Month: February 2022

How should Christians think about a boycott of the Olympics?

On Tuesday, the ERLC hosted a special online event called “Oppression & The Olympics: A Discussion of China’s Human Rights Atrocities Ahead of the Winter Games.” During their time together, three panelists discussed China’s many human rights violations and why the Beijing Olympics is an occasion to spotlight the need for accountability.

In light of the upcoming American coverage of the Olympics by NBC Universal, some have urged the public to not engage in watching the games because of the Chinese Communist Party’s ongoing human rights violations, in particular against the Uyghur ethnic minority. This raises the question of boycotts and how Christians should think about them.

Thinking about boycotts

The term boycott refers to a refusal to buy, use, or participate in something as a means of expressing disapproval. A boycott can be either an act of protest or an act of coercion. In an act of protest, we are intentionally making purchasing decisions for the purpose of registering our disagreement or displeasure — regardless of whether it affects the behavior of anyone else. In contrast, an act of coercion is when we are intentionally making purchasing decisions for the primary purpose of changing someone else’s behavior.

In the case of the Olympics, we are either protesting or attempting to coerce a particular entity: either NBC Universal, the Chinese government, or both. We do not have a moral obligation to either watch the Olympics or buy products from China. The loss of one additional TV viewer or an individual consumer will also not cause much direct harm if we engage in a protest of refusing to watch the games or buy Chinese goods. We can merely make the decision to engage in such a protest based on our individual conscience without a concern about creating an moral conundrum.

However, if our goal is coercion, we are going beyond mere protest by attempting to wield our power in a way that brings about justice. Even though this is a nonviolent use of power, we should apply the similar principles and standards that we would use for violent use of power — which, for many Christians, would be just war principles.

Two principles associated with the just war tradition that would seem to apply to this situation are reasonable chance of success and discrimination. How those principles are applied is open to disagreement, of course, but here’s how we could frame the consideration. We can ask:

Are our actions likely to have the intended effect on NBC Universal and the Chinese government, and does the good of engaging in the boycott outweigh the economic destruction on innocent civilians, such as Chinese workers or employees of NBC?

How much economic harm should be allowed by our boycott depends on how likely our boycott is to lead to justice. If the boycott is likely to be effective, then a greater level of harm may be justifiable. However, if the boycott is likely to be ineffective, then the threshold for economic damage to innocents should be considerably less.

We can also be guided in our thinking about boycotts by the principle of proximate justice. As Steven Garber once explained the concept,

“Proximate justice realizes that something is better than nothing. It allows us to make peace with some justice, some mercy, all the while realizing that it will only be in the new heaven and new earth that we find all our longings finally fulfilled, that we will see all of God’s demands finally met. It is only then and there we will see all of the conditions for human flourishing finally in place, socially, economically, and politically.”

Here’s an example of how we might balance these factors in regard to our decision about a boycott:

We can refuse to watch the Olympics on NBC since viewership increases their advertising revenues. We can also refuse to buy any products made by slaves — which might include Olympic souvenirs — since this is the best way for me to apply proximate justice.However, we may decide we will not refuse to buy products merely because they are made in China since an individual boycott is almost assuredly going to be ineffective, and the most likely outcome would be that the only people hurt would not be the Chinese government but the poorest of Chinese workers (some of whom are our brothers and sisters in Christ).We can use what power we have to take other steps that are most likely to affect the Chinese government and minimize the harm to innocent Chinese people. For example, we can use social media to raise awareness about Chinese atrocities and the treatment of the Uyghurs while the Olympics is ongoing.

Whatever choice we make about the boycott, there are certain actions we can all take to promote justice. As the panelists noted during the ERLC event, we can contact our U.S. representatives and senators and encourage them to enact legislation that limits Chinese government power. We can also pray for world leaders to have courage to put an end to the Uyghur genocide and to rethink economic exchange with a communist government that disregards human rights.

The post How should Christians think about a boycott of the Olympics? appeared first on ERLC.

IMB celebrates early reports of record-breaking offerings

RICHMOND, Va. – International Mission Board trustees approved the appointment of 52 new full-time, fully funded missionaries, while also honoring the service of 80 emeritus missionaries during their Feb. 2-3 meeting.

Chuck Pourciau, trustee chairman and lead pastor of Broadmoor Baptist Church in Shreveport, La., presided over the two-day meeting, which included 53 trustees meeting in person and 17 joining online due to issues such as COVID-19 and inclement winter weather.

The new missionaries were honored during a Sending Celebration Wednesday (Feb. 2) at Mount Vernon Baptist Church in Glen Allen, Va., which included a livestream option for families and church partners around the world to join in the event. Jarrett Stephens, senior pastor of Champion Forest Baptist Church in Houston, brought a message of encouragement to the new appointees.

‘Most important work in the universe’

In his presidential report to trustees, IMB President Paul Chitwood reflected on how the world has changed in the past two years, noting many people have lost numerous family members and friends in that time.

“What a powerful and painful reminder that the work we do together at the IMB is the most important work in the universe,” Chitwood said. “Whether from COVID or cancer or a car wreck, ‘It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes the judgment.’ The truth of Hebrews 9:27 is harder to deny in a global pandemic that has taken the lives of nearly 6 million people, and those are just the ones who got counted.”

He said that as the world finds it more difficult to ignore the reality of death, Southern Baptists have an opportunity to share the next verse in the chapter – Hebrews 9:28: “so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him.” However, about 3,000 people groups still have no known believers among them.

“That’s why we still have a job to do,” he said. “The most important work in the universe remains unfinished. Thankfully we haven’t quit. In fact, we may be working harder than ever before.”

Chitwood said evidence reveals that support of Southern Baptists for international missionaries and for fulfilling the Great Commission is, indeed, growing:

Lottie Moon Christmas Offering (LMCO) gifts, through the first four months of the current financial year, are up 16.1 percent over last year.
Report after report of record-breaking Lottie offerings have poured in from churches across the country.
Gifts through the Cooperative Program are up almost 10 percent over the same four months of last year.
In all, IMB’s combined revenue is currently running 13.6 percent ahead of last year.

Other areas of progress Chitwood noted:

Churches that have never given to missions through the IMB before have now made contact with a missionary, and they are giving.
The pipeline of missionary candidates is increasing consistently.
For the first time in IMB’s history, future commitments to retired missionaries are fully funded.
IMB has systems in place to protect the most vulnerable from abuse and to deal appropriately with abusers.
IMB is diversifying teams, as the IMB exists to serve all Southern Baptists in carrying out the Great Commission to make disciples of all nations.

