by the Rev. Dr. W. David O. Taylor, Scholar in Residence: Arts, Media, Culture
In October 2020, less than a month away from the polarizing presidential election that haunts us still, Bishop Todd wrote me to see if I might craft a policy to offer guidance to pastors, ministry leaders and lay people around the “good” use of social media. He had witnessed enough petty, cantankerous, inflammatory and divisive rhetoric across our respective communities—around topics like Christian nationalism, Critical Race Theory, Covid-19 protocols and school board policies—to feel the need to point us in a better direction.
After a few initial attempts, however, I found myself giving up on the task. On the one hand, I struggled to find the right language, both surgical and sensitive, to address every possible concern and every possible context in a way that might be felt faithful for any given person’s or congregation’s “right” use of social media. On the other hand, I couldn’t quite see how a policy qua policy would do much good to dissuade someone from doing whatever they pleased on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the rest.
Letting it sit for a few weeks, I suddenly (perhaps Spirit-edly!) landed on what seemed to be a much better approach: a series of beatitudes. In contrast to a policy, which might function in a more blunt manner, a beatitude at its core has an aspirational quality about it, coming at the truth more suggestively, more winsomely, inviting us, ideally, into a space of communally discerned wisdom.
Originally writing around 20 beatitudes, I have narrowed the list down to 10 that I think might actually become useful and, God-willing, beneficial to persons across theological, cultural and political lines. My hope, in the end, is that this list of beatitudes might serve to rescue us from our worst selves—our pugilistic, self-defensive, irritable, worst selves—and to guide us toward a more charitable and hopeful posture as Christians who spend their time and capital on social media.
The Beatitudes
- Blessed are those who are quick to listen, slow to tweet and slow to tweet in anger, for they shall become wise in the ways of the One who is gracious and compassionate.
- Blessed are those who speak both prophetic and penitential words on social media, for they shall embrace first the severe mercy that they ask God to visit on others and they shall proclaim by God’s grace a truth that changes all alike.
- Blessed are those who remain on social media without becoming cynical, petty or combative, for they shall become emissaries of good news in the name of the One who turned the other cheek and refused to raise the sword.
- Blessed are those who publish the good news of what God is accomplishing across the global church, for they shall be reminded that their small neck of the ecclesial woods isn’t the only place where good things are happening in God‘s world.
- Blessed are those who do not take themselves too terribly seriously on social media, for they shall be delivered from an oppressive weight and discover a joyful lightness of being.
- Blessed are those who take a sabbatical from social media, for they shall discover a peace that passes all understanding and a deeply needed rest for their souls.
- Blessed are those who count to ten before they push publish, for they might rescue themselves from foolish words which they might later grieve.
- Blessed are those who remember that countless people who never show up on social media are still doing great good in the world, for they shall discover that, in remembering this, they are not indispensable to God’s kingdom, for God does not require social media to advance the triune mission across the globe.
- Blessed are those who remember that it is infinitely easier to speak the truth in love to nameless masses, or to distant “enemies,” or to a generic group of “problematic people” on social media, than it is to say those same words in person, for they shall remember that neighbor love is fully realized only as an embodied love.
- Blessed are the ones who amplify the voices of the vulnerable, for in doing so they shall discover anew the delight of God‘s heart.
What do you think of these beatitudes? Do you have one you’d like to add? Let us know.
In addition to being C4SO’s Scholar-in-Residence for Arts, Media, Culture, the Rev. Dr. W. David O. Taylor is Associate Professor of Theology and Culture at Fuller Theological Seminary and the author of several books, including Glimpses of the New Creation: Worship and the Formative Power of the Arts (Eerdmans, 2019) and Open and Unafraid: The Psalms as a Guide to Life (Thomas Nelson/HarperCollins, 2020). He is @wdavidotaylor on Twitter and @davidtaylor_
