Civility

Primary affections for a Christian are clearly delineated by the Christ: to love the Lord with the totality of your being and to love your neighbor as yourself. He carries this designation into the realm of enmity when He urges sacrifical spirit even towards those who persecute you directly (Matt. 5:38-42). In my opinion, these attitudes must become evident in how we approach both social media and towards those we disagree. Civility should reign in our treatment of all, whether President or Pelosi. We should see the imago Dei in each person that we communicate with or towards before we actually communicate. All news is not false, but almost all news these days is politicized: it is designed to provoke emotional reactions. Those who are to be salt and light in society need to remember our testimony is judged both by its content and by its tone. In a representative democracy where freedom of speech is enshrined in our social discourse, we may choose to participate in conversation. Again, my reading of what the Lord says, is that we may engage over the facts, we may engage over the impacts, but we never get to disparage others when we do it. And, the greatest test of this kind of activity is to respond correctly when disparaging remarks and insults have already been hurled our way.