“By God’s grace and in His favor, I believe what we are doing together at IMB is working,” Chitwood said. “The work … isn’t finished, and the vision has not yet come to pass. So we press on, until all whose names are in the Book of Life from every nation, people, tribe and language, have heard the Good News.”

As Southern Baptists faithfully send more missionaries to fulfill the Great Commission, Chitwood has stressed the need to undergird those additional personnel with consistent, concerted prayer and ongoing generous financial support through the Cooperative Program and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. While applauding the recent improvements toward financial health, IMB’s Finance team notes that recovery from decades of revenue trailing inflation requires the continued generous support of Southern Baptists. IMB also is committed to ongoing vigilance in good stewardship, which is a foundational commitment in IMB’s planning and budgeting.

Price Jett, IMB’s treasurer and CFO, reported that the mission board’s financials for 2021 have been audited and received an unmodified opinion, which is the highest level of confidence given by the auditors. He noted that no property sales were used for income and, as always, 100 percent of Lottie Moon offerings were used for overseas ministries.

Recognition of service

Todd Lafferty, IMB executive vice president, honors 93 former colleagues, both staff and missionaries, and one missionary kid who went to be with the Lord during 2021. Here he memorializes Harriett Lennon, age 100, who served 31 years in Thailand. IMB Photo

IMB Executive Vice President Todd Lafferty recognized the lives of 92 colleagues and one missionary kid – including two active missionaries, 80 emeritus missionaries and 10 retired staff – who died in the past year. The field personnel’s lives totaled 2,206 years of service through the IMB, with an average age of 89 and an average 28 years of service. These were “lives well-spent and invested for the sake of the Gospel in reaching the nations for Christ,” Lafferty said.

Emeritus missionaries included, among many others who served around the globe: Donald Redmond, age 87, who served 42 years in Costa Rica; Hilda Cowsert, age 93, who served 41 years in Brazil; Dee Oliver, age 89, who served 40 years in the Philippines; Lucy Wagner, age 93, who served 39 years in Korea; Annelli Dotson, age 92, who served 39 years in Zimbabwe; and Barbara Workman, age 77, who served 38 years in South Africa and Malawi.

Retired staff whose service was recognized included Clark Scanlon, who served 42 years in Guatemala and then as executive assistant to the senior vice president in Overseas Operations; Selma Herweyer, who served for 33 years as an administrative assistant in stateside assignment training; Jim Edwards, who served for 33 years as the director of Staff Human Resources; and Dewey Merritt, who served 30 years in Zimbabwe and as associate director in the Volunteers in Mission Department.

The current personnel’s names and the dependent’s name were not shared publicly due to security parameters.

The ask

In closing, Pourciau told trustees about three young siblings who live near him who decided to raise money for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, which supports the presence of Southern Baptist missionaries overseas. The children’s mother offered her baking skills to help their efforts, and Pourciau noted that people were willing to give more than the value of the baked goods when they learned about the heart of the children’s effort.

During a break from the February 2022 IMB trustee meeting, Alfredo Valencia (left), IMB candidate consultant, speaks with Lierte Soares, lead pastor at Framingham Baptist Church in Boston. Soares is a NAMB church-planting missionary originally from Brazil. Multiple generations of Soares’ family came to Christ through IMB missionaries in Brazil. IMB Photo

After their sale, the three siblings walked into his office, each carrying an envelope containing $325. Collectively, the children raised $975 to support international missions. The resources needed f or missions support exist, Pourciau said. What is lacking, often, is the “ask.” Southern Baptists need to be asking for the financial resources required to get the Gospel to the people of the world, he said, and he challenged trustees to lead out in asking for those resources.

“Most of the time, the desire to give to this work is there,” Pourciau said. “It’s the greatest need in the world. We just need to ask.”

To find out how your generosity transforms lives, visit https://www.imb.org/generosity/.

The next IMB board of trustees meeting is scheduled for May 17-19, 2022, in Orlando, Fla., in conjunction with a special gathering of emeritus missionaries that happens every five years. The next missionary Sending Celebration will take place at the 2022 SBC Annual Meeting in Anaheim, Calif., scheduled for June 15-16, 2022.

PASTOR TO PASTOR: Let social media work for you, not the other way around

From my earliest days of leading students, I was told if you weren’t on social platforms, you were not going to be reaching teenagers effectively.

In the 2010s we heard messaging like this at conferences, across youth ministry blogs, and at workshops over and over: If you’re serious about reaching GenZ then you need to be doing ________ on ___________.

Whatever was suggested next would inevitably include doing something more on a new social media platform that you were, in fact, not yet doing. These and similar messages were intended to sharpen you as a youth pastor but could leave you feeling discouraged and burdened at the thought of trying to do more.

At the height of the pandemic and without being able to meet in person, many of us felt the need to be doing loads more online to compensate. The messaging to student pastors was once again to post even more if you were going to capitalize on the moment.

Like most churches at the time, we listened to strategies and did our best to crank out devotionals and giveaways and all sorts of digital content across multiple platforms. But as the pressure for more content creation became a bigger dog to feed, I noticed something else—our ministry was not seeing any kingdom “wins” from all these new efforts. We were doing more ministry online than we ever even offered pre-pandemic—and I was exhausted from spending more of my time as a social media manager than the disciple-maker I was called by God to be (insert red flag emojis!).

I gathered our team and knew there needed to be a shift. We planned and prayed and went back to our mission and values. What emerged was surprising. We weren’t going to make more content, but less. We weren’t going to run ourselves tired trying to produce copious amounts of high-quality content which was pulling us away from doing meaningful life-on-life discipleship.

But as the pressure for more content creation became a bigger dog to feed, I noticed something else—our ministry was not seeing any kingdom “wins” from all these new efforts.

Ryan Renfrow Tweet

These small changes were easy to implement and continue to help us make use of social media while also guarding what we value most as the local body of Christ. Here are three shifts our church made that can help social media aid you, not inundate you in your ministry to teenagers:

Limit your platforms

Less is more. We went from six social platforms to two. We closed accounts on Twitter, Snapchat, and even our YouTube channel in favor of more direct and intentional content via limited channels. We created a private Facebook group to equip parents with resources and provide them specific member care related to raising teenagers. This small step is now a central hub for reaching our parents privately and separately from our more student-focused Instagram account.

