Go Not In The Way Of Evil

There is no doubt, the world has shrunk. No longer do we need weeks of lead time in order to send messages, we can communicate instantly to anywhere in the world. Our next door neighbor was the person living in the house adjacent to us but now with the Web our “neighbor” can be 10,000 miles away.

From the Truth’s point of view this has proved quite beneficial; the proclama­tion of the gospel can now extend to anybody who has a computer linked to the Internet. Some of the advantages of Internet proclamation are evident when we consider how easy it is to disseminate pamphlets or correspondence courses. These can easily be downloaded straight from the website. Ecclesial arrangements can be more efficiently managed; speaking appointments, fraternal announcements, etc., can be handled with greater speed and less cost. It is even possible to deliver reimbursements without writing a check; you simply send the money electronically.

But there is a down side to this instant communication, and it is a trap that the Christadelphian community has fallen into with great gusto. With a little technical knowhow and a small annual fee anybody can set up a personal website. At first such websites were set up for the purpose of posting family photos and such like, and access to view the material was granted only to family and friends. Then came along Facebook and Twitter offering the same features, but to a wider clientele. Also they are free, so the personal website was dropped by many users. However other uses have been made of personal websites, and in many cases not for the good.

Anyone wanting to know all about Christadelphian problems can do so by access­ing the Internet, and many brethren are now using this medium as a vehicle to engage in controversy. One website we accessed had photographs of well-known brethren posted and comments criticizing their beliefs on certain topics. Is this the proper use of this mass communication vehicle? Why do we feel the need to hang out our dirty laundry for all to see? This is one worldly approach that we would do well to avoid. If you have access to Facebook you can read ongoing dis­cussions about ecclesial issues and the names of brethren and sisters highlighted to the point of slander. What are we coming to? Have we become so influenced by this humanistic world that we are unable to see that our conduct is no better?

The apostle Paul wrote: “And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away” (1Cor 7:31). The Greek word for abusing conveys the idea of overuse or misuse and Rotherham in his Emphasized Bible translates the verse as follows: “And they who use the world as though they used it not to the full”. In other words, in the Internet context, by all means take advantage of technol­ogy but don’t lower the Christadelphian standard by the use thereof. Paul’s final comment in this verse offers a warning: the fashion of this world is passing away, therefore let us not become caught up with its ways so that we pass away with it.

Websites such as Facebook can be particularly damaging. It is not uncommon for brothers and sisters to post photographs which are compromising to the principles of the Truth; some show themselves enjoying environments which I am sure they would be unwilling to disclose to the ecclesia. Why is it thought acceptable to lead a double life; this flies in the face of the words of our Lord when he said, “Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Matt 6:24).

Solomon said in the book of Proverbs, “Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away. For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall” (Prov 4:14-16). How can this verse apply to our use of the Internet?

First of all, it is all very well to say that the Internet is a useful tool if used properly. While this may be true we should not lose sight of the fact that much of the mate­rial on the Internet is altogether unacceptable. The world does not always use it properly, and it is just as easy for us to slip into the same frame of mind, and use the web in an unscriptural fashion. Secondly, our unwise use of the Internet can become the downfall of our brethren and sisters (not forgetting ourselves also). This illustrates just how offensive our own conduct can be.

Unfortunately we are living in a society that no longer cares about other people. Everybody has a right to do this or that. We do not and should not come under this category; we are servants of the living God, we are “not our own” (1Cor 6:19). What we do in the sight of God can affect our brethren. When using the public forum of the Internet to publicize our own particular positions, and at the same time we comment openly about Christ’s brethren, identifying them by name, we are contradicting the word of God. Paul wrote, “None of us liveth to himself” (Rom 14:7); how then should we conduct ourselves, “Let us therefore follow after things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify one another” (Rom 14:19).