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Think Before You Post?


GoldenEagle

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Read this today and it challenged me. Wondering what you guys think? Particularly of the last paragraph.

God bless,

GE

 

 

So we need to think about how to post, what to post, and when to post. As Christians, we need to be more prayerful, careful, and biblical about our online presence. After more than five years of blogging—less than that with Twitter and Facebook—and having gleaned lots of wisdom from others and having made lots of mistakes myself, here are ten things to think about before you hit “publish” on your next blog post, status update, comment, or tweet.

1. Is this idea, question, or rant only half baked?

2. Have I considered that anyone anywhere at anytime could see this?

3. Do I really know what I’m talking about?

4. What if I run into this person later today?

5. Will I feel good about this post later?

6. Have I sought the counsel of others?

7. Do I have this person’s phone number?

8. What is my motivation?

9. Have I tried to love my neighbor as I love myself?

10. Have I lost all sense of proportion?

 

If people took their cues for Christian doctrine and Christian discipleship from reading my posts, tweets, and updates day after day, for years and years, what sort of Christians would they become? What is the dominant mood in my neck of the virtual woods—outrage, belligerence, cynicism? What is constantly being lifted up—the Bible, the glory of God, the cross? Or perhaps this is the best question: Is the real heartbeat of my online presence to promote my Savior or myself?

 

Full article here

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Guest Bethany

Absolutely loved this article. Thanks for sharing! I've been considering doing a few blogs here and there on Facebook, and I'll definitely be reviewing this every time! I think #4 should ask what he asks later in the paragraph "Would I say this same thing if he or she were in the room with me right now". 

 

I also like #7. How many times have I seen posts on Facebook where I've asked myself "Why didn't they just call me? Or Call so-and-so?". Facebook is not the place to vent about friends or be passive aggressive (well, there's not place for passive aggressiveness). This is a huge problem with my generation of young ladies (Christian and Non-Christian...though I see it more with non Christians). I think as Christians when we see our fellow Christians posting things that are hurtful, we need to be willing to pull them aside and ask their motivation behind it, and perhaps suggest they delete the post and confront the person they are having a problem with instead of sharing it for all the world to see--including their friend. Yup--I'm posting this on my facebook wall now. Hopefully this will edify at least one friend today. :) 

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Guest LadyC

i think we all should be more mindful of what we say on here. i try to choose my words carefully, but i have to admit, sometimes i get bent so out of shape that i let my anger flow like a raging river. not a good witness for Jesus, i know. and i'm not sure i deserve to pat my own back for being so non-offensive when i'm NOT angry.... anyone can do that (although some people don't LOL.) is it human nature or hypocrisy that makes me such a jekkyl and hyde? 

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It would do well for all of us to keep this in mind. Though our words may hurt a fellow Christian it is what the nonbeliever may read and think not only of us but especially of Jesus the One we love and follow. We are the living examples of our Lord.

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Absolutely loved this article. Thanks for sharing! I've been considering doing a few blogs here and there on Facebook, and I'll definitely be reviewing this every time! I think #4 should ask what he asks later in the paragraph "Would I say this same thing if he or she were in the room with me right now". 

 

Yes the article is a good reminder... That last paragraph you mentioned should make us think twice for sure. :thumbsup:

 

From the OP:

 

4. What if I run into this person later today? Let me share another lesson I learned from an early blogging mistake. One of my first posts was a snarky jab at another author I disagreed with. A few days later I was speaking at an event and saw that this person’s colleague and friend was at a table across the room. As soon as he saw me he made a straight line for my table and proceeded to dress me down for my snarky post. It was not a pleasant experience, in part because few people like this sort of confrontation, and because this man’s friend had a point. For me as a no-name blogger it never registered that this big-name author I was tweaking was actually a real person. I never considered that he might get wind of my post, or that he might have friends, or that he might have a wife and kids, or that he might be having a bad day, or that he may be in the midst of profound grief, or that he might have had a much harder life than I’ve have, or that this famous pastor or author or leader or athlete was just like me in most ways, or that he could get in contact with me, or that I could meet him or someone close to him at anytime.

