Fear and honor...
I don't necessarily find it surprising that my Facebook feed is flooded with "Christian" postings. Facebook offers everyone their very own soapbox upon which to stand and shout to the masses and spiritual beliefs are among the most deeply rooted beliefs that people hold. Given that--and given also that many of my Facebook friends ascribe to the belief set of Christianity--it shouldn't be surprising to see tons of "Click like if you love Jesus" and "Give the glory to GOD" and "Today's verse" postings.
What I do find surprising, though, is how little attention people pay to the hypocrisy that is inherent in such postings in some cases.
The Apostle Peter wrote in his first epistle, "[R]id yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind." Let's focus on the last part of that exhortation for a moment. Peter says that we are to have nothing to do with any kind of slander. Now I majored in Broadcast Media and took enough journalism classes to be able to define slander in my sleep, but Peter was not talking about the legal definition of slander under modern law. The spirit of the term is "defamatory language". Please note: a statement does not have to be false to be slanderous.
"Oh," many might say, "I don't slander people in the public forum that is Facebook and social media at large." Really? Stay tuned for just a bit...
Peter continues later in the letter: "Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors. . .Show proper respect to everyone, love your fellow believers, fear God, honor the king." ~ 1 Pet. 2:13-14, 17
And now we get to the crux of the matter: Many people who shout from the highest social media moutaintop how much they love Jesus and how much they lament the lack of glory that is given to God turn around and--on the very same Facebook wall or Twitter feed--post or repost pictures or comments defaming whatever political personality that has most recently drawn their ire--up to and including the President of the United States.
Christian, like it or not, the President is our version of Peter's "king" and it is unbecoming a follower of Christ to post defamatory content about him. (This applies to any political figure for that matter... that's what Peter meant when he said "whether to the king...or to governors." Anyone elected in our republic to governmental office is a governor in this context.).
Does this mean that we have to agree with the policies of our leaders at all times? By no means! Anyone recall who the "king" was at the time Peter wrote his letter saying that Christians should honor the king? He was an infamous and bloody tyrant named Nero. Look him up on Wikipedia and read a little about how Nero hunted down Christians and fed them to the lions in the arena or burned them alive in his gardens as torches at night--it may give you a different perspective on the offensiveness of President Obama to your sensibilities. If Peter believed that Christians in his day should honor Nero, modern Christians can't exactly hide behind a veil of "I don't really agree with my king, so this doesn't apply to me."
Do you really believe all those things you post about Jesus? Do you really love God (and click "like" at every opportunity to show it)? Then do what He desires.
Fear God. Honor the King. And enough of the ridiculous hypocrisy.
Disclaimer: We are all fallen creatures and none of us are perfect--least of all me. The above should not be taken as a judgment upon people to whom it applies. Rather, I merely wish to point out something that perhaps many have overlooked: it is unbecoming of anyone who professes an adherence to the ideals of Christ and who further posts very publicly and prodigiously about how much they love Jesus and honor God to turn around and--in the very same forum--post things that are in explicit contrast to the behavior patterns that are laid out in the New Testament. If the shoe fits, it doesn't make you a terrible and wholly offensive person before God. Rather, it simply shows that you--just like I and everyone else--have room to grow before God. God is all about redemption. What He despises is willful and continued disobedience and hypocrisy.
What I do find surprising, though, is how little attention people pay to the hypocrisy that is inherent in such postings in some cases.
The Apostle Peter wrote in his first epistle, "[R]id yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind." Let's focus on the last part of that exhortation for a moment. Peter says that we are to have nothing to do with any kind of slander. Now I majored in Broadcast Media and took enough journalism classes to be able to define slander in my sleep, but Peter was not talking about the legal definition of slander under modern law. The spirit of the term is "defamatory language". Please note: a statement does not have to be false to be slanderous.
"Oh," many might say, "I don't slander people in the public forum that is Facebook and social media at large." Really? Stay tuned for just a bit...
Peter continues later in the letter: "Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors. . .Show proper respect to everyone, love your fellow believers, fear God, honor the king." ~ 1 Pet. 2:13-14, 17
And now we get to the crux of the matter: Many people who shout from the highest social media moutaintop how much they love Jesus and how much they lament the lack of glory that is given to God turn around and--on the very same Facebook wall or Twitter feed--post or repost pictures or comments defaming whatever political personality that has most recently drawn their ire--up to and including the President of the United States.
Christian, like it or not, the President is our version of Peter's "king" and it is unbecoming a follower of Christ to post defamatory content about him. (This applies to any political figure for that matter... that's what Peter meant when he said "whether to the king...or to governors." Anyone elected in our republic to governmental office is a governor in this context.).
Does this mean that we have to agree with the policies of our leaders at all times? By no means! Anyone recall who the "king" was at the time Peter wrote his letter saying that Christians should honor the king? He was an infamous and bloody tyrant named Nero. Look him up on Wikipedia and read a little about how Nero hunted down Christians and fed them to the lions in the arena or burned them alive in his gardens as torches at night--it may give you a different perspective on the offensiveness of President Obama to your sensibilities. If Peter believed that Christians in his day should honor Nero, modern Christians can't exactly hide behind a veil of "I don't really agree with my king, so this doesn't apply to me."
Do you really believe all those things you post about Jesus? Do you really love God (and click "like" at every opportunity to show it)? Then do what He desires.
Fear God. Honor the King. And enough of the ridiculous hypocrisy.
Disclaimer: We are all fallen creatures and none of us are perfect--least of all me. The above should not be taken as a judgment upon people to whom it applies. Rather, I merely wish to point out something that perhaps many have overlooked: it is unbecoming of anyone who professes an adherence to the ideals of Christ and who further posts very publicly and prodigiously about how much they love Jesus and honor God to turn around and--in the very same forum--post things that are in explicit contrast to the behavior patterns that are laid out in the New Testament. If the shoe fits, it doesn't make you a terrible and wholly offensive person before God. Rather, it simply shows that you--just like I and everyone else--have room to grow before God. God is all about redemption. What He despises is willful and continued disobedience and hypocrisy.