Aim for connection, not entertainment

While Millennials use social media primarily for entertainment purposes, GenZ uses social media to foster their core relationships (which hopefully includes you and their other youth group friends). This means they are watching less long-form media content and more interested in what their friends are saying/posting/doing through their stories and posts.

Try using an Instagram Direct group. Because of Instagram’s algorithms, if you’re only posting on your traditional newsfeed, your students may or may not be seeing your content anyway. An Instagram Direct group guarantees they see what you are sharing and is a great way to get instant feedback and engagement among students. It also prompts student-to-student prayer requests and is a great way to rejoice together at a gospel conversation. When it comes to what you post, stick to simple, clear reminders of gospel truths in plain language. It’s the cup of cold water they will need when the world’s content ultimately dissatisfies.

Pass It On

We recently recruited some of our students to be entrusted with running our Instagram account. This involved carefully selecting 1-2 faithful and mature students who were healthy social media users as well as a “social-media covenant” that was signed by the student and their parents. This created an opportunity for leadership development while also increasing peer-to-peer engagement on our dedicated social platform.

If you’d like to know more about these shifts and others like them that we’ve found impactful for ministry, please email me at rrenfrow@faithfbc.org.

Hundreds of years later, Liele’s gospel impact still being felt

One of the most significant figures in the history of Christian missions is a freed Georgia slave named George Liele. Even though William Carey may be called the father of the modern missionary movement, George Liele left America and planted the gospel in Jamaica a full 10 years before Carey left England.

Conversion and Early Ministry

George Liele came to Christ in 1773, at the age of 23, and was baptized by his white pastor, Matthew Moore. Sometime after Liele’s conversion, his owner, Henry Sharp, who was a Baptist deacon, gave Liele his freedom so he could pursue God’s call. Liele preached for two years in the slave quarters of plantations surrounding Savannah and into South Carolina after his conversion.

Because of his faithfulness and powerful preaching of the word, many surrendered their lives to Christ. Liele was ordained on May 20, 1775, becoming the first ordained African American Baptist preacher in America. After his ordination, he planted the first African American Baptist Church in North America, a church still in existence today.

George Liele was ordained on May 20, 1775, becoming the first ordained African American Baptist preacher in America. After his ordination, he planted the first African American Baptist Church in North America, a church still in existence today.

An Open Door to Preach in Jamaica

In 1778, Henry Sharp was killed in the Revolutionary War. After his death, Sharp’s heirs took steps to re-enslave Liele. As result of their actions, Liele was thrown in jail. Eventually, he was able to produce proper documentation concerning his freedom and was set free.

Soon after his release, Moses Kirkland, a colonel of the British army, befriended Liele and helped him leave the country. Kirkland helped pay for Liele’s trip to Jamaica, and after two years Liele paid this debt and obtained a certificate of freedom for himself and his family. George and his wife, Hannah, and their four children left Savannah and landed in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1782.

When Liele landed in Jamaica it was a British colony. There, Liele found land and a people who needed a missionary. Slaves were brought from Africa to Jamaica to work on the sugar plantations. These men and women had no real knowledge of Jesus Christ and the gospel. Liele planted a church and held a baptism service every three months. These baptisms were public events in which professing converts were baptized in a nearby ocean or river.

The Growth of an Integrated Ministry

The work of the church and the public baptisms caused persecution. Eventually, Liele was charged with preaching sedition and was thrown into prison. He was later acquitted of these charges. Despite facing these hostilities, during the eight years of preaching, he was able to baptize five hundred people and establish a strong church.

Not only did Liele’s ministry lead to a spiritual impact on the island, but his work also made a social difference for the Jamaican slaves. By July 31, 1838, slavery was eradicated in Jamaica.

In 1814, there were only about eight thousand Baptists in Jamaica. This number included slaves, freedmen, and some whites. However, as a result of Liele’s ministry, by 1832 there were over twenty thousand believers.

Author David Shannon summed up Liele’s life of ministry this way: “The Christianity practiced by Liele was not limited to one nation, colony, or ethnic group but was a faith found and spread through interaction with colonists and national leaders in the Americas and England. In turn, this broad vision of Christianity shaped and spread a variety of Christian experience that became widespread and influential in black, white, and integrated congregations in Georgia, South Carolina, Jamaica, Nova Scotia, Sierra Leone, and beyond.”

Training and Sending out Missionaries beyond Jamaica

Not only was Liele an effective missionary and evangelist, he was known for encouraging his converts to go preach the gospel to the lost. As a result of his leadership, they went to Savannah, Georgia, Nova Scotia, and Sierra Leone.

Adoniram Judson is often cited as the first Baptist missionary from the United States. But, in fact, this designation belongs to George Liele. His story is an important part of missionary history and is worthy of emulation.

George Liele died in 1828. He may have begun life as a slave, but he lived as a free man in Christ. He left a rich legacy of thousands who were transformed by the good news of Jesus.

Sutton remembered as cherished friend, passionate servant of Jesus

MCALLEN—Pastor William “Bill” Blaylock Sutton, 79, of McAllen died from complications of pneumonia on February 2.

A longtime resident of McAllen, he most recently pastored Trinity Baptist Church until his retirement in 2021, helping a 75-year-old church relocate from a landlocked urban site to 10 acres along prime frontage property donated by a deacon while attendance and giving doubled.

Prior to what he considered a “nine-year interim pastorate” at Trinity, Sutton was the longest-tenured pastor of First Baptist Church of McAllen, where he served from 1986 to 2008 and was named pastor emeritus upon his retirement in 2008. Current staff members shared that Sutton was best known for his passions—Vacation Bible School, stewardship, and missions. With hundreds of VBS volunteers, thousands of children have been reached for Christ locally and in mission settings in New Hampshire, Arkansas, Oregon, and beyond.

To help teach God’s economy, Sutton offered members a “Money-Back Guarantee” on their tithe if they experienced regret, hardship, or no blessing. “Unnumbered families now experience the joy of giving taught through this discipline,” shared Steven Gaither, current lead pastor of First McAllen, describing Sutton as “a gifted administrator under whose leadership the church completed his campus vision without debt.”

To this day First McAllen remains among the top givers in the SBC to offerings for international and North American missions.

