“Can I ask an honest question? What percentage of your thoughts, words, and actions is a regurgitation of the social media you consume? And what percentage of your thoughts, words, and actions is a revelation you’re getting from God’s Word?”- Mark Batterson
“Pilate was merciful till it became risky.”- C. S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters
Mark Batterson moves on in Chapter 4 of Please Sorry Thanks and applies this rule of thumb to talking in person or texting online. Mark counsels: Don’t say anything about anyone that you wouldn’t say to their face. Certainly, that’s easier said than done – with the false anonymity that social media creates.
In addition, Pastor Batterson expresses his profound concern in regard to the unintended consequences of social media. For starters, Mark asserts his belief that God didn’t design us to know everything about everything in real time. That’s comparable to eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Thus, we delude ourselves when we think we can ingest endless amounts of unfiltered media without feeling any effects.
Fifty years ago George Gerbner, a communications professor, coined the term mean-world syndrome to describe a cognitive bias. When we expose ourselves to lots of violence-related content on television, that causes us to perceive the world as more dangerous than it truly is. So, Mark exhorts, if you internalize the effects of social media, muster the courage to quit.
Of course, Mark states, the old acronym GIGO (Garbage in, garbage out) makes common sense. Yet, the author notes, we must honestly admit we act like we’re the exception to the rule. Consequently, we think we can:
- eat terribly and not feel the effect.
- get five hours of sleep and function at full capacity.
- leave our Bible on the shelf and still hear the voice of God.
Politeness often feels like an endangered species. However, that fractured landscape makes your please even more powerful!
Today’s question: What most helps you receive revelation from God’s Word? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Applause of nail-scarred hands”
