Christian Citizenship
Christian Citizenship and Social Media
If the Christian can be sure of one thing in this election season; it is that they will see conversations surrounding controversial issues play out on social media. In particular, people, even brothers and sisters in Christ, will engage in divisive speech in less than honorable ways. Disunity and flaring tempers, amongst Christians engaging in social media, have become especially prevalent to witness this year. However, offensive speech is just a symptom, or outward sign, of an underlying sin that plagues all of humanity.
Although we strive for perfection (Matthew 5:48), we are not suggesting that every conversation a Christian engages in is going to be perfect. Instead, we maintain that there are biblical principles that should be followed to ensure we honor our duties as citizens of the kingdom of God.
In this blog post, we are exploring how Christians can, and should, navigate their social media engagement with an open-minded, biblical perspective. We pray that, through the opening of Scripture and the conviction of the Holy Spirit, Christians will find their hearts and minds transformed in the area of politics and social media interactions.
Citizens of Heaven
In the US, freedom of speech and the right to vote are gifts that have come at a high price. We are correct to think that our participation in the political process is a hallmark of good citizenship. However, for Christians, we must be careful to recognize that our national citizenship and our local civic duties in the US are always secondary. There is a higher throne and a greater kingdom to which we belong.
Peter makes our primary citizenship clear in his first epistle, when he calls us, a royal priesthood, and a holy nation. There are rights and duties that come with citizenship in the kingdom of God; we are to be holy (1 Peter 1:15) we are to love one another (John 13:34), and our speech is to be gracious (Colossians 4:6). The early church recognized their national identity was found first in the kingdom of God, and secondarily, in whichever earthly nation they happened to reside. For many of our brothers and sisters in the early church, this meant avoiding practices that the rest of society considered commonplace (e.g. burning incense in worship of the emperor). This abstinence resulted in the death of countless Christians, but their loyalty was to a higher throne than Caesar’s. Modern times may not seem so dire, but we also must recognize that our heavenly citizenship requires us to engage our neighbors in ways that are counter-cultural; this includes the way we treat those with whom we disagree. We would do well to learn this lesson from the early church: Our engagement in the political process will only be faithful when we first consider where our true citizenship resides.
Problems and Solutions
Before engaging in political conversations on social media, we should contemplate biblical considerations to ensure our comments are representative of our Christian citizenship. Because our primary citizenship is found in heaven, we cannot separate our faith from our life.
The first consideration as Christians should be that we are always representing Christ, this applies to our conversations on social media (2 Corinthians 5:20). So, the question we must ask ourselves is this: does my comment bring glory to God?
The second consideration deals with our pride. The Bible tells us that what comes out of our mouths comes from our hearts (Matthew 15:18; Job 32:18-20). To combat our natural inclination toward pridefulness (Mark 7:21-23; Ephesians 2:3), one question we must ask: am I writing this comment to hear my voice, or see how many likes I can get (Proverbs 10:19; 17:27)?
The third consideration is whether the Bible takes a stance on the particular issue. If the Bible does, then our comments should be aligned with that position. However, if it does not address the issue or does so indirectly, we should consider whether or not we are informed on the particular issue. If not, then we should learn about both sides of the topic before engaging in the conversation (Proverbs 17:28).
At the end of the day, however, there is one guideline Christians should follow, does my social media engagement satisfy the purpose of my existence? If our comments are not bringing glory to God, then they are bringing glory to someone or something else (1 Corinthians 6:20; 10:31; Romans 11:36).
Conclusion
As we are citizens of Heaven first, our perspective should always be that of our God and King. We pursue His glory by having the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:2-5), abiding in Him (1 John), and trusting that He is in control (Job 38-41). Also, we seek to bring God glory in everything we do, especially in the public eye and social media. We are witnesses of His saving grace and endless mercy. As a result, we seek only to glorify God by loving Him and loving our neighbor.
Here are some questions to consider when interacting with our neighbors, either in the public arena or on social media.
- Does what I am writing or thinking exalt Christ?
- Will this comment or conversation ultimately point readers to Christ?
- Does it matter to me more that my heart is expressed, or that others are helped to mature in Christ by my words and thoughts that are directed by Scripture?
- Am I trying to win an argument, or am I trying to let God use me to change hearts towards Him?
The nature of our heavenly citizenship requires us to pursue the glory of God in all things, including how we correspond with others in social media (1 Corinthians 10:31).
Below are some thoughts from Pastor Pete Brisco from Bent Tree Bible Fellowship in Texas that are relevant here.
Written by: Travis Lowe, Corey Hyers, Jason Kolacsky