Ambassador for God? or Trolls with Truthiness.
You know the social media trap…as Jack Knox, a local satirist described it. It’s a place where people make false assertions dogmatically with little or no evidence, where many self-righteous engage in a toxic “snarl-fest,” and reputations are smeared with a “casual truthiness.” It is this ignorant and useless talk that hampers a democratic society. Preston Manning, former PC leader opined that it is this kind of negativity that keeps qualified people from seeking elected office. We have witnessed an explosion of vitriolic, ignorant, and false assertions in the wake of the US elections, and it has had a very chilling effect on decent dialogue.
When Truthiness Reigns
Truthiness, is an attempt to pass off error as if it were fact. Paul in writing to Timothy, paints a disturbing portrait of his contemporaries: arrogant, boastful, profane gossips disseminating malicious reports. They were “irreconcilable” — unwilling to listen to a reasoned argument or to find common ground for considerate discussions. Then there were others who bought into these falsehoods, rejected sound teaching and the facts, and preferred delusions to truth. His advice to Timothy was to avoid such people. Is our society beginning to walk this path?
Ambassador for God… in Chains
Knowing the climate of the times as Paul did, he still encouraged believers to continue to preach the gospel and be ambassadors for Christ — even in chains. The Christian’s role is that of a “herald” the one who goes before the King to proclaim the King’s message with authority and conviction. This is our calling and Christ tells us how we are to prepare to fulfill this role. A role that requires the heralds of the King to preach, correct, warn, and exhort with inexhaustible patience. So the next opportunity that you find time to spend on social media ask yourself. As an ambassador for God, am I fulfilling my purpose, or am I ensnared by the trolls and their “truthiness?”