The Gentle Leader’s Online Demeanor

This article was first published in French at TPSG.

Brashness is not courage. And might is not right. Yet in the adversarial climate in which our generation finds itself, those who speak the loudest tend to have the last word. 

Christians' Discourse on Social Media

We shouldn’t be surprised to see this in the world. What’s tragic, however, is when it becomes acceptable in the Church. And YouTube, Facebook, and other social media outlets have only made it easier for evangelicals to engage in theological throwdowns with little consideration for the feelings of the disembodied people on the other side of the screen. 

Quarrels and the Christian Leaders

If this were simply the behaviour of immature or carnal believers, that would be one thing. But a quick internet search reveals that a host of Christian leaders employ similar tactics in their online dealings with those they disagree with. And what’s more, they justify doing so biblically by describing their posture as courageous rather than quarrelsome.

 

In the wake of this saddening situation, Paul’s admonition to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:22-26 has spoken words of clarity in this climate of contention.

Paul’s Admonition in Context

If 2 Timothy 1 was Paul’s personal counsel to Timothy, spiritual father to spiritual son, in chapter 2 Paul transitions to a discussion on leadership development, apostle to pastor. We see this in v. 2:

2 And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.

 

And we see it again in v. 14:

 

14 Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers.

Gentleness and the Christian Leader

Then, in the concluding words of the chapter, Paul issues Timothy the following admonishment:

 

22 So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. 23 Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. 24 And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, 25 correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

 

Verse 22 contains two imperatives, a negative one, “flee…” and a positive one, “pursue…”. Like so much of the Christian life, this aptly represents the putting off of the old man and his foolishness and the putting on of the new man and Christ-like character. 

 

In verse 23, we find Paul’s next imperative in this section, “have nothing to do with…”. In the original language, the term means to decline, refuse, avoid, reject. And the controversies in question were likely related to the law, myths, and genealogies (1 Ti. 1:4, Ti. 3:9). Given the repeated use of the word quarrel in this chapter (v. 14, 23), such a posture was of serious concern to the Apostle. In fact, in a passage parallel to that in 2 Timothy 2, Paul lays out the qualifications for spiritual leadership, including that the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome (1 Ti. 3:3). 

 

Elsewhere, Paul employs this same Greek term translated “kind” in a surprising way:

 

7 But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. (1 Th. 2:7)

Opponents and the Christian Leader

Can you imagine a more tender image than that? Yet, whereas Paul’s gentleness in 1 Thessalonians is in the context of his parental love for the saints in Thessalonica, in 2 Timothy, the recipients of such kindness are even broader: everyone! But Paul doesn’t stop there. In contrast to being quarrelsome, the Lord servant is instead to “correct his opponents with gentleness” (v. 25).

 

What’s remarkable about the opponents in question is that these were not brothers and sisters with whom Timothy had a disagreement on secondary issues. These were people in “the snare of the devil” who were “captured by him to do his will” (v. 26). And his motivation was so that “God may perhaps grant them repentance…” (v. 25). 

 

I would venture to add that that if Paul was calling Timothy to train Christian leaders to be gentle toward their adversaries, he doubtless also desired the same character in their dealings with Christians they disagreed with. After all, Jesus taught his disciples in John 13:34-35, 

 

34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

Social Media and the Christian Leader

In these words, penned by the Apostle Paul, we can draw powerful applications for social media and our present age. First, if in our efforts to push back against the rising tide of secularism, humanism, and every other “-ism”, we’ve employed harsh, aggressive, or caustic tactics in our online dealings, may the Lord be calling us to humble ourselves and repent? 

 

And secondly, if one of the qualifications for spiritual leaders is that they be “kind to everyone,” should that not also include fellow believers? Yet, if what the world sees instead is our online squabbles over secondary issues, how will they ever see the love of Jesus in us? 

 

I’m not suggesting that we stand by in silence while Evangelical leaders dismantle the faith, discarding primary doctrines, all while still claiming allegiance to Christianity. We have a responsibility to address false doctrine and even call out false teachers by name, as Paul does (1 Ti. 1:20, 2 Ti. 1:15, 2:17). But when we do, may our hearts ache for their restoration rather than yearn for their ruin. May our Lord empower us so that our online dealings with everyone are characterized by gentleness.