Today's post is by guest contributor, Christian Clement-Schlimm. He gives an inside look at a corner of the internet to be aware of.
The internet is a useful tool for Christians. Through the internet, Christians now have easy access to a wide variety of Bible translations, commentaries, sermons, and Christian blogs and podcasts. Another helpful thing the internet provides Christians is internet chatrooms. While some of you may not have heard of them before, I have made and continue to make great use of these online meeting spaces. Through chatrooms on platforms like Facebook, Reddit, and Discord, I have connected and conversed with many hundreds of Christians from various parts of the world and Christian denominations across the spectrum. We have shared edifying insights, helpful resources, and unique perspectives which we would not have had access to apart from this online fellowship. But while I love all the useful tools that the internet provides me as a Christian, I was in for a surprise with what I experienced from the chatrooms. Let me share some of the lessons God taught me along the way.
Don’t assume people who claim to be Christians are Christians. To share an example, a couple of years ago I met an evangelical Presbyterian on an online Protestant discussion board. We had many great conversations about theology, history, and church life. A couple of months into dialogue, however, this new “friend” revealed how his conviction about the unique authority of the Bible (Sola Scriptura), a conviction we both firmly held, was creating problems for him in his evangelical Presbyterian church. Intrigued, I asked what could be controversial about holding to Sola Scriptura in an evangelical church. What followed was a surprising and disappointing debate on the doctrine of the Trinity. My friend shared how many verses like Philippians 1:2 which reference “God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,” demonstrate that only the Father is God according to Scripture. Further, he argued that well-regarded early Christian documents like the Nicene Creed reflect this belief when it confesses that “I believe in one God, the Father almighty.” This conversation was a shock. An evangelical Presbyterian, a person with whom I had several wonderful conversations, turned out to be a staunch Unitarian in rebellion against his local church. Sadly, this is not a rare occurrence. With some regularity, I witness people who initially present themselves as fellow Christians but turn out to be Unitarians, Gnostics, and members of a number of other bizarre religious groups. Fortunately, I was ready to take on the challenge of that conversation about the Trinity, having spent many hours studying these topics in theology and history courses in seminary. But I have seen other Christians, especially those new in the faith, be left utterly confused by encounters with people who turn out to be wolves in sheep’s clothing.
Don’t assume that people who claim to be pastors are pastors. Another type of strange internet encounter is with “pastors.” At least three times, I have met people who presented themselves as pastors but then turned out to be something very different. There is a phenomenon where through various online video games, like Minecraft or Roblox, Christian young people have formed “churches.” With noble intent and excitement about their faith in Christ, they turn to the internet to express their Christian passion. The same way people often go online to discuss and further develop their passion for sports, gardening, pets, and movies, these young people go online to get more of Christianity. Inevitably it seems, many of them end up forming online congregations, raising up pastors, and even meeting for online services. Unlike actual churches, however, what you get in these online game “churches” are hundreds of excited young people looking up to another young person as a “pastor,” without any ordination, accountability, or oversight. These online pastors present themselves as legitimate pastors and even seem to honestly seek to shepherd people; but they do so without any calling, training, or guidance. While they certainly have passion, that’s often all they have.
Don’t confuse online “church” fellowship with real church fellowship. Video game churches regularly create a host of problems as people look up to unqualified, unknown internet personalities as sources for pastoral counselling and biblical education. What’s worse is that many of these young people, who already spend much of their days online, begin to see their online churches and communities as their primary Christian fellowship. This is as opposed to their actual, real-life church families!
In these examples, the wolf in the sheep’s clothing and the misguided young internet “pastor”, we see how a useful tool like the internet can easily lead astray a young or new Christian, especially one who is not firmly rooted in an established church community.
You might be reading this and think that the internet is a uniquely crazy place. But I would remind you that we have seen the same issue with other beloved tools used by Christians. For example, while the radio and television have brought us the sermons and teachings of great Christian pastors, theologians, and talk show hosts, we also know that many false teachers have firmly established themselves on these platforms. Many supposed Christian radio preachers are espousing the prosperity gospel. Many popular TV pastors are “faith healers” who hustle their followers by promising health for wealth. And, much the same can be said of Christian bookstores: the same place where you can get the latest John MacArthur or John Piper book also sells Kenneth Copeland’s or Benny Hinn’s latest work.
Like the printing press in Martin Luther’s day, new technology can be a great tool for Christians. Yet, technology can be and has been abused by false teachers and misguided people. As Christians, we need to be aware of the dangers and discern with diligence what we are consuming. With regard to that, we must remember that no online teacher or community can replace our local church’s leadership and fellowship. If something we read online causes questions or doubts, we must bring it to our local church. That’s where Scripture tells us God promises to work and make his truth known (1 Tim. 3:15).