Other pastorates included North Hopkins Baptist Church in Sulphur Springs, Texas; First Baptist Church of Pine Hills in Orlando, Fla.; and Windsor Park Baptist Church in Fort Smith, Ark.; as well as associate pastor of Dauphin Way Baptist Church in Mobile, Ala.

Sutton often described himself as “tied” to Southern Baptists, explaining that he was born in a Baptist hospital in 1942, grew up in a Baptist parsonage as a preacher’s kid, and eventually attended a Baptist college. He later earned a bachelor’s degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1967, meeting his future wife, Martha, just before his final semester. He received a Th.M. from International Theological Seminary in Orlando in 1982 and D.D. in 1984.

His devotion to Southern Baptist causes remained a priority all his life, leading churches to excel in evangelistic outreach, baptismal growth and missionary endeavors.

Upon hearing of the death of the friend he had known since the 1980s, Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Executive Director Emeritus Jim Richards praised Sutton’s “compassion for those without Christ as evidenced by his personal evangelism and worldwide mission support.” A strong supporter of the formation of the new Texas state convention in 1998 and the second vice-president in 2004 and 2005, Sutton “never wavered through the years,” Richards said.

“Bill was a man of rock-solid convictions about the inerrancy of the Word of God,” he added. “Within the Southern Baptist Convention and in Texas, he stood in the face of a liberal downgrade when many would not. I sorrow at his passing but rejoice in his legacy.”

Nathan Lorick, who succeeded Richards as SBTC’s executive director, said, “Bill Sutton was a longtime friend and supporter of the SBTC. The wisdom and insight he brought to our convention helped lead us to where we are today. We are grateful for his life and ministry and are praying for his family.”

In addition to serving on the SBTC Executive Board from 1998 to 2008, Sutton was known nationally for having served two tenures on the International Mission Board and on the Board of Visitors at Criswell College in Dallas. He helped launch the Southern Baptist Journal in the early 1970s to plead the cause for a return to biblical orthodoxy and rallied pastors between Orlando and Atlanta to jump aboard his church bus in order to serve as messengers at the annual meeting.

Choir members at First McAllen remember closing the evening service by singing, “Now the Day is Over” while Sutton summed up the events and teachings of the day. As he and fellow members prepared to leave for the night, he would add, “‘[We will] fluff our pillow just the way we like it, close our eyes, and know that our Heavenly Father is wide awake.”

Staff recalled hearing that in response, the choir completed the song with, “When the morning wakens, then may I arise pure and fresh and sinless in thy holy eyes.”

Stephen Sutton, Bill’s youngest son, remembered his dad as “totally concerned with sharing the good news with lost people.” He added that his dad also had a reputation for practical advice: “A man in his church came to him once and asked for advice for staying in his marriage. Dad asked him, ‘Can you make it one more day?’ The man said that he could. Dad just left him with that.”

Sutton is survived by his wife of 54 years, Martha; and sons William Blaylock Jr., Richard Bryan, and Stephen Davis. The Suttons additionally have eight grandchildren.

Funeral details will be updated as they are confirmed by the family. For a recent feature on Bill Sutton’s perspective on ministry visit this link: Catching up and looking up with Bill Sutton – TEXAN Online

NAMB celebrates more than 50,000 ‘ones’ posted on Who’s Your One map

ALPHARETTA, Ga. – The North American Mission Board (NAMB) announced Thursday, Jan. 27, that more than 50,000 people had, through the Who’s Your One evangelism campaign, represented their commitment to pray for and share the Gospel with at least one person by placing their “one” on the Who’s Your One map.

“I’ve been extremely motivated to help Southern Baptists make ‘the main thing, the main thing’ again,” said Johnny Hunt, NAMB’s senior vice president of evangelism and leadership, referring to evangelism as the main thing. “The best thing you can ever do for someone is share the Gospel with them, and Southern Baptists work together to see that the Gospel makes its way to the ends of the earth.”

NAMB launched the Who’s Your One campaign in 2019 in conjunction with J.D. Greear, lead pastor of The Summit Church in Durham, N.C., and then-president of the Southern Baptist Convention. The focus of the campaign is to help churches encourage those in their congregations to focus intentionally on sharing the Gospel with at least one person they know.

During live events – like the Who’s Your One Tour – and in other venues where NAMB’s evangelism team has been teaching, people have been encouraged to submit the first name of their one at whosyourone.com. As of today (Feb. 2) the number has reached nearly 52,000 commitments.

Since the launch of the campaign, thousands of churches have begun implementing Who’s Your One in some form or fashion in their churches. NAMB has distributed more than 32,000 Who’s Your One evangelism kits to pastors and church leaders to help their congregations emphasize evangelism. And NAMB has been sharing stories on social media of churches that have seen a greater focus on evangelism as a result.

“We started Who’s Your One with a vision of seeing more churches and believers reach their communities,” Hunt said. “Every year, we know that too many Southern Baptist churches fail to reach and baptize even one new Christian. It’s been my prayer and passion to see more churches catch a fire for evangelism and reach those who need Jesus.”

NAMB’s Who’s Your One Tour resumes in March in Illinois with nine stops across the United States on the calendar for this year, and NAMB continues offering free evangelism kits and other resources to pastors.

This article originally appeared on NAMB’s website.

Pitman says churches aren’t holy huddles: ‘We’re an army’

New Send Network president says gospel impact possible for any congregation powered by the Holy Spirit

One-hundred twenty. Vance Pitman wants Southern Baptists of Texas Convention churches to understand two significant things about that number: it’s the size of the crowd that took Jesus seriously when he first delivered his mission, and the size of the average SBTC church. In fact, a majority of churches affiliated with the state convention have an average attendance of 120 or fewer.

“The size of the church does not determine its significance. The size of the mission determines its significance—and the mission is big,” said Pitman, the founding pastor of Hope Church in Las Vegas. “Whether your church runs 10 or 10,000, both have the responsibility for the same mission, which is to locally engage their city with the gospel and globally engage people and nations with the gospel.”

The life of any pastor is a busy one, but these days are particularly full for Pitman, who has accepted a call to serve as president of the North American Mission Board’s Send Network. On this particular day, Pitman—who is scheduled to preach at the SBTC’s annual Empower Conference—is darting in and out of a series of scheduled interviews promoting his new book, The Stressless Life: Experiencing the Unshakable Presence of God’s Indescribable Peace.

