When being influenced (aka discipled) by online voices with whom you have no personal relationship—and therefore cannot clarify feelings or engage in meaningful conversation—here are five ways to discern what is truly helpful versus what may be inadvertently harmful:
1. Know the difference between exegesis and eisegesis.
Exegesis (ex-, “out of”) seeks to draw meaning from the Bible, while eisegesis (eis-, “into”) imports meaning into Scripture. This often becomes evident when current buzzwords like empathy or authenticity suddenly become the summation of Scriptures’ message. Or here’s another way to discern this – is Scripture being used to interpret experiences, or is experiences being used to interpret Scripture.
2. Be watchful of those who speak with nuance about their own views but paint opposing ideas with a broad brush.
This reveals an imbalance (or simply a lack of charity) and is often referred to as the “pet or punch” distinction—like, for example, when an influencer will “pet liberalism” but “punch conservatism,” or vice versa.
3. Raise flags when influencers ‘get into the Greek’ but simply confusing etymology with definition.
This tactic takes words of Scripture and rather than looking at how the word is used and defined, it looks at the evolution of the word which emphasize aspects of the word which it no longer primally carries. While “getting into the Greek” can sound scholarly and academic, it often just puffs up pride and ultimately undermines the argument because it often bends words to mean what they actually don’t.
4. Exercise caution when arguments rely heavily on proof-texting the early church.
These references are often cherry-picked to support a particular viewpoint, while ignoring the broader theological and historical conversations that were happening which eventually shaped the church in the first millennium.
5. Learn what a shibboleth is.
Many influencers will look for or demand specific language regarding hot topic issues to “prove” someone’s sincerity in following Christ—an ironically un-Christlike behavior. And beware, this goes for being pressured to constantly say what you are for and also what you are against. For the biblical background of the word shibboleth, see Judges 12.
The internet is free speech on steroids. While every voice may be welcome, not every voice is wise.
Influencers often gain traction by inflaming the emotions of the cultural moment—elevating one side while demeaning another—rather than humbly speaking eternal truths with love that draw people together.
If your favorite Christian influencer causes you to view others with a lack of charity, if they lead you to feel superior over those with whom you disagree, or if they are not leading you to love your enemies more than you do right now, that’s a poor Christian influence—and you’ll have a hard time convincing me they reflect the heart of Christ.
