To Post or not to Post - That is the Question

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths,

but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs,

that it may benefit those who listen.”

Ephesians 4:29

I have been struggling all week with preparing this week’s blog post.  I think the reason is that I have been wanting to vent about how tired I am with all the rancor, hyperbole, exaggeration, and anger I have seen lately posted on social media.  Much of it is related to politics and all sides are guilty. 

Then I read this verse - Ephesians 4:29.  This verse hit home.  If I used this blog to vent I would be doing the very thing I would be complaining about.  How would that help or build up anyone other than me?  So instead I thought I would write about how to decide what to post or not to post?  What are some questions that you or I, as followers of Jesus, might ask ourselves before we post something on Facebook?  Paul packs a lot of great advice into this verse from Ephesians.  So here are some questions I hope will be helpful to you and will guide me before I post something online:

First, does what I am about to post come under the heading of “wholesome talk?”  The word for unwholesome here refers to words that are “rank, foul, putrid, rotten, worthless, or disgusting.”  To me this means that if I am going to say something unkind or nasty about someone… if I am going to use foul language – that’s not wholesome.  That’s out of bounds.  In addition I also think of Luther’s words to us about the 8^th commandment – that we should “fear and love God so that we do not tell lies about our neighbor, betray him, slander him or hurt his reputation, but defend him, speak well of him and explain everything in the kindest possible way.”  If what I am going to write assumes the worst about someone rather the best (even about people who hold opinions different than my own), then I probably shouldn’t post it.  If my words, even if true, will do harm to someone else’s reputation then posting them publically is not right.  Our moms all taught us the same thing – “if you can’t say something nice about someone then don’t say anything at all.”

Second, is what I am going to post “helpful to others?”  I think that’s what changed my mind about this blog.  Who was I going to be helping by my venting?  The answer was I would only be helping me.  Since that was the case there are other more healthy places for me to vent.  I am more and more convinced that if I am angry with someone then social media is not the place to voice that anger… neither is email.  All of that does more harm than good.  The same is true if I disagree with someone else’s position or opinion.  Having a discussion on Facebook about such issues doesn’t help.  It simply promotes people become defensive.  Comments on Facebook and through email are so easily misunderstood.  Disagreeing without being disagreeable is hard enough in person.  It’s next to impossible on social media.  When I have an issue with someone our Lord advises to first go direct to that person and talk to them in private.  If I am not willing to do that, then how can posting something publically.  I should just not post anything.

Third, does the fact that something is true automatically make it helpful?  For one thing, often my thoughts on something are only half the story.  I often assume something is true because it fits my viewpoint.  How often have I made assumptions without knowing all the facts?   Just because something is true, or I think it’s true, does not mean I should post it. 

Those are just my reflections on Paul’s words.  In this verse and the ones that follow, he says it much better.  “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful or building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.  And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  Get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.  Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you.” 

My prayer is that this is as helpful to you as it was to me.  Anyway, it’s got to be better than listening to me vent.