What's the New Push?

I came to social media late. I avoided it for many years and only joined Facebook after planting a church. I was informed over and over again Facebook would get our message out and put us in front of people. I suppose in some regards this could happen. I rarely saw it come to fruition, but I tried. What I did see was the dark underbelly of corporate/government strings pulling the psyche of the population regularly and Christians falling in lockstep with the masses.

What am I saying? What do I mean?

In the years I have been involved with social media, I have noticed a constant stream of crisis and social movements that sweep up almost everyone using these platforms and it is pretty sad. For each new push, there is a new pull and the two sides are often fanatical and view the other perspective as dangerous, misinformed, and worthy of almost all means to silence. For each Black Lives Matter banner there is a Blue Lives Matter banner and supporter and they both think the other person is the problem.

At the same time, neither side recognizes the exact same people are pulling the strings for both sides and fomenting the emotion that drives their pretend cultural movement and support. In other words, those banners people add to their profile for example, expressing their support for this or their support for that are not real. The entire thing is fabricated to keep people agitated and the moment one movement begins losing steam, we watch the coalition of corporate, government, and media work together to push another forward.

In response, I watch people who think they are edgy, wise, and compassionate jump on the new bandwagon and change their banners and begin sharing new professionally developed ideas while thinking they are helping. Not only do they begin actively supporting their new corporate idea, they begin shouting down all those who do not join them in their two minutes of hate and who are promoting their own opposite corporate sponsored viewpoint.

I expect this kind of behavior from people schooled by public institutions and who believe government is designed to aid and help them. I expect this kind of behavior who believe their civic duty is voting and supporting politicians who would help them, if not for the other side of the aisle that keeps foiling their efforts to make things right and proper. How long does it take to recognize the pattern? It took me three presidential cycles to recognize what was happening as the things I was told would be solved would be done as soon as the next election was completed and the opposition was moved out, if only enough of them could be replaced with the good guys.

Both sides of the aisle make the same argument and pull the same string every single year. The media profits selling these lies while the politicians bank on it with donations as nothing changes because the media, corporate, and political class win every time with this arrangement while people seem utterly blind to what is happening right in front of their face.

My problem is I watch professing Christians doing the exact same thing. I watch their banners change and I watch them promote one corporate push after another like the schooled masses. I have to wonder if it is because they are also schooled in the same institutions and there are feelings of belonging by going with the herd and supporting whatever is being pushed. I wish Christians did not conform to the world so well. We are not supposed to.

Jesus did not conform to the world and neither did the Apostles who learned directly from him. While everyone else was walking towards hell, they walked towards the kingdom of God and accepted the punishment of hatred from the masses while doing it. They realized everyone else was marching to the beat of the wrong drum.

The Christian position is not endless following of the secular world view and its constantly churning new things in need of support. This kind of behavior is the exact opposite of our calling to bring Jesus to the world and light into darkness. None of these new banners and movements are real; they are all pretend solutions to the same age old problem of sin and the rejection of God. These new banners and social movements accomplish nothing of real substance. Christians must wake up and realize at best they are standing on the sidelines and handing out cups of water as the world marches towards its doom when they jump on these bandwagons.

It is time to buck the system. It is time to promote the kingdom of God and wear Jesus as the only banner that means anything. Waving flags has only resulted in more bodies in cemeteries. Cheering for a social change or new banners has only resulted in more money flowing one way or another while fomenting hate and division among the masses, but it has not changed the underlying sins.

This is not the Christian way. Christians do not support war or blow the trumpets when the boys march off. Christians support all lives as valuable and seek justice for all people. We should spend time in jail, either ministering to those imprisoned or standing in there ourselves for opposing the State and its programs of hype and hate. When I watch you change your banner every six weeks for whatever is being pushed by the money masters, I realize just how far from the kingdom most people are. There is still time to recognize the world for what it is. But every day we lose is one we cannot get back.

Jesus is the only way. Will you stop following evil and hate and pledge your loyalty to love and mercy? He stands outside your door waiting; will you invite him in?