The Modern Day Soapbox

Before I dive into what's on my mind, I would like to preface this blog with two clear points:

1.) Although I always try to write and speak to a general audience, in this particular blog post I am writing specifically to my friends who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior and thus would call themselves a Christian. Wherever you find yourself on the 'religious spectrum', I encourage you to continue reading this post, but please keep in mind that I am speaking directly to those would who label themselves as followers of Christ.

2.) The definition of irony is, "incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs."(Dictionary.com). I bring this up because it will not take you long to realize this blog post directly violates the principle I am trying to raise in this post. In many ways, I am asking you not to do something that I am actually about to do. It would be like me telling you the physical consequences of smoking while I puff smoke from my cigarette right in your face. That being said, I ask you to consider the heart of what I am trying to say. And I too will try and adhere to my own advice.

Now that we've got that out of the way, let's dive in.

I have found myself, on more than one occasion, spending too many hours on YouTube, reading the comments that viewers will post to particular videos. Whether they are bashing the flow of Justin Bieber's hair, or giving you deep insight to how the universe came into existence, everyone seems to have a voice and opinion.

I personally don't play online video games (I grew up with three sisters in the house. We had dolls, not video games. I've got deeper issues), but have heard similar stories of the 13 year old boys shouting death threats over World of Warcraft. Again, it's fun to live in a modern day society where everyone gets a chance to voice their opinion.

At the risk of sounding repetitive, I would like to remind anyone who is reading this, that this particular post is directed to my Christian friends. This will be especially important as we move forward. If you are not a Christian, please continue to read. Just know I am not speaking directly to you :)

I think one of the biggest dangers of online media, with an emphasis on Facebook, is the opportunity for Christians to replace personal relationships with what I call an "online soapbox".

Let me unpack that.

As Christians, we ought to be consistently asking ourselves how we can best demonstrate the love of Christ to a hurting and chaotic world.  The danger, however, is seeing Facebook as an opportunity to speak to the masses while actually not speaking to anyone at all.

I've said this before, and I'll say it again. I am a very simple dude. Complex theories make my head hurt. So let me make this point as clear and as simple as possible.

If you are a Christian, I urge you to consider removing Facebook as a platform to express your deep opinions and convictions, specifically about your faith, religion, or Christ. He did not call us to use megaphones, events and billboards to reach the world. He taught us to use relationships.

If you are passionate about Christmas, politics, movies, etc., pull up a chair at a coffee shop, not your computer desk. Invite your friends, especially the ones who don't think like you, to join you in conversation face-to-face. Buy them a coffee or even a meal. Talk about things you're passionate about, and allow them to share the things they are passionate about.

As the old adage goes "They don't care what you know until they know that you care".

Jesus could have used tons of different strategies when sharing the greatest news of all time to humanity. But he chose to do it through relationship. He loved people. The people he loved the most were the least like him.

Let's use Facebook to stay in touch with friends and family. Let's use YouTube to watch videos of kittens acting out Star Wars episodes. And let's use food and drinks to bridge gaps with people we wouldn't normally sit and chat with.

Now, like I said at the top of this post, I am going to try and take my own advice and get my butt up off this computer and hang out with real people. It doesn't take a bunch of courage to sit behind a screen and use capital letters to get your point across. Although it does take a ton of courage to invite someone who is nothing like you to have coffee or a meal.

Before I end this, I would like to make one thing clear. I believe that we should use every means possible to share the Good News of Jesus Christ to the world. I am truly a fan of social media, blog sites, and online forums. I prove that last point by writing this blog for people to read. I am grateful that we live in such a time that allows us to communicate to large groups of people at one time. And I trust that God uses the internet as a tool to reach people for his Kingdom. So with all that said, allow me to emphasize the point of this post. I am urging you to not fall into the trap of replacing real relationships and real conversation with real people by strictly posting your thoughts and opinions online. If the only reason people know you are a Christian is by the things you post on Facebook, you should probably re-evaluate your strategy.

Stepping off my modern day soapbox now.

Thanks for listening.