The Online Witness
I have been pondering something over the last few weeks.
I am a Facebook user. I have an account on MySpace but it just got way too overwhelming with all the ads, all the friends, and all the functions I just did not need…I could not enjoy it anymore, so I rarely use it. But, I am a part of the online community phenomenon.
Having understood and realized that, I wonder about my witness. I also wonder about the witness of those around me. What does my status say about me…my day…my walk? I really think that it is possible to read to much into this…but I also think it is possible to neglect the impact that it may actually have on you, the people around you, and the God you serve (or claim to serve). So my question is this? Without becoming the overzealous, legalistic minded, lack of love showing persons we all know exist to dampen the spirit of true faith in Christ…how can we test the actions of ourselves and others in the world of online communities? What do the photos we take and post online say to others about our lifestyle? At what point does fun loving become a stumbling block for you and those around you? How do these public conversations we can have with one another (wall to wall) that are displayed to the world build up or destroy those around us?
Let me say this: I love the community, and the people around me…but, I have seen some stuff that makes me say “What were they thinking?!”
What do you think?
(May I remind you…this is public…choose your words with wisdom and grace.)
CT
Powered by 
Comments
Posted Jan 14th at 9:21 pm
It’s true that often times we put information on the internet that we should really keep to ourselves. And we usually look back on it a few weeks later and wonder why we did it. I think it comes down to the comfort we feel in these online communities. When we’re with close friends it’s not unusual for us to slip up a little. We may tell a joke that’s inappropriate or just not bother to show any enthusiasm because we know at the end of the day that those friends won’t think any differently of us. The problem with these online communities is that we forget how public they are. We feel like we’re just sitting around with a group of friends when we’re online, even if we’re only typing back and forth or looking at their profiles. We’ve become so used to just saying what we think on these profiles that we don’t stop to consider what others may think of us when they look at them.
Posted Jan 15th at 12:17 pm
Speaking as someone that has untagged photos and has been asked not to tag a few photos. I’ve often wondered about pictures that look guilty but may or may not be. Or even having friends that aren’t Christians that may put up comments that may not be the most appropriate. So, I wonder, is it only about what is about what is going on in the pictures or what is projected as being there? Is it what you say or what people say about you? As much as we hope that if there is a misunderstanding questions would be asked to us directly and in turn we can give our explanations; the truth is that we don’t always get that chance. But on the other hand, if some of those incriminating pictures or comments are deleted or untagged or requested to not be put up, what does that say to those that may not be Christians? That we live a double standard? Is it more important to pose an honest picture or an idealized one?
Posted Jan 16th at 12:57 am
First off, I’m curious as to what you mean by “witness.” This, of course, may just be my inexperience and naievete of the Christian faith and lifestyle (having not been raised amidst that atmosphere), but is it similar to your conscience? Is it your Godly conscience? (And shouldn’t our conscience be Godly, anyway, if we are serving God?). But anywho … I think you bring up a good point, and one that I know has affected my belief in churches (notice, the little ‘c’) in the past, and certainly does still impact the impressions other individuals get.
I am so used to being surrounded by hypocrisy, not only in what one might call the “Christian world” (aka your Sunday service, your small group/bible study, your Rhythm-esque gatherings of worship and the like), but also in the “Secular-World-of-Everyday-Life” as well. What I find to be interesting is that in practicing life in the “Secular” sector, we become hypocrites of those things we “preach” and pray for in the “Christian” sector. You can sit there on Sunday morning and nod your head with your Pastor, your teacher, and holler an “Amen!” when appropriate; then the very next day gossip about some girl in the cafeteria who’s on her third helping of banana pudding and snicker behind your hand when she’s walking out and drops something and exposes a little more of her behind than anyone wanted to see while picking it up. Or even that very same night go to an “Aww, man, the weekend’s over!” kegger and get so intoxicated you can’t remember what you’re doing in the pictures that your other drunken buddies took and plastered all over Facebook the next day.
