunny show during the Super Bowl posted about the joys of diversity and a broader view of patriotism. People who hated the Bad Bunny show shared his more lurid lyrics. And so it goes.
Something Jesus said:
“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.” The Gospel of Matthew 10:34-39
I interpret this to mean that authentically following the message of Jesus will divide us because we cling to what is familiar and comfortable and we are slow to grapple with hard truths and repent of our own selfish behaviors. I get it when people tell me that they need to take a break from the news. Jesus himself took time away to be quiet and pray. Unlike any of us, Jesus had clarity on God’s will.
In terms of social media in general, it’s essential to ask some basic questions about what we read:
- Is it true? (Check the sources)
- Is it kind? (How’s our tone?)
- Is it necessary? (What is gained by sharing?)
(Note: these are also good questions to ask before we share any information.)
And other questions to ask as we observe injustice and cruelty in the living of these days God has given us:
- What has Jesus already said and done when God’s children are hurt?
- Who are today’s lepers and tax collectors and vulnerable women that Jesus loved 2000 years ago?
- What was Jesus’ response when his own followers betrayed him, denied knowing him, kept their mouths shut?
Sometimes we need to speak up. I suggest we do it up close and personal rather than via social media.
When we witness a person abuse another person, when we can see destructive actions, when we live in a country with the privilege of expressing our faithful beliefs to those with the power to change things we must speak up and stand up. It is our calling as disciples of Jesus.
It’s so much easier to put something on social media and – honestly there’s a place for that in terms of sharing information. But if we believe that God has called any of us to focus first and foremost on what’s going on in the small walls of our safe spaces, we are ignoring the Gospel. Jesus never, ever said anything like that.
A Church for Starving Artists 