words

I’m on the verge of quitting on the news, and social media along with it. I feel like I shouldn’t, because I believe that keeping informed is one of the first responsibilities of good citizenship. By being informed, you are equipped to take part in our cultural and civic dialogue, to be a voice of reason.

But I’m sick of it. I’m sick of the talking heads on TV trying to make something out of nothing by over-dramatizing things that seem pretty basic to me. And I’m even more sick of the way people will post things they’d never dare to say face to face. So I’m about there.

This morning, Paul seems to be thinking like I am. Look at this, from 2 Timothy 2:14-17: “Keep reminding God’s people of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly.”

I see two warnings in these verses for people like me. The first one is not to get bogged down in debates that aren’t relevant to my mission. Why do I care what one celebrity said about another one, or even what the President tweeted? What does my opinion about the special counsel’s investigation matter? How does it help anyone for me to lay blame for things I actually know very little about at the feet of people I’ve never met? 

Far better, I think, to spend my energy on the things that are closer to the Kingdom, and things I can actually effect. That, to me, means those issues that are basic to justice and human dignity, like refugee support and immigration regulations and figuring out how we Christians can relate lovingly to unbelievers of all types. And it means engaging those topics locally, where I can actually make a difference.

The second warning is that, no matter what conversations I choose to take part in, I have to keep it clean. I must treat people respectfully, not sully anything that God has made good (like sex, for example), and not accept or encourage any kind of sin or evil. Those things are godless, the kind of chatter Paul warns of, and by engaging in them I will simply corrupt myself, on top of whatever other badness I might do.

Two things, then: be careful what I, as a Christian, choose to engage in, and be sure to engage in a way that befits the Lord whose banner I’m waving. I think I can do both without much CNN, Fox or social media.