The fact of the matter is, these “Secular” and “Christian” sectors, as I have called them, shouldn’t even be separated in the first place. They don’t exist independent of one another. You’re either a Christian (or Christ follower, as some like to call it), or you’re not. And if you are (or claim to be), then you are so in the “Secular-World-of-Everyday-Life” as well. That means you’re the one picking up what the banana-pudding-girl had dropped with an, “I do that all the time,” chuckle to make her feel less terrible. Or, if you do go to that kegger, you’re the one urging your friend that he’s got that paper due Tuesday that he hasn’t even started, and “Hey, let’s blow this pop stand, order a pizza, and go watch a movie while you work on your paper.”
This is not to say that I am perfect (duh, far from it). And that we do all slip up; things happens, something is said that we instantly regret. In this media age of digital cameras that fit in the palm of your hand and cell phones that record voices and movies and are connected to the internet … anyone can capture nearly anything. And I believe Idara makes a fabulous point here: a picture may be taken, but it is still worth a thousand words. The thousand words that an outside viewer, Christian or non, may think of, and the thousand words that the individual in the picture may think of, may differ 100%. She’s right, there are people who do simply assume and don’t ask questions and may completely misinterpret what’s going on.
But most of the time we only get that one chance, that one shot, to make an impact. It’s a huge responsibility to constantly be sitting there thinking “What am I doing presently? Who’s watching me? Who has the potential to watch me? How does that look? How can it be misinterpreted? How can it affect the people I love negatively?” In fact, it’s nearly impossible. In this day and age, many people DON’T think that far in advance; and there is also this phenomena of self-care that we misinterpret as being an excuse to do anything we want because it makes us feel better.
To bring this novel full-circle, I also want to address Idara’s other point: “Is it more important to pose an honest picture or an idealized one?” We can make our Facebooks LOOK as great and as “Christian” as we want to. But that doesn’t mean we believe it. That tells an outsider that we are walking God’s path and entice them to join our group because they want to walk with us. But then, when they do join us, and get close to us, and discover the truth behind that mask, they will turn away. The hypocrisy will be there and will be a turn off — especially for Seekers as I myself once was — and we will be back to square one where we originally started: divided between our “Christian” life and our “Everyday” life, turning Seekers into skeptics, and turning around in circles on the yellow-brick-road to Christ.
Posted Jan 18th at 4:23 pm
Meghan,
You hit the nail on the head, IMHO. It’s all about authenticity. The extremes of either going out our way to put forth an image we don’t live up or not giving a rip what we look like both kill the concept of the authenticity of someone who really just wants to live for Jesus.
Live for Jesus and people will misconstrue and call names and unfairly gossip/mis-characterize you at some point. How do I know? Jesus was called a drunk and a glutton for pursing a life free from religious rules and regulations.
Live without constraint and we show ourselves to be very poor representations of someone who follows Jesus. “Faith without works is dead.” We have to live it.
In the end, we need to live it real- aware of the witness but unwilling to compromise the freedom. Regardless of how we live, someone will be upset. It’s better to upset religious hypocrites than Jesus. It’s better to reach unbelievers with the reality of a sometimes stumbling faith than to put up a plastic image that looks really good to the churched but doesn’t reflect the truth of our lives.
Authenticity. For me, that’s the key. Then, if someone comes along who doesn’t like my choice of music or the fact that I list an R-rated movie as one my favorites, at least I’m at peace with the fact that I haven’t sinned against God but against religious rules. And if I’m at the kegger, I know for a fact I won’t be drunk because I know I’m not free in Christ to get toasted. Hot-chocolated, maybe. Warmed, possibly. But not toasted.
Meghan, thanks for your post. The hypocrisy of living in 2 different worlds is part of what is ugly to the world around us. We are believers and there is only one world- God’s. No church vs. secular. Just who we are at all times. You rock!
- Brian
Posted Jan 18th at 6:27 pm
i do not have a facebook but i do have a myspace & i get what craig is saying. i believe EVERY part of your life should revolve around jesus….that includes myspace/facebook & such. what you put on your websites is what you should live out in your life. but we have to remember that jesus does not make us love him..he gave us 2 choices but he wants us to choose only one …so you choose…hot or cold…but also remember that lukewarm is NOT an option.
thanks,
w.
Posted Jan 19th at 4:13 pm
Wayne, I am with you on that. None of us are perfect by any means, but the Bible also states that we still need to flee any appearance of evil. If an R rated movie is your favorite movie, don’t tell us. You can be a stumbling block to someone else. That is a Biblical principal as well. That is not a religious rule either. It is an act of love for us not to make another stumble. 1 Corinthians 10:31 tell us that whatever we do, do it for the glory of God. What glory does God get in watching an R rated movie?
