No man is an Island, part 2

I inadvertently caused some controversy (and even more regrettably, insulted some people) with my previous post about our internet responsibility.  I thought about just deleting the post from my blog, but decided that further discussion would be more helpful.  So in my follow up, let me start with what I'm not saying.

1. I'm not saying that everyone should live cross-culturally.  God calls us each to different places and different vocations.

2. I'm not saying that we should all adopt Muslim dress or any other religion's dress code. a) This would be impossible since every Muslim society has its own interpretation of proper dress, and there are variations within these groups. b) Modesty is determined by culture and religious conviction, and you  don't have to conform to a foreign culture's standards. c) Most importantly, we have freedom in Christ, and dress codes promote a false sense of holiness based on outward appearances.

3.  I'm not saying that we should remove all mention of God or our convictions from our internet pages (facebook, myspace, Twitter, blogs, etc.)

Here's what I am suggesting:

1. That we should all be sensitive to the thoughts, feelings, and religious beliefs of others in whatever community we live in, including our internet community.  If our community contains only white American Christians, we don't have many differences to consider.  If it's more diverse than that, we must be aware that we represent God to those around us.

2.  That we should be aware of what our appearance says to people.  Once again, this is informed by your context.  In America, there's nothing wrong with tank tops and shorts.  But ladies, our dress should not mirror what we see on TV and movie stars.  Even though you could wear revealing clothes in public (unlike in some Muslim cultures where you'd be arrested), it's not the best thing to do because our culture does make associations with immodesty and promiscuousness that would not honor God.  I don't think you have to wear skirts every day or shirts that cover your collar bone; I think you should wear clothes that don't attract the wrong kind of attention (Not to be read "ugly clothes."  There's nothing wrong with looking nice.)

3.  That people should consider the audience for their actions, words, and yes, facebook profiles.  If all of your facebook friends are Christians and only your friends can see your profile,  then pictures of prayer in the bathroom (see previous post and link) aren't that big a deal.  However, if there are people of other faiths, or of no faith at all, who can see your page, maybe think through what's on there.  

For most small-town Americans, your non-Christian audience will be people claiming no religion, so rather than concerns of modest clothing (like I discussed last time), your issues will be more about not making God seem irrelevant to real life, as if He's only for a few weird "Jesus people."

If you live in an area with a large homosexual population, you shouldn't use phrases like "those homos" since this doesn't display the love of Christ for ALL people.  I don't mean that you shouldn't voice your opinions, but there are ways to express convictions in love rather than hate.  (Ex: I believe that marriage is intended for one man and one woman, for life.)

If you have friends who are Buddhist, be aware that they value all forms of life, so displaying your hunting photos isn't the best way to show them you value God's creation.

Main point: Know your audience and speak (and type) in LOVE.