Accepting the NAMB post means Pitman will have to resign from Hope Church, where he has served since its founding in 2001. What started as 18 adults meeting in a living room has, in the two decades since, become a thriving multiethnic, multigenerational congregation 4,000 members strong. Those members represent more than 50 language groups that have planted more than 75 churches.

Every church can join in on God’s mission, Pitman said, but in many cases, a shift in mindset might need to happen. Not only do many smaller churches often feel they do not have the resources to make a kingdom difference, but many followers of Jesus feel like evangelism is reserved for only the specially-trained “special ops people” in the church.

The shift is a subtle-but-critical one that essentially begins and ends with understanding the difference between living “for” Christ—a common phrase used among believers in churches—and allowing Christ to live “through” you, Pitman said. Living “for” Christ may lead to the development of a list of behaviors that someone should do or not do. Allowing Christ to live “through” you requires a surrender that opens the door for the Holy Spirit to ignite something in your life that only he can do.

“Evangelism and missions is not the highest realm of spiritual service” reserved only for a special class of people in the church, Pitman said. “It’s simply the overflow of Christ in us living his life through us. So if I’m not engaged in missions and evangelism, it’s really not a missions and evangelism issue. It’s an issue of Christlikeness in my life being fleshed out.

“[The first followers of Jesus] didn’t have influence ... resources ... money ... education. They didn’t have societal prestige. They had none of that. But what they did have is Christ in them and the empowering of the Holy Spirit ..."

vance pitman Tweet

“[The first followers of Jesus] didn’t have influence. They didn’t have resources. They didn’t have money. They didn’t have education. They didn’t have societal prestige. They had none of that,” he said. “But what they did have is Christ in them and the empowering of the Holy Spirit manifesting the life of Christ through them—and so every one of them embraced the mission personally. Every one of them embraced [the command] that ‘you will be my witnesses.’”

Planting a Southern Baptist church in Las Vegas had its challenges. When they arrived in Vegas to plant, Pitman said, studies revealed the city was 95 percent non-Christian and 60 percent of the city was non-religious. “Which meant I could send out mailers all day long and nobody was looking to go to church,” he said.

So the planting team’s initial strategy was to “cultivate the field with prayer” by prayer-walking 50,000 households and praying through the Las Vegas phone book. At the same time, Pitman and his team combed through the scriptures for a discipleship strategy to employ once the Lord brought a harvest of people. Ultimately, the scriptures showed those leaders that Jesus had three types of interactions in the Gospels—with the Father, with his disciples, and with unbelievers. For Hope Church, that translated to a strategy where every follower of Jesus was encouraged to do the same: abide, connect, and share.

The next steps included finding needs in the community that the church could meet and encouraging members to build genuine relationships with people who were far from God. The Lord honored the effort. Pitman said the first 13 families he led to Christ happened through relationships he built coaching Little League. In another instance, the church learned that a school in its community had not been renovated in 30 years. So the congregation combined some financial resources with in-kind donations and hundreds of volunteers to renovate the school over a three-month span.

“We’re not a holy huddle in the midst of a dying world. We’re an army that’s been sent out to accomplish a mission that is so much bigger than us.”

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“By the time we were finished, I had a principal who was living an alternative lifestyle asking me for a stack of my business cards and saying, ‘I have got families in my school that I don’t know how to serve because they have real brokenness in their homes,’” Pitman said. “That principal told me, ‘I didn’t know people love schools like this anymore.’”

Some years later, Pitman had the opportunity to minister to that principal as he lay in a hospital bed dying. “He said he’d had faith years ago but re-surrendered his life to Christ right there in that hospital bed and then died two weeks later. But that happened because we found a need that needed to be met and we met that need. We did something the community valued and it opened up doors for gospel conversations beyond anything we could have imagined.

“We’re not a holy huddle in the midst of a dying world,” Pitman added. “We’re an army that’s been sent out to accomplish a mission that is so much bigger than us. The reality is, God’s alive and at work in the world and he’s invited us to get in on it with him.”

McLaurin named SBC Executive Committee interim president/CEO

NASHVILLE (BP) – Willie McLaurin will be the interim president and CEO of the SBC Executive Committee. The EC officers made the announcement Tuesday (Feb. 1). Since 2020, McLaurin has served as the vice president for Great Commission relations and mobilization at the EC.

“We hope that he will help us to reset the tone by which the EC serves Southern Baptists,” said Rolland Slade, EC chairman.

McLaurin served for 15 years at the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board before joining the EC staff in January 2020.

“Our EC staff is committed to serving our Convention well. Jesus’ last words to us in Acts 1:8 should be our first priority as a network of churches. My prayer is that we will continue to put a laser-sharp focus on cooperation and collaboration,” McLaurin told Baptist Press.

He said he is grateful for the opportunity to lead during this season.

“I want to express deep appreciation to Chairman Rolland Slade and the Executive Committee officers for entrusting me with the opportunity to serve. It is an honor to partner with Southern Baptists in advancing the mission of winning the world to Jesus,” McLaurin said.

Prior to serving at the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, McLaurin was executive pastor at Greater Missionary Baptist Church in Clarksville, Tenn., and senior pastor at Greater Hope Baptist Church in Union City, Tenn. He has also served as an interim pastor for numerous Southern Baptist churches.

It was McLaurin’s pastoral experience, Slade said, that made it clear to the EC officers that he should be their choice. “The messengers and churches of all sizes throughout the SBC need to know that they are seen, heard and appreciated,” he said.

EC bylaws give the officers authority to name a vice president to the interim role.

McLaurin takes over the role after a challenging season for the EC. The process of waiving attorney-client privilege related to the ongoing investigation over allegations of mishandling reports of sexual abuse in the Convention took a heavy toll on EC members and the way they are viewed by the SBC.

McLaurin said he hopes to begin restoring trust in the EC during the interim period.

“No network of churches is without challenges. My prayer is that this season will bring healing and unity to our Convention,” McLaurin said. “When we love each other the way Jesus loves people then we create the atmosphere for cooperation.”

Slade believes this should be McLaurin’s central focus. “Immediately before us is the challenge to regain the sense of trust of Southern Baptists,” Slade said. “Regaining that trust includes focusing on relationships within and well as outside of the Southern Baptist Convention. That has been the assignment [McLaurin] has carried [during his time] at the EC. It is also an assignment he carried for more than 15 years on behalf of the Tennessee Mission Board while serving as their associate executive director.”

