I”ll begin this week”s column with a couple of confessions.
Confession One: I spend some time on Facebook every day, probably as much as the average user (20 minutes), and I don”t feel bad about it. After all, one in 13 people on the planet is a Facebook user, and more than half of them, like me, visit the site daily. That figures out to about 270 million others who could make my same confession; it”s a cinch I”m not alone.
Confession Two: I plan to vote for Mitt Romney. And once again, with the polls consistently showing an American populace almost evenly divided between this year”s presidential candidates, I know I”m in good company.
But as popular as the Mormon is among many Christians I know, not all of them, including some closest to me, are choosing him. So I”ll not use this space to attempt political persuasion. I doubt I”d convince anyone anyway, and politics is not the purview of this website.
Instead, I want to explain how these confessions relate to each other.
Here”s the problem: some Christians posting about the president on Facebook go beyond disagreement to disrespect. If we must express political opinions on Facebook (and some research shows that such posts seldom change anyone”s mind), let those who claim Christ as Lord avoid personal attacks and insults.
During this week”s debate, one of my Facebook friends posted, “Liar, liar, pants on fire. Obama is going to burst in flames any minute now.” I”m guessing this Christian did not pray for the president before going to bed that night or during morning devotions the next day. How will we pray for a person after we”ve just uttered contempt for him?
Yet Christ commanded us to love our enemies and pray even for our persecutors (Matthew 5:44). And the apostles reminded us that God ordains governments””even the oppressive regimes of their day (Romans 13:1)””and instructed us to “honor the emperor” (1 Peter 2:17).
Last week at Patheos.com, Jason Morehead asked “Why are we so mean on Facebook?” Among the possible answers: We may feel less inhibited online because we can”t see those who are reading our comments. “There”s also the feeling of online anonymity,” he added, “which makes us feel invincible as we toss out our snark.”
But “snark” need not be the province of Christians who are trusting God, not political parties, to determine their destinies. Of course we can disagree about policies and politicians and debate the issues that concern us most. But let us do so in a way that glorifies God””even when we”re posting on Facebook.
I have to admit that I have made comments about our current President, only lately. In the past few years I have prayed for him as well.
I do agree that respect for the office of the Presidency should be shown. I have seen videos making fun of the debates and think, “why is that funny?” Aren’t the issues and what is happening now much more serious than making fun of the men who try to either correct those issues or to keep the status quo? As I grow older I see similarities to the times of my mother and father during World War II. The history that I have studied, the foundation of this Constitution that God our Father blessed being trampled on the ground, being rewritten and ignored. And the beginnings of the abuse of Christianity itself. The Old Testament stories have shown us that when nations blessed by God, soon forget God, they go to ruin. Who went to those nations to remind them of what they were doing? Who has God sent to tell our nation?
I disagree with the President on so many levels. . . . One, that the DNC platform wanted to leave God Out of this nation . . . and lift up the right to abortion (which is horrible””and then I am having to pay for them through my taxes). The president chose not to have the National Day of Prayer at the White House . . . and, of course, we can go on and on. When we stand up for God and what is written in His Word, we shouldn’t be so afraid to offend someone. The Bible is full of the teaching of God’s love . . . but what does loving really mean? Some of the teachings of God are hard, because he requires us to be like Him, to become more like Him. We should do all things through love, but we should also stand and make it known that God is our Father and the One and Only True God. And that will offend people.
This is an important discussion to have. Too often, as Morehead pointed out, we use our perceived anonymity as an excuse to unashamedly belittle and badger others online. It”™s frustrating to see reasonable, well-educated adults (and yes, sometimes pastors) who express themselves in this way. What they fail to realize is that whether we are in the privacy of our own household, in public, or on Facebook (which, funny enough, is a combination of the two), what we do reflects on our true opinion of the lordship of Jesus Christ.
I wonder how many people see how we act and have been dissuaded from Christ, because we couldn”™t be bothered to shelve our personal politics. Just because we”™re called to be a witness to the Truth doesn”™t mean that our opinions or politics fall under that category. Perhaps a smidgen of humility is in order when it comes to communicating with others, regardless of the venue.
If someone, including someone who holds the office of President, is lying, what is wrong with pointing it out? Why would it not be disrespectful to pretend an official is telling the truth if he is not?
Also, the “pray for” commands in the N.T. regarding governing officials are not without context. We are to pray for them so we can “lead peaceful, quiet lives” etc. It is not inappropriate to pray for the downfall of a corrupt governing official just so that we can lead a peaceful life.
Governing officials, as such, are not just someone in the neighborhood who might have gone astray. They often hold great power, and thus very great responsibility. Holding their proverbial feet to the fire seems like a very appropriate job for Christians.
I’ll admit as a Pastor it seems tricky to talk about politics on Facebook. I feel confident addressing issues on Facebook that are Biblical. If they have political connections I try to stay focused on the principle. For example, I stand for human life and the sanctity of the womb in my FB posts. Of course I do my best to post thoughts dipped in God’s grace and love, but I try to leave the political part out of it. Even then it seems tricky sometimes.