Posted Jan 19th at 10:00 pm
Hilton,
Thank you for your insight. I respect your convictions on the issue. I do approach it differently. Here’s how I’ve arrived at my current convictions. Jesus’ strongest words were for the religious people who enforced rules that were not God’s, but men’s rules. I don’t believe we, as believers, should use the rating system of the world to tell us what we can or cannot see. They aren’t our standard- God is.
I’ve seen PG movies that were nothing but innuendo and sex. And I”ve seen R movies that were amazing and incredible and, yes, inspiring. So I have to ask, “Why are we letting the world around us set our standards for us?’
That being said, the concept of the weaker brother is often brought up concerning these issues. The issue of the weaker brother, in conctext, is one of whether or not a believer who thinks something is sin might be tempted to do so while still believing it is sin (even though it isn’t). If he does, he sins against his conscience. Meat offered to idols was just…meat. Not good or bad. Just meat. And in the context of telling the Christians in Corinth to be careful, Paul also taught the freedom that comes with knowing that meat is only meat.
In other words, the movie is, in and of itself, just a movie. Each believer has to decide what is good and what is evil in areas of conviction (those not biblically-listed). That’s one of the definitions of maturity: the ability to discern good from evil (Hebrews).
I have yet to talk to someone who believed they sinned by watching an R movie but did it because another believer had done so.
Again, though, with respect, I can have a hot-fudge sundae to the glory of God! I thnak him as I eat. And yes, the Matrix was something I watched to God’s glory, thanking him for the fellowship as I watched (Christian friends) and the message in it as well.
So…I disagree. But I appreciate our differences and thank you for causing me to think through this issue.
Posted Jan 20th at 11:20 am
Bryan, I apologize if I came off a little offensive. I am not very good at saying things tactfully, but my personality is a little like Jeremiah, although I am no Jeremiah. I am glad you are trying to work through this, but I am not sure you understand the issue. The movie you saw may be great, but we cannot assume everybody has seen the movie and undertstands why you like that movie. A movie is just a movie until it becomes something else. A curse word is a curse word. I did not say the curse word, but that does not mean I have to stick around and listen to more curse words. A nude scene is just a nude scene. I am not looking and lusting at it, but that does not mean it is ok to continue watching the scene. I am not even close to being as perfect as Jesus, and if I look at an image or hear something crude, it could effect my mind. David was a man after God’s own heart, but just some idle time on a roof top led his heart away from God. Is it not the mature thing to avoid damaging our testimony? Can we live without something in order to glorify God?
Posted Jan 20th at 1:37 pm
Brother Hilton,
Thanks so much for your response. As a fellow pastor in the Valley, I’m glad to be working alongside you as we together introduce people to Jesus and help guide them on the journey of following him.
With you in the race and excited to be a part of the it,
Brian
Posted Jan 21st at 1:21 pm
Thank you brother Brian. I feel the same. I appreciate your sweet spirit. We all have things we wrestle with, but the most important thing we can do is introduce people to Jesus. His grace is so awesome. My grace at times is lacking. Thank God it is only His grace that saves us.
Posted Jan 21st at 2:37 pm
Hilton,
You said, “I am not very good at saying things tactfully, but my personality is a little like Jeremiah, although I am no Jeremiah.” What personality traits are you attributing to Jeremiah? I’ve just finished reading the book of Jeremiah in the Bible and am interested in your opinion of his personality.
Shanna
Posted Jan 24th at 12:23 pm
Hi Shanna,
I just saw your post. It would probably be more like how Jeremiah was perceived. He was accused of being a false prophet because his message was so negative. They even excommunicated him from the temple. For 40 years he preached God’s judgement is coming, and they just “blew” him off as an angry preacher. When God decided time was up, they went into captivity. Despite what they thought of Jeremiah, he still loved them and they realized he was a true man of God after Jerusalem was seized. My opinion about jeremiah is that he came across really blunt and offensive, but his heart was in the right place. He was not a legalistic and angry preacher. He was just doing what God had called him to do.