SBC EC bylaws mandate the interim president and CEO be chosen by the EC officers from the current EC vice presidents.

Jeff Pearson is the chief financial officer and Jonathan Howe serves as the vice president for communications. Pearson recently announced his resignation from the EC, effective Feb. 15.

McLaurin previously served on the SBC Resolutions Committee in 2018 and as president of the Black Southern Baptist Denominational Servants Network in 2011-2012. He also was on the Executive Board of the Tennessee Baptist Convention from 2003-2005 and was the inaugural president of the African American Fellowship of the Tennessee Baptist Convention.

McLaurin is a member of Simeon Baptist Church in Antioch, Tenn. He and his wife Antonia have two daughters, Sienna and SiChanna.

He is the first African American to lead an SBC entity and follows Ronnie Floyd, who resigned as EC president and CEO last October. Floyd served in the role for less than 30 months before leaving the post.

The EC is scheduled to meet in Nashville Feb. 21-22.

Slade said that while this is an important step for the EC, there will be more information regarding additional leadership assignments at a later date.

Lone Star Scoop

SBTC DR upcoming trainings

Would you like to be trained as an SBTC Disaster Relief volunteer? Only volunteers who are Southern Baptist and trained with a completed background check are able to deploy with SBTC DR units. SBTC Disaster Relief Phase 1 training is for individuals who desire to be the hands and feet of Christ after a disaster strikes. SBTC Disaster Relief meets real needs and shares the good news of hope through Jesus Christ with those impacted by disasters. Trainings offered at this event will give you an orientation into DR ministry and help you to safely work after disasters such as floods, fires and tornados. Phase 2 training prepares credentialed DR volunteers for leadership positions. See sbtexas.com/disaster-relief/dr-training-schedule for a complete list. Online training options are also available. 2022 in-person and online trainings

March 5, 2022: Intro to DR & Phase 1 Training (Spring Baptist Church)
April 22, 2022: Intro to DR & Phase 1 Training (First Baptist Church Linden)
August 13, 2022: EQUIP conference
October 22, 2022: Intro to DR & Phase 1 Ministry Areas Training (Calvary Baptist Church, Beaumont)

Phase 1 Intro to DR, mass feeding and recovery trainings are also available online at sbtexas.com/disaster-relief/phase-1-online-training. SOURCE: SBTC

Developing leaders and volunteers listed as pastors’ greatest need

The desire to develop leaders and volunteers within the church is the greatest need of America’s pastors, according to a new survey by Lifeway Research that asked ministers about their biggest challenges.

A total of 77 percent of U.S. Protestant pastors listed “developing leaders and volunteers” as a need, according to the poll, which involved interviews with 1,000 U.S. pastors for Lifeway’s 2022 “Greatest Needs of Pastors” study.

Two other needs were listed by at least 75 percent of pastors: “fostering connections with unchurched people” (76 percent) and “people’s apathy or lack of commitment” (75 percent).

Fourteen other needs in the survey were listed by a majority of pastors. They were:

72%

Consistency in personal prayer

69%

Friendships and fellowship with others

68%

Training current leaders and volunteers

68%

Consistency of Bible reading not related to sermon or teaching preparation

66%

Trusting God

64%

Relationships with other pastors

64%

Consistency in taking a sabbath

63%

Stress

63%

Personal disciple-making

61%

Confessing and repenting from personal sin

59%

Consistency exercising

55%

Avoiding overcommitment and over-work

55%

Challenging people where they lack obedience

51%

Time management

“The number and breadth of needs pastors are currently facing is staggering,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research. “… Clearly, pastors are not looking for shortcuts and are taking their roles as spiritual leaders in their church seriously.”

SOURCE: Lifeway Research

Krum church celebrates member’s 60 years of service: ‘a treasure to our congregation’

Plainview Baptist Church recently celebrated a church member who has been part of the church for more than six decades and has served alongside more than four dozen pastors. Annetta Schflitt is the longest-serving member at PBC, having been part of the congregation for more than 60 years while serving as church clerk and hostess for most of that time. The church itself is 128 years old. “She faithfully served our church for almost half of its existence,” Plainview Baptist pastor Tim Robinson said. Servants like Schflitt within a church are rare, Robinson said. “Her record-keeping was impeccable. She kept highly detailed records of baptisms, weddings, minutes of business meetings, vote counts, and other pertinent information. … I’ve been a pastor for almost 40 years and it has been difficult to get people to stay committed for six months—she served for more than half a century for the same church.” Schflitt, who moved to Krum in 1955, said she’s seen “over 50 pastors come and go.” “Miss Annetta is a treasure to our congregation and our community of Krum,” Robinson said. SOURCE: FBC Krum

Euless church’s building project is paid off: ‘God Is good’

A $19.6 million building campaign is paid in full thanks to what its pastor calls the goodness of God. Cross City Church in Euless announced in January its Generations Project was paid for after members donated $9.6 million to a capital campaign. That money, combined with $9 million received from a sold property and $2 million from cash reserves, allowed the project to surpass its goal. Members approved the Generations Project during a 2019 business meeting. “The project is paid for. We have no doubt at all,” pastor John Meador told members at a recent Sunday morning service. The Generations Project included the construction of a new students and kids area and a new commons space. It also included a new guest entrance and two covered entrances. The project was successful despite spanning a world-changing pandemic, Meador noted. The church closed its doors for 11 weeks in 2020. “I would not be shooting straight with you if I didn’t tell you I was worried a little bit during those 11 to 12 weeks,” Meador said. “… Looking back. I can only say God is good. God is wise. And God did an amazing thing during that period of time. It was incredible.” SOURCE: CrossCity.Church

Toward a Theology of My Cyber-Self: A Christian Reflection on Suler’s Online Disinhibition Effect

In 2018, the popular movie Ready Player One attempted to take cyber space imagination to its fullest expression. The real world was hard. And cruel. And pointless. But online, one could be whomever or whatever he or she wanted, with infinite variation, even between online communities. Baked into the plot of the movie is a palpable tension between in-person reality and virtual reality. In one particularly illuminative narrative, while romanticizing the appeal of the social cyber space (called “The Oasis”), main character Wade/Parzival explained, “People come to the Oasis for all the things they can do, but they stay for all the things they can be.”