 

Again, there is nothing wrong with disagreement, even sharp disagreement. Even satire has its place. But you shouldn’t be a bigger man behind the keyboard than you would be across the table from someone. Ever since this painful experience in the early days of blogging, I’ve tried to think with every polemical piece “Would I say this same thing if he or she were in the room with me right now? Although I’m sure I’ve still made mistakes, and some people still think I’m too polemical, that simple question has helped me think much more carefully about how I say what I say and whether I should say anything at all.

 

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I also like #7. How many times have I seen posts on Facebook where I've asked myself "Why didn't they just call me? Or Call so-and-so?". Facebook is not the place to vent about friends or be passive aggressive (well, there's not place for passive aggressiveness). This is a huge problem with my generation of young ladies (Christian and Non-Christian...though I see it more with non Christians). I think as Christians when we see our fellow Christians posting things that are hurtful, we need to be willing to pull them aside and ask their motivation behind it, and perhaps suggest they delete the post and confront the person they are having a problem with instead of sharing it for all the world to see--including their friend. Yup--I'm posting this on my facebook wall now. Hopefully this will edify at least one friend today. :)

 

:thumbsup: I think it's not just young ladies but guys as well Bethany. I do see way too many "fights" on FB these days.

 

 

Here's #7 from the OP:

 

7. Do I have this person’s phone number? It’s been explained many times that the process of confrontation laid out in Matthew 18 is not meant to eliminate public discourse. You don’t have to send me an email before you write a critical review of one of my books or before disagreeing with a blog post. Public material can be dealt with publically. But at the same time, we should not do personal work in public space. That’s why the phone number question is a good rule of thumb (a rule I’ve followed at times and should have followed at other times). The closer someone is to you the more incumbent it is upon you to try to settle your disagreements personally before going public, especially if those disagreements have gotten personal. If Jonathan Leeman, for example, wrote a post arguing against my defense of infant baptism, I wouldn’t be offended or surprised. Jonathan and I are friends, and we know we disagree on the issue. But if he took apart the last five sermons I preached, I’d be bothered. I’d wonder why I had never heard about these concerns before. I’d wonder why he didn’t talk to me first. Sure, he has a right to talk about public material in public, but he has my number. Why not just give me a call?

 

This point should be commonsense, but it is easily forgotten. And you end up with one part of the family blasting another part of the family online, church members going after other church members, parishioners critiquing their pastor, and pastors going after congregants. Pick up the phone! Don’t settle for public spats over private conversation.

 

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There seems to be alot of posting what you are thinking....bigsmile_20.png

 

I understand tho........

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GoldenEagle, really excellent points to ponder... Many times I read and re-read a post to check for misspelled words, quality content, grammar and proper structure. I tend to ramble and find editing a necessity. I want to make my point of view without stepping on someone's toes, so to speak. And  most of all, not start a flame-war that turns the entire point of the topic into chaos. Doctrinal interpretation and disputation will always exist. A friendly discussion, easily gets misconstrued... People's feelings can become hurt, or insulted. Relationships can become destroyed. Is making your point of view worth losing all this? I'd have to say, no. It's not. Is being spiritually correct over dogmatic issues worth risking the permanent damage it can cause? Again, I'd say, no. It isn't. Thanks for the topic of your post, GoldenEagle... We can all take this to heart, and learn from it. 

God bless you, 

Shalom

David/BeauJangles

Edited by BeauJangles
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If you post before you think then most likely you speak before you think as well.

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yeah I need to be more mindful of this. There have been times on other webpages I would get mad and rant and rave about it indirect implied ways on blogs which is stupid and hurtful to others. I need to make my blogs meaningful and purposeful like use it to share experiences I had that helped my faith grow or what I learned from my study.  Our goal should be for Christ to be promoted and focused on for sure. The time is short and we must be wise with the time we have cause its a gift from God.

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