The Gotcha Post

I hate "gotcha" posts on Facebook. Everybody has them; liberals, conservatives, environmentalists, vegans, gun-owners, pro-lifers, pro-choicers and even Christians.

I don't like any of these posts from any of these sorts of people. But from Christians, I think it's absolutely wrong to post these sorts of things.

I know, right now my Christian friends are asking, "Why Pastor Nathan?" (Or those of you who don't have all that much respect for me might be asking, "Why Nate-dogg?") Certainly some of these "gotcha posts" contain truth!  Well, yes and no.

Let's look at some:

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Subtext: "You guys are [expletive] and everybody knows it!

less clever than the above dig . . .

I've been tempted to use this one from time to time.

Alienating half the population seems like a good game plan in winning people to Christ.

not entirely accurate . . .

see above comment . . .

Surely this will change their minds!

'cause atheists don't believe anything, you see . . .

Translation: "If you have a scripture tattoo you're a hypocrite."

I would like to see some hard data on how many grieving mothers and burn victims felt compassion from this post . . .

Cool! I always wanted to meet Paul!

So now I can control other people's very will?

This is the hill all Christians should choose to die on! (Note: sarcasm)

You see, one of the major problems with evangelical Christians today isn't in what we believe. We know all the right doctrines and our systematic theology is, more or less, grounded and sound. We have a good handle on God, Humanity, Sin, Death, Jesus, the Afterlife, Marriage, Divorce, Sexual Ethics and the like. Our orthodoxy is solid. But our orthopraxy is anemic, atrophied and spitting up blood.

What's orthopraxy? Well, orthodoxy is "right belief." Orthopraxy is "right actions." These two concepts need to work alongside of each other. We can believe all the right things, like that deceit is a sin, but be deceptive persons in the core of our character.

Knowing the right thing is not the same as doing the right thing.

This brings me back to the "gotcha" posts that everyone is so fond of. I see these things and I find myself asking, "Is this how Jesus dealt with sin and sinners?"

insulting, and not all that pithy . . .

Was Jesus trying to "score points" and show everyone that he was right through pithy and insulting sayings?

Or was he trying to rescue individuals from the kingdom of darkness and into the Kingdom of God?

Read through the gospels. Who was Jesus harsh with? The tax collectors? The gluttons? The drunkards? The prostitutes? No. To these he showed compassion, genuine concern and invited them into the Kingdom of God by saying: "Repent and believe in the good news!" (Mark 1:15) 

But Jesus was harsh.

Who was he harsh with? He was harsh with the religious leaders. The believers in God. The ones who should know better. The ones who had all of the right orthodoxy but none of the right orthopraxy.

So the next time you're going to post one of those "gotcha" memes, or for that matter open your mouth, maybe . . . just maybe . . . as a representative of the Lord Jesus Christ you need to ask yourself, "Why am I posting this? Is it to score points? Is it to make me feel better about what I believe? Will it draw people to Jesus, or will it misrepresent Jesus' personality? How would someone who doesn't believe any of this stuff respond?

"Is this how Jesus spoke to sinners?"