Click Nation

Miley isn't the only one coming in like a wrecking ball. Today, we live and move in an internet world where one savage destroys another snowflake, the ghost of Hitler looms in the other person’s position, animals play instruments, and the most amazing thing you will ever see comes at you three times a day, every day. Such extravagant language quickens the heart, causes us to click, but squelches the chance for discourse.

Come let us reason together (Is. 1:18)? No thanks, I mic drop.

Unfortunately, the internet all too often sacrifices truth for succinctness and clicks. It’s a place where facts don’t care about your feelings, but I am going to make a fact-based argument in a highly emotive fashion in an effort to play upon those very feelings. It’s a magical place where there is your truth, my truth, and a place where no one can handle (or care) about the truth.

Our culture is changing in this internet age, but our mission is not.

The mission is not to look like the culture, but instead, to look like Christ while we live in and move in the culture. This is not a culture war; this is a spiritual war in the culture (Ephesians 6:10). In this war, we are not trying to win the point but the person. In reality, the goal is less trying to win and more about being faithful.

Without faith, it is impossible to please God – no matter how hard the mic drop (Heb. 11:6).

The mic drop has littered history, buoying the spirits of mic droppers and bruising the toes of its victims (e.g. Nathan (2 Sam. 12), Daniel (Dan. 3), etc.). The mic drop is a figurative expression used when someone boldly makes a point in a discussion that signals triumph to listeners. While the actual dropping of the mic is value neutral, the heart of the mic dropper rarely is. To make a good point in an argument is not bad, but to maliciously make the individual in the argument look bad by your point is not godly.

In a culture that is increasingly more interested in looking good than determining right from wrong, the Christian has a pivotal role to play. We live and move in a prevailing atmosphere where it is not sufficient to disagree but rather one must demonize. Selfishly protecting their image, the mic dropper lifts a false veneer of intelligence and wittiness to cover insecurity and people pleasing.

We should be more concerned with sowing seeds of truth in love rather than dropping mics after hot takes. We are known for our love not our takes.

There was a time when we “won” the culture or at least were in the majority. We, like Charlie Sheen, were “winning.” But those days, like Vine and pleated pants, are no longer. It can seem like the “world” is against us. This reality should be expected (2 Tim. 3:12, 2 Pet. 4:12, John 16:33).

But take heart, God does his best work in the dark (see creation and the cross). We don’t have to save the world because that has already been done. Rather, we just give a gracious defense for the Creator of the world (Eph. 4:15, 1 Pet. 3:15). Instead of trying to look good in front of others, attempt to emulate our loving God to others.

Miley tore everything down on her wrecking ball. Let’s try to build something up instead.