TWITTER / X
Ray Ortlund
One, the good that can be accomplished on Twitter can also be accomplished, and far more fruitfully, in real life.
Scrolling Twitter is an intense experience. But its intensity can fool us. It feels more real than it is. And the emotional demand claims too much. Twitter betrays the involvement it lures us into. We end up diminished, even injured, over and over again. For years, my own cost/benefit calculation kept tipping in favor of the benefits. I no longer see it that way.
Two, I am grieved by the behavior of Christians on Twitter. There are so many I admire! But Twitter can arouse the mean streak inside every one of us. And some of us honestly do not realize the harm we do. The reckless accusations, the eager gotchas, the angry finger-pointing, the trigger-happy reactions, the flippant slanders – I was rarely the target of such ugliness. But just observing it, my own soul began to suffer. I felt dirtied.
As I love to say, “Gospel doctrine creates gospel culture.” We all fall short of embodying the beauty of the gospel. I sure do. But when we cross the line into displaying the opposite of Jesus, repeatedly and publicly, I object. I object with every fiber of my being. I refuse to be involved.
Three, Twitter consumes time, and I have no time to waste. For a man in his 70s, I am surprisingly healthy. But sooner or later, something bad will come find me and take me out. Fine. Jesus is preparing an eternal place for me. But if I die, say, on my eightieth birthday – it’s hypothetical, but possible – then, as of today, I have only 2,677 days left in this world. And on my dying day, will I regret not spending time on Twitter? The answer is obvious. --Ray Ortlund; Gospel Coalition; Why I Got out of Twitter 5.9.22
Scrolling Twitter is an intense experience. But its intensity can fool us. It feels more real than it is. And the emotional demand claims too much. Twitter betrays the involvement it lures us into. We end up diminished, even injured, over and over again. For years, my own cost/benefit calculation kept tipping in favor of the benefits. I no longer see it that way.
Two, I am grieved by the behavior of Christians on Twitter. There are so many I admire! But Twitter can arouse the mean streak inside every one of us. And some of us honestly do not realize the harm we do. The reckless accusations, the eager gotchas, the angry finger-pointing, the trigger-happy reactions, the flippant slanders – I was rarely the target of such ugliness. But just observing it, my own soul began to suffer. I felt dirtied.
As I love to say, “Gospel doctrine creates gospel culture.” We all fall short of embodying the beauty of the gospel. I sure do. But when we cross the line into displaying the opposite of Jesus, repeatedly and publicly, I object. I object with every fiber of my being. I refuse to be involved.
Three, Twitter consumes time, and I have no time to waste. For a man in his 70s, I am surprisingly healthy. But sooner or later, something bad will come find me and take me out. Fine. Jesus is preparing an eternal place for me. But if I die, say, on my eightieth birthday – it’s hypothetical, but possible – then, as of today, I have only 2,677 days left in this world. And on my dying day, will I regret not spending time on Twitter? The answer is obvious. --Ray Ortlund; Gospel Coalition; Why I Got out of Twitter 5.9.22
Trump’s Twitter return sparks concern among faith groups
Shortly after Elon Musk officially took charge of Twitter last month, Jonathan Greenblatt, head of the Anti-Defamation League, joined a group of civil rights advocates for a meeting with the newly minted social media mogul.
Among advocates’ chief concerns: that Musk, a self-declared “free speech absolutist,” would reactivate previously banned accounts — including that of former President Donald Trump, a figure who rights advocates say both perpetuates and magnifies online hate speech. 11.22.22
Shortly after Elon Musk officially took charge of Twitter last month, Jonathan Greenblatt, head of the Anti-Defamation League, joined a group of civil rights advocates for a meeting with the newly minted social media mogul.
Among advocates’ chief concerns: that Musk, a self-declared “free speech absolutist,” would reactivate previously banned accounts — including that of former President Donald Trump, a figure who rights advocates say both perpetuates and magnifies online hate speech. 11.22.22
Feb 2, 2022: Denison Forum: Oregon mother sues Meta over daughter’s digital addiction: How is your digital stewardship?
For example, a mother in Oregon is suing Meta (Facebook’s parent company) and Snap, arguing that their respective applications have caused her fourteen-year-old daughter to become so addicted to her phone that “she would get very physical, violent, verbal with me” when the mother attempted to take her daughter’s phone away.
For example, a mother in Oregon is suing Meta (Facebook’s parent company) and Snap, arguing that their respective applications have caused her fourteen-year-old daughter to become so addicted to her phone that “she would get very physical, violent, verbal with me” when the mother attempted to take her daughter’s phone away.
June 22, 2022: OpIndia: Twitter account of fake news peddler and Islamic terror apologist CJ Werleman banned in India
On June 22, the Twitter handle of fake news peddler and Islamic terror apologist CJ Werleman was withheld in India. If someone from India tries to open his account, a message that reads “@cjwerleman’s account has been withheld in India in response to a legal demand” appears on the screen. As per this message, his account has been banned in India following a request from either a court or a competent authority in the government.
On June 22, the Twitter handle of fake news peddler and Islamic terror apologist CJ Werleman was withheld in India. If someone from India tries to open his account, a message that reads “@cjwerleman’s account has been withheld in India in response to a legal demand” appears on the screen. As per this message, his account has been banned in India following a request from either a court or a competent authority in the government.
it's just disappointing to me that so many Christians in their bios, their little Twitter, I mean their avatar say, Jesus-loving, coffee-loving, Reformed Baptist. I love my wife and my kids and my church. And then they, you know, they say all these un-Christ-like things. It's, it's remarkable. And the best one ones that I, the best ones, I have a little folder on my phone that says, Andy haters, and I save the best ones. And I read them to my kids. So maybe somebody out there is part of the Greatest Hits, because it's crazy what people who have never met me say about me. And not just me, everybody. So yeah, that's, that's just disappointing that there's that many people that are part of the body of Christ that feel there's nothing in their conscience that kind of rings and, you know, warns them that, hey, maybe you shouldn't do this, so anyway. -Andy Stanley; World; 5.14.22
Pastor Gabe: BANNED FROM TWITTER FINALLY
The tweet that did me in was one I posted earlier this week on June 27, when I said the following:
Q: What do abortion, adultery, bestiality, child sacrifice, homicide, homosexuality, idolatry, incest, and witchcraft have in common?
A: They all deserve the death penalty.
Turn from your sin to the Lord Jesus Christ, and live.
6.30.22
The tweet that did me in was one I posted earlier this week on June 27, when I said the following:
Q: What do abortion, adultery, bestiality, child sacrifice, homicide, homosexuality, idolatry, incest, and witchcraft have in common?
A: They all deserve the death penalty.
Turn from your sin to the Lord Jesus Christ, and live.
6.30.22
Following the announcement of Elon Musk’s buyout of Twitter News anchor Norah O’Donnell warned that Twitter will become a “haven for disinformation and hate speech.”
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