Resolution 1 - Unity

Transcribed from our YouTube video:
10 Resolutions for the MediaWise.church - Resolution 1 - Unity

Social media can be incredibly toxic. You don’t need much convincing of that. You’ve seen it. The undercurrent of its poisonous flow is disinformation, and for that reason, the MediaWise Church must make a commitment to steer clear of its dangerous undertow.

That said, the disinformation and confusion pervasive on social media is merely a mechanism for a more insidious purpose, disunity. And this disunity strikes at the heart of the Church, the family of God.

The expression “divide and conquer” aptly describes this end. In an age where common ground is found in short supply, when disinformation spreads, we scramble to defend increasingly small slices of a shared reality. The lethal effectiveness of disinformation on social media is seen in the wake of the ruined relationships, embittered families and divided churches it leaves behind.

The purpose of disinformation is ominously echoed in a 1984 interview with Soviet defector and ex-KGB operative Yuri Bezmenov, as he recounts the process of demoralizing, dividing and conquering a people.

He describes the strategic attack in this way 

“…ideological subversion, active measures, or psychological WARfare… is to change the perception of reality…  to such an extent that despite the abundance of information, no one is able to come to sensible conclusions in the interests of defending themselves, their families, their community and their country… a great brainwashing process…”

I highly recommend you watch the interview for yourself. I’ve put a link in the description below, and you will find his words eerily prescient.

Now, I’m not suggesting that Russian efforts are or are not at the heart of the disunity seen today. No, at its core this is a spiritual battle. We are reminded in Ephesians 6:12 that :

We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

What I am saying is that the very purpose of disinformation is to divide the Church, and we are simply falling into this trap.

We have never been more polarized. Take for example Exit Surveys* from the 2020 US election. They tragically describe an entirely polarized country. 

Every Christian must recognize that this divide is also statistically represented within the Church. And so, for example, one half of the Church believes the economy is the most important issue and racial inequality is the least important issue. Whereas the other half believes that racial inequality is the most important issue and the economy is the least important issue.

Click the description below to review the exit poll data for yourself.

Some may find it easier to simply say, “Well those who disagree with me are simply not of the faith.” And this would be evidence of the division that has been achieved in your heart.

This is the the danger. The belief that we must simply fight amongst ourselves until everyone agrees with the “right side” of these debates. But that’s where the danger is most insidious. 

Paul, in 1 Corinthians 1:10 describes what feels like an idealistic utopia, a world where “there are no divisions” in the Church, and we are “united in the same mind and the same judgment”. But this is not achieved with political arguments. No, this is a call to avoiding the fools errand of debate around matters of opinion, even matters of conviction. We are not unified by grandstanding on these unstable, and pride riddled platforms.

Because of this Paul speaks directly to those who are intent on spreading controversy and division in the Church when he says “watch out for those who cause divisions… avoid them” (Romans 16:17) and even more forcefully, “warn them once… then have nothing more to do with them” (Tutus 3:10).

There simply is no room for needless controversy in the Church. Division is the real enemy.

And so, when we illegitimately mix politics and faith, we walk through a minefield of squabbles and quarrels. This is not a call to be unified in who we vote for, or what political stance we take on a particular issue. 

The call is to be unified in Christ, in the faith as Paul writes in Ephesians 4:13 when he says

“…attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ”

Consider these words carefully. This is not a call to unity on matters of politics. It is a unity of the doctrine of Christ. The only foundation of the Church. Paul proceeds to explain why in the next verse when he writes 

“…so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.”

The call is to a unity that is unshakable, not built on geo political arguments, on the shifting sands of human reasoning, or the influence of secular ideologies. The foundation of our faith is none of these things. Seek the maturity that is found in Christ, and the foundational hope that is in the gospel, which rejects the notion that our political views have any saving efficacy. The Gospel has no slippery slopes, that is to say, we can never depend too much on Christ and His work on the cross.

And while the struggle to set aside our differences is real, social media does everything in its power to make it all but impossible. The commitment of the Church should be for unity in Christ, for we are all one in Christ (Galatians 3:28). Our engagement on social media should “make every effort to do what leads to peace and mutual edification” (Romans 14:19).

This means, holding off on making that inflammatory post on Facebook, or sharing that controversial tweet on Twitter. This is intentionally doing everything to avoid instigating arguments, or triggering those with opposing views. This is a call to refuse to be trolls, as if looking for a fight. This also means, refusing to play the games of those who insist on division, on disinformation, and controversy.

Unity must be the number one New Years Resolution of the Media Wise Church. Will you commit to this?