There is an imaginative appeal to the online space. Indeed, people come for all they can do—interaction with friends, debates with strangers, self-expression, self-actualization, self-indulgence. The list goes on. But there is a dark, hidden plot twist in the real cyber world that, if we are not careful, can bring out the worst versions of ourselves. Having come for all we can do, we may be deceived into staying for all that we, seemingly, can be. A new identity. A more actualized and more fulfilling version of myself. The question needs to be asked: Is the online space a safe and appropriate place to be the real me? And perhaps those of us who are in Christ should probe even more deeply: What is the real me like, and is that identity accurately projected in the cyber space?

Not long ago I read Paul Barnett’s Paul: Missionary of Jesus. Among the many invaluable insights I garnered from Barnett’s treatment of the life, ministry and writings of the apostle Paul was a simple passing phrase that I have not been able to shake in the time since I read it. As Barnett explained how the Damascus Road experience affected Paul’s life, he suggested that “Paul had a specific identity, a theology of himself.” From the moment of his Damascus Road experience, Paul’s theology of himself was completely wrapped up in his relationship to and calling in Christ Jesus.

Do I have a proper theology of myself?

A question deserving of honest self-reflection, no doubt. Most Christ followers, especially those who are grounded in the faith, will answer in the affirmative. They are confident in their Christian hope and calling. As they should be. After all, Paul’s contemporary, the Apostle John, insisted that he wrote for this very purpose: “that you may know…” (1 John 5:13). A confident and accurate theology of oneself becomes both the pleasure of those who walk with God in Christ and a driving force for their ongoing engagement in his mission.

But what about online? Do I have a proper theology of my cyber-self?

Not that there are two different selfs. That’s crazy talk. But the perception of such is convincing, especially in our increasingly digitized culture. For example, have you noticed, of late, any particular Christian or church leader who seems to be more vitriolic online than he or she normally is in person? More involved? Less restrained? More malicious? Less controlled? More vocal? Less inhibited? Someone you would say normally exhibits the fruits of the Spirit, but on social media or other online spaces seems to be losing his or her cool, or acting differently in some way?

Why do some Christians act so repulsively un-Christlike in the digital space?

“Why do some Christians act so repulsively un-Christlike in the digital space?”

tony wolfe Tweet

In 2004, CyberPsychology & Behavior ran an article by John Suler, Ph.D. entitled, “The Online Disinhibition Effect.” It has been a topic of continued professional study and interaction for almost two decades, especially in the fields of psychology and sociology. In it, Suler identifies six factors that compound to reveal a tension, of sorts, between one’s true self and a “toxic” online variant. He argues that such disinhibition is not necessarily “the revealing of an underlying ‘true self’” as much as it is a “constellation within self-structure.” That is to say, a variance between one’s in-person self and one’s cyber-self is not necessarily the revealing of one’s true nature; rather, it is a revealing of a more complex self-understanding and of one’s expression of that self-understanding.

While I agree that there are not two actual selfs (one in-person and the other online), the biblical Christian worldview does not give a pass to one whose actions, attitudes and words are Christlike in person but divisive or vile online. The Bible has something important to say about one’s self and one’s voluntary and involuntary expression of self:

“The heart is more deceitful than anything else, and incurable—who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)

“Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life.” (Proverbs 4:23)

“But what comes out of the mouth comes from the heart, and this defiles a person. For from the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual immoralities, thefts, false testimonies, slander.” (Matthew 15:18-19)

Is your online engagement defiling you? If you were to take an honest assessment of your online engagement and hold it up next to what you believe to be true of your self in-person, would the two agree? Or would there be a subtle (or maybe even shocking) duplicity?

Do you have a proper theology of your cyber-self?

What follows is a brief interaction, from a biblical Christian worldview, with Suler’s six factors which compound to facilitate “The Online Disinhibition Effect.” These are meant to be Christian reflections, if you will, on those psychological and psychosocial dynamics that seem to be evident in increasing measure in Christian online interaction. The applications are many, I’m sure. My objective is to give brief and helpful thoughts on how the Bible addresses each of these, and any combination of them, toward the development of a healthy and realistic theology of oneself – including a theology of one’s cyber-self.

1. DISSASSOCIATIVE ANONYMITY

Suler writes, “When people have the opportunity to separate their actions online from their in-person lifestyle and identity, they feel less vulnerable about self-disclosing and acting out… In a process of disassociation, they don’t have to own their behavior by acknowledging it within the full context of an integrated online/offline identity.” Basically, online anonymity can feed self-expression with a self-indulged courage that in-person interaction does not often afford. The rules of engagement, so to speak, for in-person interaction are often “temporarily suspended” during anonymous online interaction.

Proverbs 18:1 is helpful here. “One who isolates himself pursues selfish desires; he rebels against all sound wisdom.” There is often a sinful audacity in the dark corners of cyber-social anonymity. Whether the cyber account is technically anonymous or the user simply perceives dissociative anonymity, isolation is the playground of self-indulgence. A biblical theology of one’s cyber-self will not allow the Christian to hide in the dark corners of malicious anonymity.

2. INVISIBILITY

I remember, as a young music minister, reviewing a mid-90’s musical for production value in our church. It projected a futuristic theme in which people would eventually be able to see each other on devices while they talked to them in real-time thousands of miles removed. Ridiculous, I thought. That’ll never happen. And here we are, not many years later, with a plethora of videoconferencing and live-streaming options at our fingertips. To see someone’s face while interacting with them in real-time (when possible) is of great importance to interpersonal communication. But where communication is couched in invisibility, there is the real possibility of increased interpersonal complication. Facial expressions, eye contact and body language are removed from the communicative equation. “Even with everyone’s identity known,” explains Suler, “the opportunity to be physically invisible amplifies the disinhibition effect.”

When Peter and John heard the lame beggar’s appeal for money, “they looked straight at him,” (Acts 3:4). Ironically, the man was positioned at “the gate called Beautiful” in the temple complex where worshippers were literally to be a kingdom of priests for God. But one by one, worshippers walked right by the man, for decades, and never even looked at him. Peter and John looked the man in the eyes. In that powerful moment he felt seen, valued and known there at the Beautiful gate. A proper biblical theology of oneself cannot be divorced from a proper biblical theology of others. Online engagement is always engagement with real live people, even if they are not seen in the moment. Those cyber-social outlets that rely on written communication alone are ripe for disassociation. Be aware. Christians must guard against the tendency to reduce unseen people to valueless people.

“There is often a sinful audacity in the dark corners of cyber-social anonymity… isolation is the playground of self-indulgence.”

