How should Christians interact on social media?

While I have doubts about social media's capacity to cultivate conversation regarding serious, complex issues, such as the recent decision in Dobbs v. Jackson, social media is designed to allow individuals to share their perspectives with others. If you decide to interact on social media, consider the following recommendations:

• No call-outs - Stay away from ad hominem arguments (arguments that attack an institution, person or group) and choose to deal with positions and ideas critically, respectfully, and graciously. Concerning the abortion discussion, we need to take care not to frame those who hold to a pro-choice position negatively. Their position is incorrect. We need to focus on that.
• Don’t say more than you can - Keep speculations about facts and motivations or hidden agendas to a minimum. Our passion for the pro-life movement can lead us to speak out of turn, to exaggerate facts, or to make assumptions about the motives of others. If we aren’t sure or don’t know, we would be wise to “be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (Jam 1:19-20).
• Offer a unique perspective (or at least try to) - Piling on top of the heap after the tackle has been made isn’t exactly a contribution…find a new angle on the situation and think it through. Christians have the full counsel of God’s word on which we can draw. If we don’t get carried away with the conventional arguments, we may find that we have more to say to those who hold a pro-choice position than we think.
• No ‘Sizzle’ without ‘Steak’ - ‘Man Bites Dog’ is always a more interesting story than ‘Dog Bites Man,’ but sometimes the more mundane stories of God’s work in and through His people (the things we hear about in the news) are the most profound. As we consider how to speak publicly about our pro-life position or against the pro-choice position, we need to remember that the world may want “sizzle,” but it needs “steak.”

Social media is a conversation. As Christians, social media is another arena that reflects what we have in our hearts. If we find ourselves insulting others or presenting ourselves as somehow morally superior than others, we should consider what exactly we have in our hearts.