Most of the world has joined the Torch and Pitchfork of the Month Club.
Every couple weeks there is something new to be outraged about. There is some other news story enrapturing the attention of the masses and causing them to both express their outrage and their opinion. We seem to get great enjoyment out of outrage.
Unfortunately this doesn't seem any better in Christian circles. Perhaps I can say more accurately... it is as bad on the world of Christian social media.
Every day online Christianity is a cesspool of heretic naming, political rage bating and those explaining why their way of doing church is right and everyone else's is wrong. Kindness, meekness, humility, gentleness, patience and self-control doesn't get clicks. Influencers can't be found being gentle or they must be called out as woke, soft, liberal and degenerate.
Some of you have no idea what I'm talking about. God has blessed you. Don't even try to find the cesspool. I guarantee you're better off without it.
I have been reading 1 and 2 Timothy lately. In it Paul has much to teach his protégé. One theme that has bubbled to the top as I read it is avoiding false teachers and their controversies.
"So flee from youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord with a pure heart. Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will." 2 Timothy 2:22-26
Timothy was not to accept false teachers, but to correct them. He was not to embrace them, but to avoid them. He was not to be hard with them, but to be gentle and have faith that God alone can bring repentance.
But most of us aren't pastors. Most of us aren't dealing with false teachers directly. However, most of us are in relationship with people that have confronted some false or weird teaching on Tik Tok, X and Facebook. Some of us have relationships with people that believe they've been deputized in the fight against online false teachers.
So, what are we to do? Grab a pitchfork and torch again this week?
No. We are to avoid stupid controversies.
"Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels." 2 Timothy 2:23
One of the chief ways we engage with those who want to have discussions about controversies is simply to not join them in it. And if we do engage in the controversy we should do so very gently and humbly. We should not come in with the posture that our arguments will change them, but that our gentleness and God's kindness can.
"And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness." 2 Timothy 2:24-25a
So the next time you're online and you see a controversy, just scroll on by and pay it little-to-no mind. The next time you're at church small group and someone says, "You can't be a Christian and vote for _____" or "Did you know Christmas and Easter are wrong for Christians to celebrate?" or "I have some thoughts about how we don't sing enough hymns at our church" or "I think it's wrong for Christians to take medicine for depression " or any other topic that doesn't breed unity but sires controversy, just turn the eyes of your group to the gospel.
This is not to say that we can never talk about or think about controversial topics in the church or about doctrine. This is to say that we (particularly social media Christianity) do great job of majoring on the minors. We do a better job of arguing amongst ourselves than of honoring God and participating in the Great Commission.
Try it this week. Try scrolling by and not engaging. Try speaking to others about the Lord and not the latest controversy. Void your membership to the Torch and Pitchfork of the Month Club and instead major on the majors of our faith and grow your own gentleness today.