Tony wolfe Tweet

3. ASYNCHRONICITY

I post something then walk away. You respond. I, in turn, get to it when I’m good and ready. Minutes, hours, sometimes days or weeks pass as a conversation unfolds. This is asynchronous communication. We are talking about the same thing, with one another, but not at the same time. Suler explains, “In e-mail and message boards, where there are delays” in the feedback loop, “people’s train of thought may progress more steadily and quickly toward deeper expressions of benign and toxic disinhibition that avert social norms.” When I can walk away from a conversation then walk back in at my pleasure, I can disassociate myself from the idiosyncrasies of realtime self-expression. I have plenty of time to stew over that comment or to formulate a rebuttal to that challenge. If I am communicating from a position of defensiveness through asynchronous communication, I have the freedom to either take the time to genuinely process what you are trying to communicate or to completely ignore what you are trying to communicate while deepening my own preconceptions and confutations. It becomes a conversational hit-and-run. No one is listening. We’re just talking at and over one another.

“A fool does not delight in understanding,” wrote the wise king, “but only wants to show off his opinions,” (Proverbs 18:2). Asynchroneity in online communication opens wide the door for saying things without ever actually communicating. It is the pursuit of fools, in conversation, to express opinions with no regard for seeking understanding. A biblical theology of one’s cyber-self will keep in mind not only the spatial distance in online conversation, but the temporal distance as well.

4. SOLIPSISTIC INTROJECTION

A potpourri of historic philosophical idealists contribute to the not-so-modern notion of solipsism in which an advocate would argue that only oneself (or one’s mind) truly exists; the only self of which one can be ontologically sure is one’s own. In the world of cyber communication, as Suler explains it, this might take the form of reading another’s message with an internalized voice or visualizing a conception of the other’s features based on what you think is true or want to be true of the other person. This is solipsistic introjection. “The online companion then becomes a character within one’s intrapsychic world, a character shaped partly by how the person actually presents him or herself via text communication, but also by one’s internal representational system based on expectations, wishes, and needs.” Sounds strange, I know. But we all do this regularly when we have conversations with imaginary people in our heads (or is that just me and me?). We work out issues and rebuttal conjectures while conversing, internally, with a figment of our imagination. The other person doesn’t really exist (solipsism), but we have internalized his or her thoughts, feelings and features based on what we imagine would be true of a real version of him or her (solipsistic introjection).

In a theology of one’s cyber-self, it is important to remember that people are real, even online. Every person you interact with in the digital space is a real person, made in the image of God, bearing incalculable intrinsic value as such. God formed them uniquely and wonderfully in their mothers’ wombs; every one of their days is written in his book before a single one begins (Psalm 139:13-16). Online, even when you can’t see them, they are real people with real value to God and to the world he created. Treat them with the respect, dignity, and charity that an image-bearer of God deserves.

5. DISSASOCIATIVE IMAGINATION

Some individuals may have difficulty, explains Suler, “in distinguishing personal fantasy from social reality,” even in online social spaces. He offers up for example those who engulf themselves in online fantasy games then interact in other online social spaces without embracing the social differences between the two. An online avatar can become one’s perceived online identity, blurring the digital lines between spaces where that avatar (or persona) is created for fantasy and where the user’s account is created for real connection. In the Christian blogosphere and Twittersphere, this is not uncommon for those who have created an online persona that is in some way different from their in-person reality. Online, however, they are the same, disassociated avatar/persona whether they are commenting on a YouTube gaming demonstration, posting on their personal blog, or interacting on Facebook or Twitter. They have an online image to uphold. Their followers have expectations of their avatar, wherever and whenever they find it on the digital space.

The Lord Jesus had harsh words for such hypocrisy: “They do everything to be seen by others… They love the place of honor at banquets, the front seats in the synagogues, greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by people… But you… The greatest among you will be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted,” (Matthew 23:1-12). The Christian with a biblical theology of cyber-self will (1) be the same person online as he or she is in-person, and (2) understand the nuances of different digital spaces and act appropriately within them.

6. MINIMIZATION OF STATUS AND AUTHORITY

Online, “everyone has an equal opportunity to voice him or herself,” explains Suler. “Even if people know something about an authority figure’s offline status and power, that elevated position may have less of an effect on the person’s online presence and influence.” “People are reluctant to say what they really think as they stand before an authority figure,” he goes on. “But online, in what feels more like a peer relationship—with the appearances of authority minimized—people are much more willing to speak out and misbehave.”

Need we delineate the actual examples in our day? How many disparaging tweets regularly target political leaders, community leaders, and others who have perceived relational status? How many Christians feel more empowered to criticize or mischaracterize church leaders or social/political figures online before they even attempt to reach out to them personally for understanding?

Jesus insisted that even the hypocrites above mentioned were to be obeyed because of their position of spiritual authority (Matthew 23:1-2). “Let everyone submit to the governing authorities,” wrote the Apostle Paul, “for there is no authority except from God,” (Romans 13:1). “Honor the king,” Peter instructed, and “be submissive to your masters, with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable,” (1 Peter 2:17-18). In the cyber space, a Christian with a proper theology of his or her cyber-self will not disparage those in authority, even though it may seem a more available place to readily do so.

There is no biblical separation of Christian duty or of Christian morality when the self is expressed online versus when it is expressed in-person. A Christlike attitude and a biblical worldview simply will not allow for such a divergence of expressed reality. Be who you are in Christ – the best version of yourself – whether you are connecting with someone face-to-face or in the digital space. You have come because of all the things you can do. Don’t let the allure of the cyber-space convince you that you can be something you are not intended to be. You came for meaningful connection. Don’t sell your soul for reimagined identity.

Have you noticed it too, or am I the only one? Is there an increasing un-Christlike interaction in online spaces among those who are followers of the Lord Jesus? The online space, whether easily perceptible or not, is full of real people who are image bearers of God in need of the redemption and grace that you have found through repentance from sin and faith in Jesus. Treat them as such. And treat fellow believers with the kindness of the Lord there, too.

In the most hostile environments, where it is tempting to disassociate your cyber-self from your in-person self, resist the fleshly pull toward self-gratification and self-exaltation. I leave you with the Apostle Paul’s closing thoughts to a church full of faithful saints who were his cooperating partners in ministry and in grace over the course of many years:

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable – if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy – dwell on these things,” (Philippians 4:8).