LeaderPaths Journal
ENGAGE TRUTH & GRACE
Articles and Thoughts from our Contributors
 Anyone who has spent time on Facebook or Twitter has scrolled past long but meaningless arguments which served no purpose other than rousing the anger of whoever participated in or took the time to read them. I’d wager that most people who have spent a lot of time on these and other social media sites have participated in at least one of these disputes, even if they didn’t recognize it until after the fact. These squabbles often continue over dozens of comments and contain nothing but vitriol and slanted, ill-considered arguments that are usually laced with countless logical fallacies. Even the best of us can be dragged into one of these internet debates. These arguments are almost always fruitless, so why do so many of us still fall into the trap? If we are ever about to insert ourselves into any argument, we should first pause and ask ourselves a couple of questions.
The first question we should ask in making an argument, or, indeed, in any endeavor, is: What do I want to accomplish here? If your goal is to persuade the person to whom your comment is directed, you should ask yourself another question. When is the last time you were actually dissuaded from one of your views by a comment on social media? No matter how well worded your reply is, no matter how much time and thought you put into crafting the perfect response, you will not change the other person’s mind. If you really want to have an honest exchange about an issue, social media is the worst communication medium you can possibly use. On the other side of that screen is a human being with whom you disagree. All too often, at least one party (frequently more than one party) forgets this fact and lays into the other without any concern for how an actual person will respond. This starts a vicious cycle which, at best, will lead to your friend or follower becoming more entrenched in his or her own position. At worst, you may damage, or even lose, a relationship with someone you care about. By no means do I suggest that if you disagree with something that someone says on social media then you should necessarily ignore it and move on. Sometimes that is exactly what you should do. If you know that you or your friend cannot have this discussion and remain calm and rational, then breaching the topic is probably not worth it. Having this discussion will just cause a rift between you and your friend and will likely make it harder for you or someone else to change his or her mind further down the road. However, if you believe your friend is mistaken on an important issue, and you know that both you and your friend can remain calm throughout the discussion, then by all means speak up. However, your protest should not be in the form of a comment. Instead, you should invite your friend to talk about it over lunch or a cup of coffee. This way, you will both be speaking to another person, rather than just typing out into the void that is the internet. You are much more likely to change the other person’s mind when talking face to face, than you are over Facebook. You are also more likely to treat the other person like a real person. Always remember to approach your friend with humility and honesty and try to see how he or she is thinking. Remember, you can’t change everyone’s mind, so be prepared to agree to disagree. If your goal is not to persuade, but to whip up some controversy or just to blow off some steam, then please just stop. Put your phone down and go do something else. Nearly anything else would be better than going down this path. It does feel good to troll people on social media, at least in the moment, but in the long run it will only give rise to tension and animosity. In the end, this will make it harder to convince others to join your side. This type of behavior is one of many factors that make our online environment so toxic. As Christians, we are called to be peacemakers. Matthew 5:9 (NASB) says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” This does not mean that Christians should become pacifists, or that they should silently assent to whatever harsh treatment they receive. Often the opposite is true. Christians should be the first to stand up against injustice, and we should be bold in advancing the things of God. However, Christians should never perpetuate unnecessary conflict for its own sake. We have enough problems in this world without trying to create new ones for ourselves. R. Tate Four years ago, I had the opportunity to spend a day volunteering for a campaign during the 2016 presidential primary. Throughout the day, I was able to speak with dozens of South Carolinians face to face. I noticed a common thread woven through many of the conversations I had with them. Many told me that they were not worried about who won the election, because they knew that God governed over whoever would lead them, and in the end, they would be taken care of by God all the same. Some people even went so far as to tell me that they didn’t bother with politics because God would order things for their good anyway. Many of them cited Romans 13 as the reason for their beliefs. Romans 13:1 reads in part: “there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.” (NASB) These Christians, like many others I have encountered throughout my life, argued that this verse means that they should not pay much attention to politics because God would take care of those things for them anyway. I do not doubt the sincerity of these Christians’ beliefs. As a matter of fact, they do have somewhat of a point. Inasmuch as things are beyond our control, we Christians should be at peace and trust that God will order all things to the benefit of His Church. But for Christians to eschew involvement in politics altogether because of this verse is a gross misapplication of the true meaning of the passage in question.
In the United States, and in other nations with republican forms of government, God has blessed us with the ability to choose our governing officials. Thanks to the time and place in which we have been born, we have the right as citizens to have significant input on what public policy shall be. According to both the traditions and the founding documents of the United States government, the American people do not elect rulers, they elect public servants to create laws. The very philosophy of our founding affirms that the only legitimate form of government in this country is the one which rules with the consent of the governed. This fact is enshrined in our Constitution. This right to vote and participate in our government is an immense privilege which very few citizens had prior to the 18th century. We should be grateful to our ancestors for securing these rights to us and our fellow citizens. But this is much more than a privilege, it is an awesome responsibility. We as Christians have failed in our duty. We have a duty to elect men and women who will protect the rights that have been given to us by God. Instead, we have elected government officials who have allowed, encouraged, or even funded (whether directly or indirectly) the murder of tens of millions of innocent children. They have funded the destruction of the nuclear family, which is vital to a stable society and to the raising up of healthy children. They have forced on parents the sterilization and mutilation of their confused children, indoctrinated our youth to support evil and reject good, shuttered churches for having the audacity to gather together, and committed countless other evils against the American people. Our governments at federal, state, and local levels have in many cases become sick. All this has taken place while millions of Christians have sat by and said, “God will take care of us.” Meanwhile, our society, whose foundation rests on the solid ground of God’s truth, has largely abandoned God. Our once Christian nation now praises what God calls abhorrent and abominable. Romans 13 does not mean that God will take care of our politics if we just get out of the way. God allows men to establish governments, even those which dishonor God and mistreat His people. When God’s nation of Israel called for a king, God eventually relented and gave them a wicked tyrant in the form of Saul. Now large swaths of the American public call for government which would trample on the rights of all citizens and commit evils against God and His Church. It seems that America is quickly progressing down a road towards destruction. Without the intervention of Providence, we cannot hope to turn around. However, I hope, and I genuinely believe that it is not too late to turn this great country of ours back away from the cliff. I believe that God will hear the cry of his people and see their actions. As long as Christians in large part act in accordance with God’s will, God may see to it that this country is spared from the destruction that seems inevitable. As is the norm in the Christian life, ours is a simple task, but will not be easy. First of all, we must pray. We must implore God for his divine guidance and protection. We must spread the true Gospel to our fellow man, and we must grow in our own understanding of the Gospel. We must vote as God would have us vote. We must elect men and women who would protect children both inside and outside of the womb. We must elect men and women of courage who will stand for the rights of Christians to worship God, and who will encourage families to remain together to raise their children. We must help our fellow citizens when they are in need. We must not allow the government, no matter how well-intentioned, to continue to usurp the role of the Church in taking care of widows, orphans, and the needy. We must raise up our children in the Word of God. If we, the Church in America, will do these things, then perhaps the Lord will see fit to rescue this nation from the precipice of destruction. But one thing is for sure, if we as Christians honor God and act according to His will, He will rescue us, whether in this world or the next. Ronnie Tate |
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