Recently I read an intriguing article in which now-deceased author Tim Keller voiced concern over nationalism in the church. I then made the mistake of reading the comment section under this article. While I won’t say which social media platform it was I can say it might rhyme with macehook. Keyboard courage prevailed.
As you know, social media comment sections are perhaps one of the ugliest glimpses of humanity that one can find. Trust me, I have read enough comments to know that most commenters are not concerned with love, unity or kindness. They seem to carry the shoot first and ask questions later as their primary method. Concern for fellow man is replaced with the driving need to be right and to be heard.
Keyboard Courage
From my experience, moderates are not usually in the middle of the fray. Rather the fear of being eaten alive by opposing sides of whatever divisive topic is being discussed silences them. So what we find is a figurative Donald Trump and Nancy Pelosi feverishly typing away in the comment section; angry, unforgiving, and certainly not willing to talk of any compromise. Ever convinced they are right and that the other person is the enemy. All the while failing to realize that they are blinded to the evil methodology they employ and that clear-minded people see it quite clearly.
The problem I find is that this cultural phenomenon of those who are filled with keyboard courage has crept into the church. This methodology employed at keyboards would probably be better defined as keyboard cowardice because most of these angry typing opinionated mean-spirited people would almost assuredly shy away from a real conflict and certainly would not fix a real issue if it meant the issue couldn’t be fixed by only sharing a negative opinion.
Jesus offers a better way than Keyboard Courage
So here is the thought I was struck with after seeing the anger in that comment section and regularly seeing people who claim to be followers of Jesus post misleading memes and angry comments on facebook and twitter.
First off, Jesus isn’t the problem. You are. Stop screaming that they are Christian ideals that you are fighting for because they aren’t. A method that employs the mistreatment of your fellow man is never from Jesus. Rather it grieves Jesus. Don’t harm the name of Jesus by talking about the things of Jesus in a manner that screams I am arrogant, I am angry, I am always right, you are stupid and I have a hero complex.
Secondly, if your Jesus doesn’t transcend your politics and opinions then your Jesus is not the Jesus of the Bible. This idealized version of Jesus is crafted in ones mind to fit within your views. Simply put, Jesus doesn’t change your political ideals, your opinions or worldview. These things all change your view of Jesus. Let’s call it what it is: Sin. Nothing will fix it but humility and repentance.
Thirdly, Jesus reveals to us His ability to transcend issues of the day both by who He employs for His service today as well as by who He employed in His service while He walked on this earth. When we look at the twelve disciples that He called to serve alongside Him, we find that He called two people who should not have been able to get along.
If they did it, so can you
On one hand, we find one of His disciples was sell out who seemed to sympathize with the Roman invaders. He worked for them, collecting taxes for the invaders from his own countrymen. On the other hand, is a man who is called a zealot (Luke 6.15). Before meeting Jesus he had one singular focus. Overthrow the invaders and restore the nation of Israel. He was a Nationalist. This was his primary focus. Yet, Jesus called a sympathizer of invaders and nationalist zealots to both serve side by side for three years and we have no hint of any political or arguments or keyboard courage twitter battles. It is amazing.
Serving
Serving Jesus and preaching His message was their focus and goal. It appears as though they understood that Jesus did not come to fulfill their pre-Jesus ideals but rather that He came to seek a to save the lost (Luke 19.10). Therefore they did nothing to alienate the lost. Their goal was simply, be mouthpieces and reflections of Jesus.
They understood that in large part, their opinions did not matter or help the mission. What mattered was Jesus. They did not wish to become a stumbling to the Gospel. People struggled with the Gospel enough on their own (1 Corinthians 1.23)
It’s time we hold people in a higher regard than we hold our opinions. Enough fighting already. It does not please our Savior. It helps nobody get closer to our Savior and it ignores the call of Scripture to “Love our neighbor as you love yourself”(Matthew 22.39).
If the grace of God has truly appeared to all men (Titus 2.11), shouldn’t we too be gracious to all who we meet?
Set aside the keyboard courage and embrace the ways of Christ.
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