New Year

Welcome to 2013. Thankfully, 2012 is now behind us. In many ways, 2012 was a difficult year. It was filled with tragedy, partisan politics, and natural disaster. It was characterized by continuing warfare and the meteoric rise of social media run amok.

One particular cultural development, perhaps central to much of the character of 2012, was the ability and willingness of persons, whether on social media sites or through political campaigns, to print or say absolutely erroneous things about others, without repercussion. Fact finding political pundits built careers around debunking claims that were made in the campaigns of 2012. So egregious were the misrepresentations that one such political pundit claimed that nothing said in a political ad was to be believed.

 

The same was true on social media sites. On such sites, people are free to claim anything that they see fit to claim. They can write anything about anyone. Many do. Electronic bullying runs rampant on facebook and twitter. Certainly, much of that which is claimed against persons  on social media sites is overstated, or foundationally untrue.

 

This leads me to make a suggestion for 2013. What if we, members and friends of Shiloh Church, were to take a stand against personal attacks of any kind? What if we refused to heed news reports that sensationalized the deeds and foibles of celebrities? What if we refused to be swayed by personal attacks on politicians or persons in authority? What if it were not okay with us to tear others down in order to build up one's self, or to support one's own opinion over that of the other?

 

Can the Church take a stand against personal attack? Can we each act in such a way that we begin to formulate, at least around ourselves, an attack-free zone?

 

In 2013, I resolve to tolerate no personal attack. I vow to stand against those that are made in my presence, and to call those that I come into contact with, through social media, for instance, what they are. I would hope that my friends would call me to accountability for those times when I fail to honor this commitment.

 

Perhaps standing against personal attack is a means by which we would restore the fabric that ties us all together. Maybe it is a way for us to construct anew a culture wherein we see one another as brothers and sisters instead of sides of an aisle or sides of an opinion.

 

Will you help in making this a movement? Will you join me?

 

See You Sunday!